Jeremy Kaplan
If you’re a skilled laborer who uses your hands and spends a lot of time on your feet, you’ll know just how important it is that you maintain a healthy body so that you can maintain your career.
Unfortunately, skilled labor jobs can take their toll on you over time, and whether you’re a construction worker, mechanic or a forestry worker, you can end up suffering from all kinds of aches, pains, and problems that could put you out of work. If you want to protect your body from injury, here are some tips you can begin to implement right now:
Dress Appropriately
Wearing clothes that allow for comfort and safety are vital when you’re a laborer of any kind. As a minimum, you should purchase a comfy pair of protective work boots, comfortable clothes that don’t restrict movement, while not presenting a risk of getting caught in machinery, and if necessary for your job goggles and a hard hat. You can find more comfortable work boots here: https://www.workbootcritic.com/most-comfortable-work-boots/ and other job specific protective equipment at http://unequal.com/. Never go to work without first ensuring that you are dressed in a safe and comfortable manner if you want to stay well.
Apply Sunscreen
If your job requires you to work outdoors, always apply sunscreen to protect yourself from the harmful UV rays of the sun. You might also want to apply bug spray before your shift if you work in an area where bugs might be a problem.
Stretch
Before starting your shift, always take the time to stretch, paying a particular attention to the areas of your body that will be used the most. This will help to prevent any muscle injuries that could put you out of action for long periods of time.
Use Proper Lifting Techniques
If your job involves any heavy lifting, take the time to look at http://www.webmd.com/back-pain/proper-lifting-technique which will show you the correct way to lift those heavy loads so that you do not do untold damage to your back.
Continually Assess Your Environment
Often, when you work in a laboring job, you are put into environments that have a lot of potential health hazards and risks above and beyond those that people in other occupations would not face. That’s why it’s important to continuously assess your environment for dangerous chemicals, trip hazards, and anything else that could pose a risk to your body.
Soak Your Feet
If you’ve been on your feet all day, when you get home from work, one of the first things you should do is fill a foot spa, or small tub with Epsom salts and warm water and let your feet soak for a while. This will help to get rid of any pain and swelling in the area, and it will help you to unwind after a hard day too.
Eat a Healthy Diet
When you work an active job, it is even more important that you eat a healthy balanced diet, which provides you with all the nutrients you need and enough calories to support your lifestyle.
Do you work as a skilled laborer? What do you do to look after your body each day?
