November 20, 2025 • 16 mins
Text me what you thought of the show 😊
If you’re feeling flat, unmotivated, tired, or just not yourself… it’s not because you’re broken. It’s because shift work quietly pulls you into a spiral you don’t even see happening.
I’m talking about three behaviours stopping movement, relying on ultra-processed food, and missing daylight, that slowly drag your energy, mood, and resilience downhill. The good news? You can turn this around far more easily than you think. And today I’m walking you through simple changes that work with your roster, not against it.
Here’s what we’re diving into:
- The three-behaviour spiral that sends shift workers into low mood and poor energy
- Why planned, intentional movement steadies your sleep and lifts your resilience
- How ultra-processed foods mess with your brain chemistry and keep you feeling flat
- Easy whole-food swaps that fit into any roster, even with limited breaks
- The role of daylight exposure in keeping your body clock on track
- How to stack small, repeatable habits so you can build momentum on your worst weeks
- Real-life timing tips for nights, early starts, and turnarounds
- And where you can get support from someone who actually understands shift work
These aren’t big dramatic overhauls. These are small things that give you enormous returns, if you put them in place consistently.
If you’re struggling and want some guidance that truly fits your roster, I’d love to chat.
 Book a free one-to-one coaching assessment call with me. We’ll talk about what’s going on for you, what’s getting in your way, and the exact steps you can take right now to start feeling better.
If you enjoy the show, it would mean a lot if you could rate and review the podcast. And make sure you subscribe, so you’re notified as soon as a new episode drops.
Let’s keep you well, strong, and in control of your shift-work life.
----------------------------
ANNOUNCING
"The Shift Workers Collective"
https://join.ahealthyshift.com/the-shift-workers-collective
Click the link to learn all about it
-----------------------------
YOU CAN FIND ME AT
_____________________
Disclaimer: Roger Sutherland is not a doctor or a medical professional. Always consult a physician before implementing any strategies mentioned in this podcast. Use of this information is strictly at your own risk. Roger Sutherland will not assume any liability for direct or indirect losses or damages that may result from the use of the information contained in this podcast including but not limited to economic loss, injury, illness, or death.
_______________________
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_00 (01:41):
Shift work can be brutal, but it doesn't have to
be.
Welcome to a healthy shift.
My name is Roger Sutherland,certified nutritionist, veteran
law enforcement officer, and24-7 shift worker for almost
four decades.
Through this podcast, I aim toeducate shift workers using
evidence-based methods to notonly survive the rigors of shift
(02:05):
work, but thrive.
My goal is to empower shiftworkers to improve their health
and well-being so they have moreenergy to do the things they
love.
Enjoy today's show.
And welcome back to anotherepisode of a Healthy Shift
Podcast.
My name is Roger Sutherland andI am your shift working guide.
(02:28):
Now, today's episode is going tosound a little strange, but I'm
calling it your proventhree-step process to
depression.
That's right.
I'm going to show you how tostep into depression.
Yep, you heard that right.
It's not a how-to, it's going tobe a bit of a wake-up call for
you because these things I'mabout to talk about are what I
(02:52):
see all the time in my shiftworking community who are
feeling really low, flat, orjust completely unmotivated.
So let's talk about how you gotthere, and then you can make an
informed decision.
See how much of this reallyhurts you.
And I'll be honest, I've doneall three of these things myself
at different points over theyears.
(03:13):
And every single time, my moodand my energy has gone downhill
very, very quickly.
So let's get straight into thisone.
Step number one to gettingdepression.
And the first one, this is a bigone, is no regular or planned
exercise at all.
Now, a lot of us think I've gotto get to the gym.
Oh, I've got to get to the gym.
(03:34):
I've got to get to the gym.
But what about if we don't worryabout the gym for just uh today?
And let's worry about justgetting some form of movement.
Now, before you roll your eyesand think, here we go, it's just
another Roger Fitness talk.
Just hang with me for a sec,because this isn't about running
marathons or getting into thegym and squatting 200 kilos six
(03:55):
days a week.
This is literally just aboutmovement, planned and consistent
movement.
Because when you stop moving,everything else starts to fall
apart.
Your energy drops, your sleepgets worse, your mood follows
right behind this.
You start waking up tired, youstart feeling stiff, sluggish, a
(04:18):
bit cranky, then you can startto get depressed.
Oh, hello, that's what we'retalking about.
And it's easier to think, oh, Imust be getting old, or it's
just the night shifts catchingup.
But most of the time, it'sliterally because you stop
giving your body that regularnudge that it actually needs.
And it doesn't have to becomplicated.
A walk, just a simple stretchsession, 10 minutes with some
(04:41):
resistance bands, just somethingthat is planned and repeated.
Because when you move regularly,you actually start sending a
message to your brain that says,I am still in control.
But when you don't, that messagedisappears.
And over time, you can reallystart to feel it.
(05:03):
So that's step one in ourthree-step process to
depression.
Just stop moving, just becomesedentary.
Crawl out of bed, flop on thecouch, and watch Netflix.
It'll work for you every singletime.
You'll start to feel reallymiserable.
So now that we've crushed stepone, let's have a look at step
two.
(05:24):
Let's just eat a diet full ofultra-processed foods.
Simple.
So we're going to be sedentaryand we're going to eat a diet
full of ultra-processed foods.
This is an absolute winner.
It's to live off ultra-processedfood.
Now, look, as shift workers, wehave all been there.
You finished a shift, you'retired, you're starving, and you
(05:45):
don't want to cook.
So you grab whatever's quick andeasy.
You're sitting on the couch,you're watching Netflix, you
pick up your phone, and youorder Uber.
And all these foods are designedto hit all of the right buttons.
They're salty, they're sweet,they're crunchy, they're
comforty, they feel good forabout 15 minutes and it's super
(06:06):
easy.
But after that, you crash.
These foods mess with your bloodsugar, they mess with your
energy, and they totally screwup your brain chemistry.
They actually change how theneurotransmitters work in your
brain, particularly the onesthat regulate your mood.
So instead of feeling balancedand calm, you start feeling
(06:27):
anxious and foggy and a bit allover the place.
And then what happens?
You crave more of the same foodto get that quick little
pick-me-up again.
And it's a cycle.
And it's so easy to fall into,especially when you're exhausted
and just trying to get throughthe wheat.
Now, I'm not saying you have tolive on kale and quinoa, but if
(06:47):
you just start swapping some ofthat processed stuff for real
food, you'll start to notice adifference really quickly in how
you feel.
Add some protein, add a bit ofcolor, eat food that actually
looks like food.
Because the food you eat doesn'tjust fuel your body, it
literally builds your brainchemistry.
Eat that ultra-processed food,and we're well on the way to
(07:11):
depression again.
So there's step two.
Step three.
Let's go about messing up ourcircadian rhythm.
This is just the last piece.
To really put ourselves into adepressed state, let's
completely mess up our circadianrhythm.
(07:31):
This one is probably the mostcommon amongst shift workers,
and it's also the actualsneakiest.
And here's how you do it.
This is how you stuff up yourcircadian rhythm.
Avoid daylight, especially inthe morning.
Stay inside.
When the alarm goes off, justroll over, hit snooze, and just
(07:52):
go back to sleep.
Keep the blind shut.
Lie in bed and scroll for hourson end.
And then go straight from that,from the artificial light coming
off your phone, and let's justgo out and stay inside the house
and start watching TV in thatartificial light as well.
Let's just go from oneartificial light to another.
(08:14):
That is absolutely guaranteed tothrow your mood off.
You see, your circum rhythm isyour internal body clock, and it
is literally driven by daylight.
And when you get bright, naturaldaylight in your eyes early in
the day, it literally tells yourbrain, look out, it's daytime,
(08:34):
wake up, let's go.
It then sets your hormones inmotion, it regulates your sleep,
and it even helps you to releaseserotonin, which is a key player
in your mood.
But if you skip the daylight oryou're always in dim light,
crawl out of bed, crawl to thecouch, turn on the Netflix.
Your body clock's got absolutelyno idea what time it is.
(08:57):
Is it any wonder you can't sleepat night?
Your body doesn't know whetherit's supposed to or not.
You start feeling tired duringthe day, you nap, then you're
wired at night, your sleep goesto crap, your energy's flat.
And again, your mood follows.
The fix, honestly, it's simple.
As soon as you can after wakingup, step outside.
(09:18):
Even for a few minutes.
Let the daylight hit your eyesand also your skin.
Now you don't have to go outsideand stare at the sun.
All you gotta do is just beoutside in the daylight.
You might think, oh, I'm gettinglight inside.
It isn't enough.
The lighting in your house, asbright as you think it is, is
(09:40):
only around about 500 lux oflight.
But when you step outside, it's10,000 lux.
And not only that, but it is thespectrum of light that your body
requires.
You need that particular lightin your eyes or around you so
that it goes into your eyes.
And it's one of the easiest andit's the cheapest thing that you
(10:02):
can actually do for your mentalhealth.
They're the three proven stepsto depression.
Now, as a shift worker, I wantyou to think about this.
How many of those things are youactually incorporating into your
everyday?
And is it any wonder that youfeel shit about yourself?
(10:26):
You're gaining weight, you feelawful in life, and you start to
feel really quite depressed.
Think about how many of thosethree actually hits you hard.
So let's bring all thistogether.
The three-step process isdepression.
Sedentary, stop moving.
(10:48):
Just go and sit on the couch andwatch Netflix, easy.
Eat rubbish food.
Just eat highly processed foods,Uber, easy.
And then just avoid daylight,stay inside.
It's so simple.
That's all you gotta do to headtowards depression.
And one of the saddest thingsabout depression is once it
(11:09):
hits, it's awful.
And I know because it isabsolutely awful.
And it can take years and yearsand years of psychology and
counseling to get you out ofthat depressed state.
But I will tell you this: without any doubt whatsoever, (11:23):
undefined
the way out of depression is thereverse of literally what I just
told you.
It's to get moving early in theday, out in the daylight, and
start eating whole foods.
(11:44):
Start eating food that lookslike food.
And then you will find you willstart to feel so much better.
Start moving regularly, eat abit better, and get some morning
light.
And you will be amazed at justhow much your mood, your energy,
and your outlook starts toshift.
(12:05):
Because depression isn't alwaysabout something wrong, quote
unquote, with you.
Sometimes it's about what you'reactually missing from your
routine.
And we go down that spiral andwe start to just get really,
really confused, confusing ourbody, and then we struggle to
find a way out.
And those three movement, food,and light are all the foundation
(12:29):
for starting to feel better.
Now, if you're sitting there andyou're thinking, Yeah, I know I
need to fix this stuff, but Ijust don't really know where to
start.
I totally get that.
It can feel like a lot.
And you hear all this advice andthink, I don't even know where
to begin.
And that is where I come in.
This is exactly what I helpshift workers with.
(12:52):
I break it all down into small,practical, realistic,
habit-based steps that actuallyfit around your life.
No diets, there's no crazyroutines, just simple,
sustainable habits that get youstarting to feel better, sleep
better, and then you get yourenergy back, you start moving
(13:14):
more, you start doing more, andyou start feeling so much better
and you start taking care ofyourself more.
And if this is something thatsounds like what you need, have
a think about where you'reheading with what you're doing
right now, because it doesn'tget better.
You can't just hang out for yourleave.
Because even though you get outof the dirty water when you go
(13:37):
on holiday, you've got to getback into the dirty water again
when you get back.
So learn how to go about it forwhen you're heading for the
dirty water.
Now, if this is something thatsounds like what you need,
there's a link in the show notesto book a one-to-one coaching
assessment call with me.
It's free.
We'll chat about where you'reat, what it is that's getting in
(13:59):
your way, and what steps you cantake right now to start feeling
better.
And I will help you.
And I will help you by coachingyou with empathy, support, and
understanding because I've beenthere.
I know exactly what it is liketo be in your situation.
Shift working, running families,doing whatever.
(14:21):
That's why I make my coaching assimple as I can possibly make it
for people.
Simple coaching, simple habits,simple routines, no bro science.
Just get you moved feelingbetter and start moving.
Because everybody wants moreenergy to do the things that
they love outside of their work.
And you all want to feel better.
(14:43):
No one wants depression.
And obviously, the title of thispodcast is not what I want.
I don't want you to head fordepression, but I want you to
understand that these behaviorsare what are going to head you
into that direction.
So let's turn all of thataround.
I hope you got something out ofthat episode today because it's
(15:03):
a really, really important one.
It's reverse psychology.
Start thinking about the stepsthat you're taking today.
Because if you don't startturning these things around,
that's where you're heading.
Thanks for listening.
Please don't forget to rate andreview the show, and I'll talk
to you on the next one.
(15:27):
Thank you for listening.
If you enjoyed this episode, besure to subscribe so you get
notified whenever a new episodeis released.
It would also be ever so helpfulif you could leave a rating and
review on the app you'recurrently listening on.
If you want to know more aboutme or work with me, you can go
to ahealthyshift.com.
I'll catch you on the next one.
Shift work can be brutal, but it doesn't have to
be.
Welcome to a healthy shift.
My name is Roger Sutherland,certified nutritionist, veteran
law enforcement officer, and24-7 shift worker for almost
four decades.
Through this podcast, I aim toeducate shift workers using
evidence-based methods to notonly survive the rigors of shift
(02:05):
work, but thrive.
My goal is to empower shiftworkers to improve their health
and well-being so they have moreenergy to do the things they
love.
Enjoy today's show.
And welcome back to anotherepisode of a Healthy Shift
Podcast.
My name is Roger Sutherland andI am your shift working guide.
(02:28):
Now, today's episode is going tosound a little strange, but I'm
calling it your proventhree-step process to
depression.
That's right.
I'm going to show you how tostep into depression.
Yep, you heard that right.
It's not a how-to, it's going tobe a bit of a wake-up call for
you because these things I'mabout to talk about are what I
(02:52):
see all the time in my shiftworking community who are
feeling really low, flat, orjust completely unmotivated.
So let's talk about how you gotthere, and then you can make an
informed decision.
See how much of this reallyhurts you.
And I'll be honest, I've doneall three of these things myself
at different points over theyears.
(03:13):
And every single time, my moodand my energy has gone downhill
very, very quickly.
So let's get straight into thisone.
Step number one to gettingdepression.
And the first one, this is a bigone, is no regular or planned
exercise at all.
Now, a lot of us think I've gotto get to the gym.
Oh, I've got to get to the gym.
(03:34):
I've got to get to the gym.
But what about if we don't worryabout the gym for just uh today?
And let's worry about justgetting some form of movement.
Now, before you roll your eyesand think, here we go, it's just
another Roger Fitness talk.
Just hang with me for a sec,because this isn't about running
marathons or getting into thegym and squatting 200 kilos six
(03:55):
days a week.
This is literally just aboutmovement, planned and consistent
movement.
Because when you stop moving,everything else starts to fall
apart.
Your energy drops, your sleepgets worse, your mood follows
right behind this.
You start waking up tired, youstart feeling stiff, sluggish, a
(04:18):
bit cranky, then you can startto get depressed.
Oh, hello, that's what we'retalking about.
And it's easier to think, oh, Imust be getting old, or it's
just the night shifts catchingup.
But most of the time, it'sliterally because you stop
giving your body that regularnudge that it actually needs.
And it doesn't have to becomplicated.
A walk, just a simple stretchsession, 10 minutes with some
(04:41):
resistance bands, just somethingthat is planned and repeated.
Because when you move regularly,you actually start sending a
message to your brain that says,I am still in control.
But when you don't, that messagedisappears.
And over time, you can reallystart to feel it.
(05:03):
So that's step one in ourthree-step process to
depression.
Just stop moving, just becomesedentary.
Crawl out of bed, flop on thecouch, and watch Netflix.
It'll work for you every singletime.
You'll start to feel reallymiserable.
So now that we've crushed stepone, let's have a look at step
two.
(05:24):
Let's just eat a diet full ofultra-processed foods.
Simple.
So we're going to be sedentaryand we're going to eat a diet
full of ultra-processed foods.
This is an absolute winner.
It's to live off ultra-processedfood.
Now, look, as shift workers, wehave all been there.
You finished a shift, you'retired, you're starving, and you
(05:45):
don't want to cook.
So you grab whatever's quick andeasy.
You're sitting on the couch,you're watching Netflix, you
pick up your phone, and youorder Uber.
And all these foods are designedto hit all of the right buttons.
They're salty, they're sweet,they're crunchy, they're
comforty, they feel good forabout 15 minutes and it's super
(06:06):
easy.
But after that, you crash.
These foods mess with your bloodsugar, they mess with your
energy, and they totally screwup your brain chemistry.
They actually change how theneurotransmitters work in your
brain, particularly the onesthat regulate your mood.
So instead of feeling balancedand calm, you start feeling
(06:27):
anxious and foggy and a bit allover the place.
And then what happens?
You crave more of the same foodto get that quick little
pick-me-up again.
And it's a cycle.
And it's so easy to fall into,especially when you're exhausted
and just trying to get throughthe wheat.
Now, I'm not saying you have tolive on kale and quinoa, but if
(06:47):
you just start swapping some ofthat processed stuff for real
food, you'll start to notice adifference really quickly in how
you feel.
Add some protein, add a bit ofcolor, eat food that actually
looks like food.
Because the food you eat doesn'tjust fuel your body, it
literally builds your brainchemistry.
Eat that ultra-processed food,and we're well on the way to
(07:11):
depression again.
So there's step two.
Step three.
Let's go about messing up ourcircadian rhythm.
This is just the last piece.
To really put ourselves into adepressed state, let's
completely mess up our circadianrhythm.
(07:31):
This one is probably the mostcommon amongst shift workers,
and it's also the actualsneakiest.
And here's how you do it.
This is how you stuff up yourcircadian rhythm.
Avoid daylight, especially inthe morning.
Stay inside.
When the alarm goes off, justroll over, hit snooze, and just
(07:52):
go back to sleep.
Keep the blind shut.
Lie in bed and scroll for hourson end.
And then go straight from that,from the artificial light coming
off your phone, and let's justgo out and stay inside the house
and start watching TV in thatartificial light as well.
Let's just go from oneartificial light to another.
(08:14):
That is absolutely guaranteed tothrow your mood off.
You see, your circum rhythm isyour internal body clock, and it
is literally driven by daylight.
And when you get bright, naturaldaylight in your eyes early in
the day, it literally tells yourbrain, look out, it's daytime,
(08:34):
wake up, let's go.
It then sets your hormones inmotion, it regulates your sleep,
and it even helps you to releaseserotonin, which is a key player
in your mood.
But if you skip the daylight oryou're always in dim light,
crawl out of bed, crawl to thecouch, turn on the Netflix.
Your body clock's got absolutelyno idea what time it is.
(08:57):
Is it any wonder you can't sleepat night?
Your body doesn't know whetherit's supposed to or not.
You start feeling tired duringthe day, you nap, then you're
wired at night, your sleep goesto crap, your energy's flat.
And again, your mood follows.
The fix, honestly, it's simple.
As soon as you can after wakingup, step outside.
(09:18):
Even for a few minutes.
Let the daylight hit your eyesand also your skin.
Now you don't have to go outsideand stare at the sun.
All you gotta do is just beoutside in the daylight.
You might think, oh, I'm gettinglight inside.
It isn't enough.
The lighting in your house, asbright as you think it is, is
(09:40):
only around about 500 lux oflight.
But when you step outside, it's10,000 lux.
And not only that, but it is thespectrum of light that your body
requires.
You need that particular lightin your eyes or around you so
that it goes into your eyes.
And it's one of the easiest andit's the cheapest thing that you
(10:02):
can actually do for your mentalhealth.
They're the three proven stepsto depression.
Now, as a shift worker, I wantyou to think about this.
How many of those things are youactually incorporating into your
everyday?
And is it any wonder that youfeel shit about yourself?
(10:26):
You're gaining weight, you feelawful in life, and you start to
feel really quite depressed.
Think about how many of thosethree actually hits you hard.
So let's bring all thistogether.
The three-step process isdepression.
Sedentary, stop moving.
(10:48):
Just go and sit on the couch andwatch Netflix, easy.
Eat rubbish food.
Just eat highly processed foods,Uber, easy.
And then just avoid daylight,stay inside.
It's so simple.
That's all you gotta do to headtowards depression.
And one of the saddest thingsabout depression is once it
(11:09):
hits, it's awful.
And I know because it isabsolutely awful.
And it can take years and yearsand years of psychology and
counseling to get you out ofthat depressed state.
But I will tell you this: without any doubt whatsoever, (11:23):
undefined
the way out of depression is thereverse of literally what I just
told you.
It's to get moving early in theday, out in the daylight, and
start eating whole foods.
(11:44):
Start eating food that lookslike food.
And then you will find you willstart to feel so much better.
Start moving regularly, eat abit better, and get some morning
light.
And you will be amazed at justhow much your mood, your energy,
and your outlook starts toshift.
(12:05):
Because depression isn't alwaysabout something wrong, quote
unquote, with you.
Sometimes it's about what you'reactually missing from your
routine.
And we go down that spiral andwe start to just get really,
really confused, confusing ourbody, and then we struggle to
find a way out.
And those three movement, food,and light are all the foundation
(12:29):
for starting to feel better.
Now, if you're sitting there andyou're thinking, Yeah, I know I
need to fix this stuff, but Ijust don't really know where to
start.
I totally get that.
It can feel like a lot.
And you hear all this advice andthink, I don't even know where
to begin.
And that is where I come in.
This is exactly what I helpshift workers with.
(12:52):
I break it all down into small,practical, realistic,
habit-based steps that actuallyfit around your life.
No diets, there's no crazyroutines, just simple,
sustainable habits that get youstarting to feel better, sleep
better, and then you get yourenergy back, you start moving
(13:14):
more, you start doing more, andyou start feeling so much better
and you start taking care ofyourself more.
And if this is something thatsounds like what you need, have
a think about where you'reheading with what you're doing
right now, because it doesn'tget better.
You can't just hang out for yourleave.
Because even though you get outof the dirty water when you go
(13:37):
on holiday, you've got to getback into the dirty water again
when you get back.
So learn how to go about it forwhen you're heading for the
dirty water.
Now, if this is something thatsounds like what you need,
there's a link in the show notesto book a one-to-one coaching
assessment call with me.
It's free.
We'll chat about where you'reat, what it is that's getting in
(13:59):
your way, and what steps you cantake right now to start feeling
better.
And I will help you.
And I will help you by coachingyou with empathy, support, and
understanding because I've beenthere.
I know exactly what it is liketo be in your situation.
Shift working, running families,doing whatever.
(14:21):
That's why I make my coaching assimple as I can possibly make it
for people.
Simple coaching, simple habits,simple routines, no bro science.
Just get you moved feelingbetter and start moving.
Because everybody wants moreenergy to do the things that
they love outside of their work.
And you all want to feel better.
(14:43):
No one wants depression.
And obviously, the title of thispodcast is not what I want.
I don't want you to head fordepression, but I want you to
understand that these behaviorsare what are going to head you
into that direction.
So let's turn all of thataround.
I hope you got something out ofthat episode today because it's
(15:03):
a really, really important one.
It's reverse psychology.
Start thinking about the stepsthat you're taking today.
Because if you don't startturning these things around,
that's where you're heading.
Thanks for listening.
Please don't forget to rate andreview the show, and I'll talk
to you on the next one.
(15:27):
Thank you for listening.
If you enjoyed this episode, besure to subscribe so you get
notified whenever a new episodeis released.
It would also be ever so helpfulif you could leave a rating and
review on the app you'recurrently listening on.
If you want to know more aboutme or work with me, you can go
to ahealthyshift.com.
I'll catch you on the next one.
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