Here are some suggested activities to help improve your physical well-being during EM Wellness Week. Get started that week, then make them a habit year-round.
Diet
- Increase healthy food intake – such as fruits, nuts, vegetables, grains, water
- Eat breakfast
- Drink less alcohol and/or coffee
- Lose 1 pound or 0.5 kilogram – Hint: don’t forget to track your progress and report at the end of EM Wellness Week
- Try a new and fun healthy food
Exercise
- Keep track of steps (or miles) with set pre-determined daily goal
- Try new type of exercise you might enjoy - yoga, Zumba, circuit training, spin, a new sport - Hint: Some local gyms, yoga studios or sports classes will let you try their service for a 1-week trial in conjunction with EM Wellness Week
- Self-monitor your personal wellness
Sleep
- Sleep in blocks of at least 3 to 4 hours, with 1 or 2 blocks per 24-hour period to get 7 to 8 hours of sleep
- Work with your scheduler to initiate rotating shifts in a clockwise manner for scheduling care-givers that work a variety of shift times
- Set an alarm to GO TO bed
- Create a better sleep environment (such as a quiet and cool room, white noise, room-darkening shades, sign on the door that says “day sleeper”)
- Sleep with your partner
Stop smoking
Resources
Articles -
Get Some Sleep! A Few Words on Shift Work Sleep Disorder
By Patti Van Leer, MD