There’ll come a time when your body won’t bounce back like it used to. For some people, it’s getting home after a run and feeling like you’re going to need a minute before you climb the stairs so you can go up and have a shower. For others, it’s having a long and sleepless night after eating a big cheeseburger when you’d happily have got up and gone for a bike ride the next morning just a few years ago.
Yes, when you’re in your teens and early 20s, your body can generally bounce back from pretty much anything. It’s a cliché to talk about how you start waking up with a hangover after a single glass of wine when you hit 30, but there’s a ring of truth about it. You need to start giving your body more support as you get older because it takes longer to recover from each hit that you deliver. And there are issues that you need to look out for in (and out) of the workplace, as well as opportunities for improved self-care.
Watch For Burnout
Burnout is still a major issue across a wide range of workplaces. It doesn’t help that things are so stressful outside of work hours, but there are a lot of contributing factors that come directly from the office. You need to talk to your line manager if you feel like you’re not able to get everything done without working late on a regular basis. If they can’t reduce your workload, they may be able to help you to manage your time better. However, some people work for companies that make a habit of encouraging their teams to work long hours. It’s not just Elon Musk who wants their employees to sleep where they work. Less obvious but just as harmful can be those messages sent from work during out-of-office hours. You should stop checking your work emails once you’re done for the day if you can and remind your boss when you’re on the clock if they persist. You should think about talking to your GP or a therapist if you find that you’re really struggling.
Heart Disease Is A Big Risk
It’s no fun thinking about the amount of stress and strain that your heart gets put under. You don’t want to be thinking about how your body is going to cope when you’re looking forward to a steak dinner, for example. But heart disease is a massive problem in the UK and all around the world. It’s so scary that it’s often cited as the biggest killer worldwide. The good news is that simple lifestyle changes can reduce your risk factor in a major way. Watching your diet is a big one. Try to cut down on the amount of red meat and processed meat (ham, salami, etc) that you’re eating and watch for salt and sugar too. Exercise is the other most important step to take. It’s recommended that you should be getting around 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise every week, and you should really be trying to get out of the house for some exercise every day. Look for gaps in your schedule where you can find some time for a quick jog or a bike ride, and think about what forms of exercise you genuinely enjoy.
Stop Ignoring The Things That Are Bothering You
It can be so easy to keep putting off the self-care duties that will make you feel better about yourself. Everyone is so busy, and so stressed that it always feels like there’s something more important to do. But these kinds of issues can really start to grind you down after a while. Especially if they are issues that affect your confidence and your self-esteem. For example, you might be wearing the same old pair of glasses when you’ve been meaning to go and get fitted for contact lenses. Maybe you’ve been thinking about getting your teeth straightened for years, but it seems like too much of an investment both in terms of time and money. Hair loss is an issue that starts to affect a lot of people as they get older. Now, you might think that this isn’t something that you’d have to worry about as a younger person, but hair loss can start to happen at any age. Wellbeing and hair loss are so connected because they can seriously impact your confidence and how you feel about yourself as a person. The good news is that there are hair loss treatments that can help. Visit Oxford Online Pharmacy to learn more about the different kinds of prescription medications that are on offer and how you can put together a hair loss treatment plan for you.
Muscle And Joint Pain
You need to listen to this if you’re still working from home. Of course, slouching at your desk is not something that you’ll automatically avoid just because you’re working in an office, but the chances are that you will at least have a desk and something resembling a proper office chair. There’s always the temptation to work somewhere comfy and cosy when you’re working at home. That’s why so many people end up working on the sofa or even in bed. This may feel nice at the time but it’s a really good way to end up with incredibly sore muscles and doing serious damage to your neck, shoulders, and spine. You should buy some decent home office furniture if don’t want to be groaning every time you stand up. Meanwhile, exercising regularly is a good way to ensure that you are taking care of your joints and muscles (but remember to warm down and stretch afterwards). You should also think about doing some yoga exercises every day.
Drinking And Smoking
Cigarettes and alcohol are two of the biggest contributors to health issues as you age. The cliché of hangovers getting worse was mentioned above, but it’s so easy to form an alcohol habit if you don’t start changing your behaviour. If you find that you are drinking every day, then it’s definitely time to think about cutting down. Start by having a night every week where you don’t have an alcoholic drink at all, then take it down to two, then three. Think about swapping in some non-alcoholic drinks if you’re on a night out and you’re watching how much you’re having. You probably already know that alcohol abuse is terrible news for your liver. But it can also be linked to diabetes (which is a huge issue in the UK at the moment), cancer and heart disease. Next, you seriously need to think about quitting smoking if you are still lighting up. Where do you even start with the health risks of smoking cigarettes? There are so few parts of your body that aren’t put at greater risk of damage when you smoke, from your eyes and teeth to your circulatory system and your bowels. Talk to your friends and family if you’re thinking about addressing either of these issues as it always helps to have some support. At the very least they’ll stop offering them to you.
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