Your choice of career has far reaching consequences. Obviously, it will dictate what you do on a day to day basis and who you spend time with. However, it will control your life in many other ways. It will be the biggest deciding factor in where you live, the hours that you get to spend at home with your family and even on your health. Here are some health considerations that you may want to consider when you are choosing a career.
Sedentary occupations and your health
It is now well known that sitting down at work all day is not great for your health. It is something that everyone who works in an office and people who drive for a living need to bear in mind. Combine this sedentary lifestyle with an unhealthy diet and you have all the elements you need for cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and even some cancers.
The good news is that you can limit the effects that these sorts of jobs have on your health. With just a few changes in your working regime, the detrimental effects of being seated for long periods can be canceled out. The key to this is healthy eating and taking regular breaks from your desk or from the steering wheel for exercise. You can find 10 healthy truckstop snacks which are a great alternative to fatty and sugary foods. You can pick these up at truckstops so every time you stop you can stock up on healthy food.
It is also important to take regular breaks and move around. There are gentle stretching exercises that you can do that will release the tension in your muscles and get the blood pumping back around your body. Try some simple neck stretches where you twist your neck from one side to another and then up and down. You can also circle your ankles and your wrists.
Exposure to environmental hazards
Health and safety at work rules and regulations have been around for a long time and have gone a long way to protect worker’s health. Nevertheless, people are injured at work every day and some occupations are more hazardous than others.
The construction industry has some of the highest rates of workplace accidents This may be because of a combination of machinery, electricity, dangerous structures and working at a height. It is possible to control most of these hazards with the correct equipment and planning and training.
Many occupations involve exposure to environmental hazards that can cause health problems. An example of this is exposure to loud noise. Typically, this affects people who work with machinery or with loud music. It is very easy to prevent this by using personal protective equipment. In this case, it would be ear defenders.
In other occupations, you may be exposed to chemicals, electricity or radiation. All of these can be controlled with safe systems of work and personal protective clothing.
The message here is that you can take control of your health in any career. The important thing is to recognise what the issues could be and do something about it.
Have you suffered from working related ill-health or injury? Let us know below.
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