Holistic Health: Key Strategies in Maintaining your Health as a Travel Nurse (Part I)

Hey friends! Happy 2025 to all! I hope you enjoyed time with your family and took the necessary time to rest, relax and reset. With that being said, let’s start the year off on a healthier note, especially in preparation for upcoming contracts. I get it, eating healthy as a nurse can already be a struggle in and of itself, yet alone throwing the travel aspect into the mix of it. It honestly seems nearly impossible sometimes. You are trying to stick to your healthy goals, turn a new page to start the year off right, keep the weight down and bam; you had a long travel day the day before, no chance to cook yet so you buy a salad to eat at work and then 15 minutes before your breakfast break you walk into the break room and there’s a “Thank you” cake from the patient you recently delivered and other treats that your colleagues brought in. You’re hungry and you think to yourself “it would be rude if I didn’t have a piece of cake from my patient who so kindly brought it in.” Then you find yourself having something you didn't want to eat and the guilt filled thoughts start to roll in. Now I’m not saying not to have the piece of cake...have the piece of cake if you want to, there is nothing wrong with that. What I am saying is to keep in mind the frequency of times you gravitate to the piece of cake over the healthier and nutritious options your body actually needs. The sustenance we provide to our bodies, will either make your body happy or not so happy with you over time. The way you care for your body is not just affected by the food we eat, but, its affected on a holistic level and how we treat ourselves from day to day.

Start with small habits that you can work on, grow in and build upon. If you try to tackle all aspects at once, it can become discouraging and you might slow down or stop altogether. There are 5 aspects of health I want to look at and help you consider, which include: Physical, Mental, Emotional, Spiritual and a Bonus topic. This month, we'll cover the first two that I think will really help start the year off on a good foot whether you're on a contract or getting ready for one.

Physical

Let’s talk about the physical aspect. This includes food, moving your body and responding to bodily cues and triggers. Having a well balanced meal is essential for your body to perform well. This includes a meal that’s veggie-focused, has an adequate amount of protein, healthy carbs, healthy fats. This will nourish your body well and keep you full longer, which helps to prevent snacking on high calorie, high sugar and carb snacks. They initially make your body acquire the energy it needs to keep going but, this "energy boost" usually only lasts so long before it eventually just lead to a crash, leaving you feeling more tired and drained than before. If you're a snacker like me, here’s a few examples of some healthy ideas to get you started.

Examples of Healthy Carbs: Kale chips, edamame, vegetables, legumes (beans, chickpeas, split peas), low fat milk and yogurt, fruits, oats, smoothies.

Examples of Healthy Fats: Avocados, Seeds (pumpkin, sesame, sunflower), Nuts and nut butters.

Examples of High Nutritious snacks: Apples and peanut butter, protein/energy bars, hummus and veggies, chia pudding with fruit, hard boiled eggs.

*Don't forget about remaining hydrated with your water intake as well. About 1.5-2 litres a day is ideal.

Another physical tip: Move your body (and no your track star performance on the unit doesn't count). This could be even 15-30 minutes a day. Having movement that is enjoyed such as a sport, working out, walking, dancing in your room or following along with a zumba video on Youtube, going on a hike, the treadmill or whatever it looks like for you, exercise does wonders for your body. It decreases your cortisol (stress) levels and increases your happy hormones of dopamine, serotonin and endorphins and oxytocin which overall helps you to sleep better and recover well. If you don't like working out by yourself or need help, ask a friend to do it with you. Also don't neglect the power of a good hug, talking with a loved one, cuddle with your kids/partner/pet, this definitely adds to the de-stressing part of the day and contributes to releasing those feel-good hormones as well.

P.S. If you’re tired, rest (don’t feel bad about it). Getting off of work after a 12 hr shift, the body needs to recoup. Listen to the knee pain and address it properly, for example get a massage. But don’t use the need to "rest" as an excuse all the time, a little bit of physical care a day goes a long way. 

Because its okay to be honest with yourself.

Mental

Its important to take inventory of where you are mentally. Brains are like a machine, yes, but on a holistic level we are not machines and there are many times our bodies will humbly remind us of this. 

Its a healthy practice to just pause and be still and be in touch with how you are feeling. Does your mind feel overloaded? Are you becoming forgetful or can’t remember certain things on a short term basis? Becoming more easily agitated or you feel your bandwidth for nonsense decreasing? Waking up in the morning and not feeling rested because it took forever to shut your brain off? Yeah, these are all signs that your mind and body may be telling you to take a pause. Some of the answers to these questions can be solved by helpful practices but also may require a more in depth assessment from a professional to help steer you in the right direction. 

Some examples of healthy practices are deep breathing, booking some time off, getting a massage (helps release a lot of tension), doing a hobby you enjoy (crocheting, swimming, writing, reading) and also speaking with a counsellor to help process emotions can be very helpful as well. The objectivity of a professional to help navigate certain emotions and help identify certain thought patterns can be beneficial to overall functioning and can help identify blind spots that sometimes, the family and friends around us may see but that we are not receptive to.

Fill yourself with helpful resources to assist you in navigating rest. Majority of this rest comes from using tools to help you grow; whether it be reading a book or listening to a podcast, managing finances and building personal skills in various ways. Everything starts in our mind and so its important to take healthy inventory and to feed it well.

Next month I'll go through the remaining holistic topics of emotional and spiritual health.

So, until next time!

Your wellness advocate,

Sarah