Why Nurses Should Think About Movement Before Exercise

We’ve overcomplicated exercise. As a present day narrative, it’s a place. Attire. Social fodder. As a noun, it’s workouts, programs, and schedules. If any particular one of those elements doesn’t happen consistently, a person assumes they’re falling behind. Or labels themselves as “not an exerciser” or resolves to the mindset that “I’m not the exercise type”.

So, why am I dedicating an entire post to this? Simple; having spent the past two decades in healthcare, and specifically nursing positions, I’ve seen firsthand the physical -and mental- toll it has taken on my coworkers, and so if this moves the needle toward action for just one person, I feel it worthy.

The role of nursing is extremely demanding on the human body, in every way. Thus, when nurses are off-duty, many either lack the motivation -or desire- to exercise, or they opt for more negative coping strategies that involve chowing or imbibing or worse.

My suspicion is that this lack of desire is fronted by the fact that starting another formally structured program -apart from the rigorous, myriad protocols nurses must follow at work- likely seems too much. Too imposing. Too excessive. Nurses need “downtime”, and keeping up an exercise routine doesn’t seem like that at all.

The impasse is that nurses NEED healthy outlets for coping. To reduce stress. Offload worry. Avoid their own sickness. They need exercise. A practice from which research clearly demonstrates, year after year, has the greatest benefit in reducing nurses stress levels and halting the escalation toward burnout¹’²’³.

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So, while “exercise” by strict definition may not be the most commonly chosen coping mechanism by nurses, I believe there’s a simple solution. A better way to think about “exercise”.

Call it Movement. That’s all. Nothing more. Nothing implied. Just movement.

Movement is not confined to a gym. It’s not limited to a 45-minute window three times per week. It doesn’t require the correct attire, or expensive monthly fees, or the social posturing. Movement can be done anywhere. It’s a loose term. No rigidity. No structure. It’s not all-or-nothing.

It’s what you do throughout the day. Walking more, and briskly. Taking stairs, up AND down. Carrying things, heavy things. Movement is getting outside when the weather permits. It’s playing ‘children’s games’ til sweat beads on your forehead and the axilla of your shirt changes colors. Most importantly, it’s choosing to be active when you could just as easily not be.

Don’t get me wrong. Movement doesn’t replace structured exercise. It supports it. Like the RN-Patient Care Tech relationship. The two are symbiotic, requiring each other for optimization. When movement becomes the baseline, workouts -that is exercise- stop being the only opportunity to be active. They become an addition instead of the entire plan.

For nurses, this matters. Long shifts and unpredictable schedules make consistency difficult if exercise depends on perfect timing. Movement removes that barrier. It’s flexible. It’s sustainable. And it aligns more closely with how the body actually works.

With all things in nursing -and life- the goal isn’t to be perfect. It’s to move more, more often.

-Mitch