One of the most appealing aspects of travel nursing is the freedom it provides nurses — the ability to choose where and when to work is game-changing, allowing nurses to explore new places and expand their professional networks.
However, for some travel nurses, especially new ones, creating and sustaining healthy habits can be challenging, especially when moving from one state to the next for work. Being away from home and re-establishing a routine that would work wherever work takes you can be quite a task, but it’s not impossible. This article discusses how travel nurses can develop healthy habits to cultivate a sustainable healthy lifestyle this year and in the years to come.
Self-care for travel nurses: Travel nursing healthy habit tips
Set SMART goals
It’s tempting to make lofty goals at the start of the year, but if your goals turn out to be too ambitious, the chances of not accomplishing them by the end of the year are high.
This is where SMART goals come in. SMART stands for specific, measurable, actionable, relevant, and time-bound goals, empowering you to stay on track. Typically, SMART goals are used professionally, enabling professionals to make strategic plans at the start of the year and manage projects efficiently. However, it can also be applied to reach personal goals, such as setting healthy habits that you can do the whole year round.
Set goals that are simple, specific, and realistic for you and your schedule. For example, this year, one of your goals is to be more consistent with doing yoga. If you want to do yoga three times a week, but your schedule only allows you to do it once a week, then make it a once-a-week activity. Set it for a realistic period, such as a three- or six-month timeframe, and reassess if you can adjust once the period is over. You can also choose to work out exclusively on your days off, especially if you work long shifts (12-hour shifts). So, your SMART goal for doing yoga would look something like this:
S: Do yoga more consistently.
M: One 20-minute session per week on my day off.
A: Follow a YouTuber’s beginner yoga program.
R: Be more flexible, strong, calm, and centered.
T: Do it for three months.
Drink more water
This is a good healthy habit that is easy to do every day and doesn’t cost a lot of money — drinking more water. Drinking more water is a small addition to your daily routine that can bring many wonderful benefits, including bolstering your energy levels and cognitive function, helping with weight loss, and preventing and treating headaches.
Here are some helpful tips to help you drink more water throughout the day:
· Bring a reusable water bottle — it doesn’t have to be one of those fancy, expensive bottles. It just has to be easy to clean, carry, and use.
· When you eat out, instead of getting a soda or an alcoholic beverage, ask for water.
· Try drinking flavored water to jazz things up. You can add cut-up fruit and herbs, or even flavored electrolyte powders.
· If you’re still getting the hang of drinking water regularly, you can set reminders throughout the day to remind you to drink more water. You can also get a water bottle with a time marker, to help remind you to drink a certain amount of water and stay hydrated all day.
Find an activity that you enjoy
Bonus points if it’s something that you can do without equipment. Being a travel nurse means you might not always be near a gym, so it’s essential to find a physical activity you can do anytime, anywhere. This can be running, walking, hiking, or even aerobics or Pilates at home.
It’s also important to identify how you want to feel. For example, if your goal is to feel stronger this year, a great way to achieve that goal is by doing exercises that utilize your body weight, such as step-ups or pull-ups. If your goal is to have more movement and mental clarity, try running or walking. And if you want to stay active while making new friends, join a local sports or fitness group that aligns with your goals and interests.
Try meal prepping
If you want to eat more home-cooked meals but have trouble cooking meals daily to bring to work, try meal prepping. Meal prepping starts with a good and simple plan, so create a meal plan and a grocery list (bonus points if your week’s worth of dishes uses multipurpose ingredients), and make sure that you have some airtight food containers to place your meal batches. If the idea of cooking seems a bit daunting, especially if you’re new to cooking, there are a multitude of easy-to-follow YouTube videos for beginners that can help you get started.
