Balancing residency with life/family/friends/exercise....doable?

[pushthesux]

I'm a PGY-2 (Anesthesiology) and I just can't seem to be organized enough to manage 60-80 hours/week of work with the rest of my life. The result has been a lot of focus on my residency and little focus on my wife and myself (i.e. about 50 pounds overweight).

Anybody have any "secrets" on how to manage a busy residency with your family and specifically a good exercise and weight loss plan.

Thanks for any advice.

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[Blade28]

Do you have a nearby gym that you can use? What helps for me is running 2-3 times a week, and lifting weights 2-3 times a week. I have a small gym at my apartment complex, and not only does it help you stay in shape, but it's great for destressing.

Unfortunately it's too easy to eat whatever junk/unhealthy food is available in the hospital cafeterias or vending machines. Combine that with stress and lack of sleep, and it can be easy to gain weight.

...unless you're on one of our brutal rotations where you don't get the chance to eat more than one meal a day.

 

[happytime]

I'm a married med student who's always looking for ways to fit in diet & exercise, so here's $0.02 ...

One side of the equation is controlling input, so I'll carry a little tupperware dish, spoon & packet(s) of instant oatmeal in my bag, and nuke up one when I have a minute ... works well until one of the packets gets broken in the bottom of my backpack ... I also buy chicken breasts in big packages, quickly dump each one into a ziploc bag and freeze them, then take them out individually the night before to prepare on my way out the door. Can be as simple as cutting one piece into slices, covering with Italian salad dressing and nuking for several minutes while I'm getting ready, throw into tupperware and cover with some frozen vegetables, nuke later for a protein + veggie lunch. Also, lots and lots of coffee. And I carry a water bottle, or leave one in places where I spend a lot of time. And I like those frozen 'lean gourmet' meals, will stock up when they're on sale. It's just a matter of pre-planning, and wife can help out a lot (I'm a wife, my hubs helps me out, I'm not being sexist )

The other side of the equation is energy output, i.e. exercise; I bike to 'work' when weather permits, or work out at the gym nearby at night before going to sleep; you could work out with the wife for togetherness and mutual fitness; I know someone who without fail goes straight to the gym from work and hits the treadmill for 30 minutes in their scrubs. Hope these ideas help ... may seem a little obvious I suppose, but it's just a matter of finding little things that work for you and your wife. G'luck!

 

[Blade28]

That's so weird, happytime, I totally thought you were a guy until you wrote "I'm a wife." Strange. Maybe it was your strong, assertive tone.

 

[Bobblehead]

I'm a PGY-2 (Anesthesiology) and I just can't seem to be organized enough to manage 60-80 hours/week of work with the rest of my life. The result has been a lot of focus on my residency and little focus on my wife and myself (i.e. about 50 pounds overweight).

Anybody have any "secrets" on how to manage a busy residency with your family and specifically a good exercise and weight loss plan.

Thanks for any advice.

Bike to work if it's feasible.

Avoid eating to make yourself feel better. It's very easy in residency (and in life in general) to use food as a comfort factor to make yourself feel better. Recognize when you're doing that vs. actually being hungry.

Keep a 3x5" card and write down what you eat. Everything.

Take the stairs. Always. Even if it's 17 flights that turns into that much less time to go to the gym. You're probably wearing mostly scrubs so if they get nasty just find another pair to change into.

Consider walking up and down the stairs at lunch just because.

Try to add new friends. Instead of the ones that want to go out for dinner, find a group that wants to run or walk or do something active (much harder on a residency schedule).

 

[Winged Scapula]

Unfortunately, it just gets harder as you get older, so be smart (not like me) and develop a life long exercise habit now.

Unless you are naturally thin and so are your parents, you can expect that without increasing your activity and decreasing your food intake as you get older, you will put on weight.

I was naive enough to think I could always eat whatever I wanted and not worry about it. I soon found out in residency that even with taking the stairs and being on the move constantly didn't make up for the random nibbling here and there, eating at 0200 (because it was the first chance you got), and the fat filled stuff to be found in the cafeteria or at drug lunches.

Unfortunately, I am so not self-absorbed about that stuff that I didn't realize I'd put on a fair bit of weight. Those scrubs are so deceptive! ) It took a lot more work to get it off than it did to put it on somehow.

Two things I wished I'd done in residency:

read every day
make time for exercise; even if that meant getting home a little later

Maybe my new avatar will remind me to do a little bit every day!

 

[DiveMD]

You must approach working out like studying; you'd rather be doing something else but can't just blow it off. Bottom line, input must not exceed output.

 

[Bobblehead]

One more thing, do not eat the free food. It's greasy, calorie laden and you will eat more of it than you intended after you've loaded up the entire plate with a bit of this and the other.

 

[happytime]

That's so weird, happytime, I totally thought you were a guy until you wrote "I'm a wife." Strange. Maybe it was your strong, assertive tone.

Is it gonna be sexist if I pretty much take that as a compliment?

I also have a 30 minute fat-burning-yoga DVD, and for some reason yoga soothes away a lot of the urge to stress eat. Just a thought ... it's easier on the joints than high-impact aerobics when you're at the "before" stage.

I agree with exercise = studying; you don't *want* to do it, but it's a non-negotiable part of the routine.

My gym has TVs so I only let myself watch TV in the gym or in bed (e.g. late night stuff) and that motivates me to go so I don't miss my shows. I miss them all anyway and end up watching whatever action movie is on ...

 

[Pir8DeacDoc]

I can feel your pain. The damn scrubs have a lot of give before you start to notice they're getting a little snug. I always pay attention on conference days when I have to wear shirt and tie and see how the old faithful dress pants are fitting. Really I think awareness if key. If you think things are fine, then what's the motivation? Also, weigh periodically.


Find yourself a club/gym that is SUPER convenient. If that means paying a little more, then go for it (your health is worth it). Go to the gym before you ever go home. Once you get home it's all over. Only the super motivated will go back out again (especially if you live in a cold climate like I do). Find someone that works out amongst your peer group. Knowing that someone else will be there that you can chit chat with will make it less painful. Finally, give yourself the luxury of taking it slow and steady. You didn't gain the weight in a week and you won't loss it in a week. Getting discouraged won't help. Ideal weight lose is 1-2 lbs a week.

Good luck and know that a lot of us are working out and trying to stay healthy during residency just like you. It's not easy but you can do it!

 

[Blade28]

Is it gonna be sexist if I pretty much take that as a compliment?

I also have a 30 minute fat-burning-yoga DVD, and for some reason yoga soothes away a lot of the urge to stress eat. Just a thought ... it's easier on the joints than high-impact aerobics when you're at the "before" stage.

Nah, nothing wrong with being assertive!

I'd love to try yoga if it weren't for the enormous amounts of ridicule I'd immediately receive from my fellow male residents.

 

[DiveMD]

Nah, nothing wrong with being assertive!

I'd love to try yoga if it weren't for the enormous amounts of ridicule I'd immediately receive from my fellow male residents.

Try power yoga...

 

[Blade28]

What's power yoga? More flexing, less stretching?

 

[RTrain]

Some hospitals have a little gym for residents - if yours does, use it! We spend so much time at work, if we can fit in a little bit of exercise in our shreds of downtime it's much easier than blocking an hour for a workout at the gym. If your hospital doesn't have one, see if the PT department would mind if you use theirs.

 

[orientedtoself]

i agree with the other posters about going to yoga. not only is it good toning and strengthening, but it's super relaxing as well. i'm lucky in that my apartment complex has a gym with free fitness classes. it's mostly ladies at the classes, but there are always a couple of guys too.

 

[happytime]

I thought of something else: fill your pockets with Fiber One bars. Soon enough, you'll know better than to eat more than two in a row - they're naturally self-limiting

 

[GoodMonkey]

Nah, nothing wrong with being assertive!

I'd love to try yoga if it weren't for the enormous amounts of ridicule I'd immediately receive from my fellow male residents.

just do it in the privacy of your own home, or at a gym where nobody you know attends ... and don't tell anyone.

or you can extol the virtues of the new sex positions you are now able to do because of your new-found flexibility!

 

[Blade28]

or you can extol the virtues of the new sex positions you are now able to do because of your new-found flexibility!

I'm already flexible.