Your day-to-day job has you moving around in your pharmacy tackling one task after another. Whether it’s listening to your patients, filling prescriptions, or offering advice, you’re on the go until the end of the work day. You help your patients take care of their health needs, but when was the last time you paid attention to yours?
You rush every which way completing tasks throughout the day, however, you really aren’t getting much of a workout. But who has time for that behind a pharmacy counter, right? Wrong. There is always a way to fit in some movement, especially before heading to your pharmacy each morning. Here’s how:
Warm up:
Before you head in to your pharmacy each morning, gift yourself some time to do a warm up. Stretch your legs and make sure they’re loose and ready for the day ahead. With all of the walking you do, it’ll help keep you on your toes and feeling ready for anything.
Jump rope:
You can work your cardio and pump up those muscles at the same time by jumping rope. Choosing a heavier rope will work out your cardiovascular system along with strengthening your grip and increasing your muscular stamina. As you get better at jumping rope, learn some technique variations, such as jumping backwards or crossovers. It’ll add some excitement and fun to your workout!
Hybrid workouts:
You can make your cardio workout even more fun by combining different exercises to include other parts of your body. For instance, jump rope for five minutes, then walk on a treadmill (or outside) for 10 minutes, and follow up with 20 walking lunges on each leg. Then repeat!
Integration technique:
Don’t rest in between sets of lifting light weights. Instead, stay active by jumping rope. Be careful, though, when switching back to weights. This will greatly reduce the amount of weight you can safely handle for your exercises.
What’s great about jumping rope is that you don’t have to go to a gym or leave your house. You can do it in your home or outside.
Hydrate
Keep a water bottle with you at all times in the pharmacy. Hydration is an essential, yet often overlooked, part of general health. Hydrate throughout the day.
It’s also important to watch what you eat. Bring a healthy lunch each day rather than eating greasy foods (which can make you sluggish). Yogurt, fruit, and granola bars increase your energy and can enhance your productivity.
There will be days where you just don’t have the time to do much cardiovascular exercise, and that’s okay. Some days may not add up to the hard workout you’d get while jogging through your neighborhood trail. However, you’re still expending a considerable amount of energy. You’re burning calories as you’re helping your patients, and anything else you can fit in before heading to the pharmacy each morning definitely counts.
A Member-Owned Company Serving Independent Pharmacies
PBA Health is dedicated to helping independent pharmacies reach their full potential on the buy-side of their business. Founded and owned by pharmacists, PBA Health serves independent pharmacies with group purchasing services, wholesaler contract negotiations, proprietary purchasing tools, and more.
An HDA member, PBA Health operates its own NABP-accredited secondary wholesaler with more than 6,000 SKUs, including brands, generics, narcotics CII-CV, cold-storage products, and over-the-counter (OTC) products — offering the lowest prices in the secondary market.
