Intervention #1: High Intensity Interval Training

Knowing Life by Entering Life- Mahasweta Devi

It takes a lot to get yourself moving at the best of times. But pushing your physical limits at 2:00AM to help lessen the slow violence of shift work takes systematic thinking: from self motivation, to creating spaces where you can move, to choosing the type of movement itself.

In my seven years of doing physical training during 12-hour overnight shifts, I always found myself struggling when 2:00AM approached. There has been rarely a night where I was ready to just go and do my workout. A loud voice in my head was saying, “You don’t need to do this -You already did it yesterday, why put yourself through this pain? It is 2:00AM, just sit your ass down!” To drown out this voice, I often had to seek motivation in a song. I created entire playlists for working out. Nike ads do really help, although I do not wear Nike Shoes. When all else failed, the support from my colleagues encouraged me, every time.

As I age, I have to listen VERY closely to what my body is trying to tell me – when to push and when to back off. There is no one model that fits all – human beings are dynamic systems, with variables that are constantly shifting. We are diurnal creatures and were not meant to be up all night – “night owls” or not. So do what you need to do in order to survive it – move at your own pace (slow or fast), take a nap, or meditate. But remember – stay far away from sugar during your night shift. It will disturb your metabolic rhythms and will only make you feel more tired twenty minutes later.