It can be hard to stick to a healthy lifestyle as it is, let alone when you’re working shifts and can’t get into a solid routine.

We asked seven shift workers, who are also members of The Body Coach app, how they make it work – and why it’s okay to give yourself a break sometimes.

For eating well

Prep and freeze meals

“I prep meals for however many shifts I’m working so it’s ready to grab and go,” says Susan B, an intensive care nurse. “For night shifts, I try to keep my meals to daytime hours and have breakfast before I go to bed, lunch after a workout, dinner on my break and a snack after a sleep break if I’m hungry.”

“It takes a lot of planning!” adds Greg Bert, who is a train guard. “I tend to batch-cook and freeze, but it is very time-consuming.”

Lisa Slicker, who is a healthcare assistant at a hospital, adds: “I batch-cook and freeze, or do something like a quiche that I can pop in the fridge.”

Nikki Nash, who is a barista, says: “I prep ahead and use my slow cooker when I’m on shifts.”

Eat the same meal for a few shifts in a row

Hazel Ann Greig, who is a paediatric nurse, will also batch-cook and then eat the same meal for three days in a row when she’s on a run of day shifts.

"I try to meal prep two days at a time because anything longer than that and I won’t eat it,” adds Nicola Evans who works as cabin crew.

Accept it won’t always go to plan

“I do struggle when I’m tired,” says Nicola, “for instance if I get into bed at 5am, don’t get much sleep with the kids being off, then I eat rubbish all day as a result. Usually I’d make sure my meals are sorted so I have no excuse.”

For moving more

Working out before a shift

“I find working out before my shift makes it easier to get through, especially at night,” says Susan, an intensive care nurse. “But it does mean getting up ridiculously early – so I always make sure I have a rest day when I finish a night shift.”

Greg Bert, the train guard, does similar, adding: “I find fitting in the exercise the hardest, especially if I’ve been on an early. With late shifts, I tend to do the exercise before work."

Exercise on days off, not working days

Lisa Slicker, a health care assistant, does 12-hour shifts with a mix of days and nights. “I don’t exercise on my working days, I’m just too exhausted,” she says. “But I make sure I do on days off.”

Know that it’s a work in progress

“If I’m honest, exercise is hard to fit in,” says Angela Luff, an adult nurse in surgery. “I’m still working on it at the moment. I joined a challenge [Joe and Rosie’s Strength Challenge’ to help me move forward.”

Stick to short workouts – and do them whenever possible

As cabin crew, Nicola Evans often does a month of early shifts, then a month on a late shift. “I try to stick to 20-minute workouts and just do them whenever I can,” she says. “If I can do more than one I will.

“My workout might be at midnight, 5am, or lunchtime. I am for five a week, but don’t beat myself up if I don’t manage anymore. Plan plan plan is your best friend and don’t beat yourself if you don’t accomplish everything you planned. Even if you only manage 80% of your plan it’ll be more than if you hadn’t planned at all!”

This article was written by The Body Coach content team.