Tips to Keep Your Body Feeling Great as a Medical Professional
There are few careers that are harder on your body than the medical industry.
Whether it’s the raw stress on your joints and muscles from dealing with patients, or the exhaustion that comes with extremely long and high-stress situations, your body has seen it all.
You need some tips to keep your body feeling great, so that you can be your best self at work for years to come.
Read on to learn more about the healthy habits that might make a difference for you.
Feed the Body and Nourish the Soul
As a medical professional, it is very common to end up with a poor diet because you simply have no time to take proper care of yourself.
After a long shift, you’re not going to have the time to go get a healthy variety of groceries, head home, cook a complex meal, eat it, and still have time to do your other chores.
As a result, many in the industry often turn to fast food or other quick and easy options.
This may seem beneficial in the short run, you’re getting the food you need, and you still have time to spare.
However, you’ll be left with low energy levels and a general feeling of malaise in the long run.
The fast-food option is simply not going to cut it if you want to keep high energy levels in this industry.
So What Can I Do?
You have a few options when it comes to dealing with this conundrum.
The first and possibly best is to do meal prep.
You can choose from plenty of online options to find a plan that works for you and your dietary needs.
Once you’ve done that, stock up on reusable containers and get to cooking.
If you can cook your week's meals all at once, you’ll have a healthy diet that will enable you to be your best at work.
Once prepped, your meals won’t take long at all to cook and eat, and you’ll be winning time in your evening back.
If that’s still too much time, you can always order a meal prep kit as well.
It won’t be quite as healthy, and you’re liable to spend a lot more money, but the ease of use can’t be beaten.
Whipping up delicious meals with a premade kit is as easy as can be.
You’ll be eating like royalty with a fraction of the effort.
Exercise Does The Body Well
If you’re finding that your body is feeling run down over time, it could be that exercise is the thing to perk you back up.
You can likely benefit from both cardio and weight training to feel better at your work.
You won’t feel as stiff or groggy, and you’ll probably feel better in your body.
Cardio
If you’re new to cardio, you have a lot of options.
Couch to 5k is a great program if you’re looking to get into running.
If you have a little more time, you can join a gym and use any of their fantastic cardio equipment.
Rowing is a great way to build some strength in your back while you work on your heart and lungs; this can help your posture, especially if work has you slouching a lot.
The elliptical is a great way to achieve similar results with the added benefits of working out your full body a little bit better.
Photo by Samuel Girven / Unsplash
Weight Training
Lifting weights is a great way to keep your body in tip-top shape.
It has numerous benefits to both the body and the mind as well as the cardiovascular system.
You’ll appreciate the strength that you gain when it comes time to deal with patients at work, and you’ll likely be feeling better and sleeping better as well.
Consider a simple program to start, maybe an upper and lower body split.
Or a push-pull and legs routine.
Both of these routines have plenty of information online to help you get started, even as a total beginner.
Sleep
This isn’t technically a form of exercise, but it’s necessary to make sure that your body recovers properly from the stress you put it through.
Study after study has shown that sleep is even more important than we may have suspected.
So do what you can to ensure you get enough quality rest.
Practice proper sleep hygiene by avoiding electronics before bed.
Track your sleep with an app, and if you’re not sleeping well, consider investing in a better mattress or a gel pad.
These are investments that can pay massive dividends for your quality of life.
Never underestimate the importance of sleep for your general well-being.
Minimize Work Stress
One of the biggest stressors in the medical industry is having to renew your medical certifications.
It can be especially trying when your brain is fried from working insane hours in a stressful environment.
It’s advisable to do your best to find a company like ProMed that offers online stress-free testing and a money-back guarantee, which is extremely helpful when your stress levels are already peaking and making life difficult.
The last thing you need is a commitment that will drain your bank if you can’t find the time.
You can even retake the test if your scores aren’t up to par the first time around.
The medical field is not easy at the best of times, and this has not been the best of times.
You need to take steps to keep your body healthy, or you risk becoming one of the patients you work so hard to treat.
Hopefully, these tips have helped you understand what you can do to ensure your lasting health and wellness.
