Fitting in any type of self-care on a travel nursing contract can be difficult at times, especially exercise. Moving your body may be beneficial to both your mental and physical health, which can aid in the prevention of burnout. You’d be amazed at how many alternatives there are for adding fitness into your travel nursing routine if you keep it basic and establish reasonable objectives. Here are a few great ideas for staying active while on the road.

• Choose one item of (portable) fitness equipment.

Consider carrying one beloved piece of equipment with you on your vacation job if nothing else. A set of dumbbells, a kettlebell, ankle/wrist weights, or a resistance band might all be used. You’ll be surprised at how effective a workout with only one piece of equipment can be. Consider the dependable resistance band: the options are unlimited, from squats to leg lifts to lunges-in-place.

• Considering renting a bike.

Getting on a bike is an excellent way to include low-impact, high-reward exercise into your daily routine. Many local bike shops rent bikes by the month, and if you work in a larger city, there are even pay-per-use bike stations. Biking is an excellent way to get some exercise and fresh air while exploring your new area.

• Check to see whether your facility has exercise resources.

Did you know that some hospitals include a gym for their employees? This makes it simple for RNs to exercise during their lunch breaks, before or after their shifts.

If your workplace does not have an on-site gym, inquire with employee wellness or HR about the available fitness resources–you may be able to obtain a temporary free ticket to a nearby gym or use some at-home workout applications to help you remain on track. Check with your insurance carrier to see if they have any fitness perks that you can take advantage of.

• Prepare ahead of time.

Most travel nurses want to make the most of each task by visiting each new place on their days off, and days off may fill up quickly when you have a bucket list of things to see or do in thirteen weeks. If you know you’ll be traveling or touring on your days off, prepare ahead of time to figure out how to fit a workout in between all of your adventures.

This may be getting up a bit earlier and fitting in a 15–25 minute workout or going to the gym before or after a hard shift on one of your workdays so you can enjoy the remainder of the day. Set a realistic goal of how many days you want to work out each week, regardless of how you make it happen, so you have something to aim for while also allowing for life to happen.

• Remember to have fun!

One of the most usual reasons people fail to change their workout habits is that they take an all-or-nothing attitude. They go all-in, eliminating anything “unhealthy,” making a schedule to workout six days a week, and refusing to allow themselves to have fun.

Travel nurses select their profession because it is, at its core, enjoyable. Traveling across the nation while working in a vocation you enjoy exposes you to a plethora of new experiences. Approaching a workout plan as all-or-nothing severely limits your capacity to go out and enjoy your free time. Taking time on days off to get out and explore, from sampling local food to exploring vineyards and breweries, is critical to making the most of your travel nursing employment. Living a healthy lifestyle and having these experiences can coexist; you simply have to be a bit more careful of your choices when working towards fitness objectives.