Maintaining your own health as a Locum Tenens medical provider is critical for many reasons. Poor health habits can lead to dangerous errors while doing your job, which in a healthcare role could have significant consequences for patients. If you gain considerable weight or become visibly unhealthy, your credibility as a medical professional might be called into question by other physicians and patients. Finally, it takes its toll on your personal health. While working as a traveling Locum Tenens provider, whether for private employers or government programs like the Indian Service, apply these tips to keep yourself in top shape.

Take Advantage of Hotel Equipment

Most hotels offer some kind of exercise facility for their guests. These facilities are often equipped with common workout machines, such as treadmills. There is usually no additional cost to use them, so getting in the habit of spending time in these facilities for an hour or so every night will kick-start the hobby of exercising even as you travel. You can also do exercises in your room that require no equipment.[1]

Walk Hallways or Malls

Some hotels, particularly business hotels, make walking or even jogging the halls easier by having each floor in the shape of a square. Others just have straight hallways down each floor, but you can still get some steps in by walking up and down them as well as climbing the stairs. Malls have become the destination of “mall walkers” for good reason. It’s relatively easy to just do laps around a mall and get some exercise while remaining indoors. If the weather is nice and you are sure you won’t get lost, exercising outside is always an option as well. Your recruiter can tell you more about the area in which you’ll be staying.

Eat Healthy While Eating Out

While traveling, you likely won’t have the time or resources to cook your own well-balanced meals, although you can certainly bring your own food.[2] This means you will be eating out more frequently and need to watch your diet due to the unhealthy nature of certain foods served in restaurants. Smartphone apps can assist you with this, and many restaurants now list calorie counts next to all of their menu items. Choosing light options is usually helpful. If you can order off the children’s or senior menu, that is something to consider as well because portion sizes are generally smaller. Watching your food intake will have a lot of benefits for your waistline and your overall health.

References

[1] https://www.huffingtonpost.com/smartertravel/10-hotel-room-exercises-y_b_11224854.html
[2] https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/25/travel/healthy-eating-while-traveling.html