Fitting exercise around shift work

Most exercise advice assumes a Monday to Friday life with the same training slots every week. That is easy to say when your work hours never change. It is a lot harder when this week is early starts and next week is night shift.

Plenty of people across the Illawarra work rosters. Hospitals and emergency services run around the clock here, and so do many workplaces in industry and hospitality. If that is you, the usual "book the same classes every week" advice probably feels a long way from reality. This article is about building a routine that bends with your roster instead of breaking every time it changes.

Sleep comes first

Shift work tends to squeeze sleep, and sleep is where much of your recovery from exercise happens. A hard class on very little sleep often leaves people feeling flat and sore for longer, which makes it harder to keep going.

So the first rule is simple. Protect your main sleep block and fit training around it. After a run of night shifts, a lie in may do more for you than a 5:45am class. A gentler session or a rest day is the better choice on short sleep.

If your roster is affecting your sleep or health over a long period, it is worth talking to your GP. Ongoing poor sleep is common in shift workers, and there is support available.

Match the class to the shift

Different points in your roster suit different kinds of training. Here is one way to think about it.

On early shift weeks. Classes later in the day often work best because you finish early and can fit a session in before dinner. Our studios run late afternoon and evening classes most weekdays. A Flow or Jump class can be a good way to shake off a day on your feet.

On late shift weeks. Mornings are your friend. Both studios run 9:30am classes on several weekdays, which suit people who finish late and want a decent sleep before training. Shellharbour also has 12pm classes most weekdays.

Around night shifts. This is the trickiest part of the roster. Many people find it best to keep training light. Stretch and Yoga suit this part well, as does a Control class with lighter springs. Avoid scheduling a hard session straight after a night shift, when your body is ready for sleep.

On days off. This is the time for your more demanding classes like Tempo. You are rested and have time to recover afterwards.

Class times change from time to time, so check the timetable when your new roster comes out.

Book in roster blocks

Booking the same slots every week is hard on a rotating roster. The principle behind that advice still holds, though. Booking ahead turns a good intention into a plan.

Try this instead. Sit down with your new roster and the timetable side by side as soon as the roster is released. Book two or three classes that fit each week of the roster, and treat them as part of the roster itself. If something changes, move the booking straight away instead of deleting it.

Our 2 hour cancellation policy for group classes is worth keeping in mind. Cancelling inside that window, or missing a class, means a $10 fee. If a shift change is likely, book a class you can cancel in good time or wait until the roster is locked in. Full details are on our policies page.

Using both studios helps too. Your membership works at Wollongong and Shellharbour, so if your usual studio does not have a time that suits a particular shift, the other one might.

Count consistency across the month

On a rotating roster, some weeks will be good training weeks and others will not. That is normal. Judge your consistency over a month and stop grading yourself week by week.

A month with eight classes spread unevenly is still a strong month. A night shift week with one gentle Stretch class still counts. What matters is that you keep coming back, without trying to make up for a light week by cramming in extra hard sessions the following week.

The national movement guidelines also make room for this. Light activity throughout the day counts towards your health, and so does breaking up long periods of sitting. On a busy run of shifts, a walk in daylight on your days off is worth more than you might think.

Eating around odd hours

Meals become harder to time when your day starts at 2pm or ends at 7am. A few simple ideas help:

• Have a small snack before class if your last meal was hours ago. A banana or a yoghurt is plenty.
• Try to eat a proper meal after training, even if it is "breakfast" at 4pm.
• Keep a drink bottle with you through your shift and into class.
• Plan ahead for night shifts, since the options available at 3am are rarely the ones you would choose.

Our article on eating around a 5:45am class has more ideas that translate well to unusual start times. For personalised advice, an accredited practising dietitian is the best person to see.

Recovery is part of the plan

People working shifts often carry more fatigue than they realise. Recovery sessions earn their place on the timetable for that reason. Stretch gives tight hips and backs long holds, and Yoga pairs mindful movement with breathwork, which many people find helps them wind down. Booking one of these after a demanding run of shifts gives your body an easier day without stopping altogether.

Listen to your body. Unusual tiredness or a run of colds can be signs you are doing too much on too little sleep, and so can soreness that does not settle. Ease back for a week and see how you feel.

Make the roster work for you

Rotating shifts do not have to mean giving up on regular exercise. They just need a different kind of plan, built around your sleep and booked in roster blocks. Judged over a month instead of a week, that kind of plan adds up to steady progress.

The 21 day trial is a good way to test how classes fit your roster, with three weeks of unlimited classes at both studios for $65. Open the timetable next to your next roster and see which sessions fit.