By Nancy Devine
January 6, 2000
Photo: Photodisc

In 1913, nurses didn’t need to go any farther afield than their assigned wards to get their daily exercise. The average nurse walked 5.5 miles a day, while the busiest clocked 7.5 miles, according to pedometer readings taken by a physician interested in designing more efficient wards. Now that those days and wards are gone, nurses, like other Americans, have to work hard to fit exercise into their lives. In addition, nursing itself is becoming more sedentary.

Healthy habits

“Nurses spend lots more time on documentation, even compared to when I started out in 1981,” said Denise Moltzan, RN, employee wellness and health promotion manager at Parkland Health & Hospital System in Dallas. “Patient care technicians go down the hall now instead of nurses. It’s not healthy.”

As is well-known by now, America’s love of cars and couches is contributing to a surge in obesity and health risk factors related to inactivity—risk factors that can be lessened by good health habits. The Harvard Nurses’ Health Study, a long-term research project, demonstrated that in a group of 84,000 female nurses, 82 percent of participants with good health habits were less likely to develop heart problems than those who were overweight, who smoked, or who did not exercise. The findings far exceeded researchers’ predictions that 50 percent of heart disease cases could be avoided through practicing a healthy lifestyle.

“Most women are not aware that coronary disease and arthrosclerotic conditions are their biggest health risk, higher than all cancers combined,” said Steve Raskin, MD, director of the coronary care unit at Alameda Hospital in Alameda, Calif. “But through exercise and a heart-healthy diet, you can expect a 10 percent fall in LDL cholesterol, significantly reduce your risk, and halt the progression of disease. That’s the big carrot.”

Seven steps to fitness

The lessons from the studies are clear: It’s time to move. But when? And how? Here are some suggestions from the experts:

• First, visit a physician or your hospital’s wellness center to screen for health risks, said Rebecca Stolz, RN, nurse educator at the Women’s Health Program at the Cooper Institute for Aerobic Research in Dallas. “Assess your lifestyle as well, examining behaviors and obstacles that keep you from exercising or making healthy food choices.”

• Once obstacles have been identified—and for nurses time is likely to be the biggest obstacle––consider options for removing them. “Then ask the important question: Am I willing to change?” Stolz said. “Changing your lifestyle is a personal decision fueled by motivation from within. You make the commitment.”

• Choosing to change is a pivotal decision. “Nurses know the right choices, but we’re not choosing them,” said Poppy Paterson, RN, manager of the cardiopulmonary rehab and preventive medicine program at Hillcrest Baptist Medical Center in Waco, Texas. “We need to choose time for our own health, or we won’t be able to work or help our family.”

• Pick something fun you can do on your breaks, recommended Stolz. “Go up and down the stairs or walk at a fast pace for 10 minutes. Dr. Cooper says to begin doing three 10-minute intervals, three to five times a week. But get that heart rate up.”

Nurses at Hillcrest Baptist and Huntington Memorial Hospital in Pasadena, Texas, routinely take advantage of tracks located at the hospitals, officials said. Others take a less structured approach, making a habit of walking documents down the hall.

• Start slowly and be realistic. It also helps to find a friend to exercise with so you keep each other motivated. “Exercising is always better when you’ve got a buddy to laugh with,” Moltzan said.

Whatever the exercise, experts say it’s crucial to schedule it like any other important appointment. “Plot it and write it down,” Paterson said. “Take a walking class [in which] you have to walk to get a good grade.”

• Look at what’s available at or near work. Parkland, for example, offers health risk assessments, aerobics classes, and weight management to its employees. “We’re hoping staff will find what they need to reduce body fat and improve heart strength,” Moltzan said.

Although the majority of hospitals don’t have on-site gyms, many offer employee discounts on health club memberships. Nurses at Kaiser Permanente Oakland in Oakland, Calif., for example, can exercise before or after any shift at the nearby 24-Hour Fitness health club. The club’s 24-hour policy is a boon to evening- and night-shift nurses.

• Finally, like your choice. “Find something you like so you’ll do it longer, burn more calories, and really get that heart rate up,” said Dawn Bourgeois, director of the Wellness Center at Hill Country Memorial Hospital in Fredericksburg, Texas. “Boost your metabolism and decrease body fat by lifting weights, and stretch to avoid injury. You’ll feel leaner, happier, and more energetic.”