The long hours you put in as a tradie can take a toll on your body and mind; so it’s important to make sure you’re taking care of yourself so you can accomplish your job and live your life to the fullest.
Keeping tradies in good shape allows them to perform their jobs as efficiently as possible while also returning home healthy and happy.
If you’re a tradie or know someone who is, here are six essential tips on how to keep yourself in tip top shape.
1. Don’t forget to workout
Because the labour may be physically demanding, many tradespeople get their dose of daily exercise as a result of their profession. While your job may make you feel strong and healthy, it’s also crucial to consider the forms of exercise you don’t receive throughout the day that might benefit your body.
Stretching activities, such as yoga, can help reduce stress, increase flexibility, and preserve range of motion, while cardio burns calories and strengthens the heart and lungs. Improving your core strength at work might help you avoid discomfort and injury. Spend some time each day, either before or after work, or over lunch, to focus on some physical upkeep.
2. Consume food for both energy and nutrients
The selections at the local corner shop or takeaway place aren’t necessarily the healthiest, so eating out for lunch or getting takeaway might be a quick fix for hunger. Burgers, chips, sausage rolls, and soft drinks are high in calories (energy), yet they don’t offer a great deal of nutritional value. This implies that these meals don’t provide your body with many of the nutrients it may need, but they do provide a lot of excess energy that, if not used, will be stored as fat.
Pack enticing and nutritious food and drink in your esky, such as a healthy sandwich and an apple or banana, to help your body acquire the nutrition it requires. Look for the ‘kilojoules on the menu’ when you go to the local takeaway or fast food outlet, and choose products that are lower in kilojoules. Also, instead of going for a soft drink, remember to hydrate with water.
A handy tip? Freeze your water overnight and use it to keep your meals cool and hydrated during the day.
3. Keep an eye on your mental wellness
190 Australian construction workers commit suicide each year, according to Mates in Construction. Although it is not customary for tradies to talk about their feelings, numbers like these demonstrate the need to be aware of mental health issues.
Taking care of your mental health may go a long way toward ensuring that you can achieve your job successfully and enjoy life outside of work. Learn how to look after your mental health by managing stress, speaking up when you’re having trouble, and identifying when others might need a kind conversation or a helpful hand.
Taking care of yourself and keeping an eye on your friends may save lives.
4. Protect yourself from the sun
We all know that exposing our skin to too much sunlight can result in sunburn, dehydration, and skin cancer. Because tradies spend so much of their working day outside, they might be exposed to 5 to 10 times more UVR each year than employees who work indoors. As a result, it’s critical to adopt sun-safe behaviours on a daily basis.
To keep your skin safe, practice the five sun-safe behaviours of slipping, slopping, slapping, seeking, and sliding, and download the Cancer Council’s free SunSmart app to obtain a daily update on the UV Index and needed sun protection periods in your region.
5. Be cautious with alcohol and drugs
While it may be a custom among your co-workers to have a drink at the end of the day, it’s crucial to maintain control.
Alcohol and drugs can impair your capacity to make sound decisions and use your body correctly. This implies that the effects of either might impair your ability to perform your job and make you a hazard to yourself and others at work. Alcohol and drug abuse can have a negative influence on your general health, relationships, and activities outside of work.
The Alcohol and Drug Foundation’s materials can help you understand more about drugs and alcohol, as well as how they might impair your work performance and general health.
6. Be aware of your rights and obligations
You have the right to expect your workplace to be as safe as possible, as well as to be instructed on how to conduct your job and use equipment properly in Australia. You also have a responsibility to ensure that you and others are safe while working.
One way you can ensure a safe form of protection for yourself, and others is by having the right business insurances in place. Cover like Public Liability insurance* is something most tradies need to consider and at BizCover we can sort your cover in a flash.
Visit us online or give us a call to get your tradie business insurance sorted today- no dramas!
