The Work Environment in Healthy Aging

Tip for Healthy Aging: Exercise Caution in the Workplace

As you get older, it becomes harder for your body to recover from injuries. But as you begin to get close to your retirement age, you need to be a lot more careful about injuries in the workplace, as it may be much more difficult to heal from injuries, if you heal from them.

It is important to recognize the transitions in your body as you age. You may feel inside like the same person, but your body cannot handle the same stresses or recover so quickly. It may seem sudden, but when you notice it is harder to recover from aches and pains, it is time to think about transitioning into safer work environments. You still have responsibilities to your family, yourself, and society as a whole to be able to care for yourself. Living recklessly helps no one.

You need to be wary of working long-term in places that have heavy chemical or toxin exposures. Avoid chronic exposure to dust or wood dust. Be wary of glues and dyes. All of these things have health hazards in the lungs and sometimes in the circulatory system and brain.

A Look at Some Unhealthy Work Environments

There are some specific industries that carry reputations for unhealthy work environments. Coal mines are notoriously bad for the diseases associated with laboring in them. Many people have died from a variety of toxins ranging from poisonous gases in coal mines to chronically getting the black coal dust in the lungs.

Sawmills have similar hazards. Respiratory problems are common when there is chronic exposure to any fine substance in the air. Additionally, there are many hazards to working with machinery for cutting trees and from just being around such large, displaced trees.

Anyone who has ever been on a fishing boat can tell you that large-scale fishing is not only dangerous, but is very hard on even young, able bodies. Everything from storms to large, moving fishing equipment can send a fisherman overboard or pound the fisherman against heavy equipment. Many people from this industry end up with chronic pains and ailments as a result of repetitive stress injuries when working with heavy equipment under adverse conditions.

Speaking of repetitive motions and a lack of variation at work, being a truck driver can be taxing on the body. In addition to the ever-present risk of an accident, long hours on the road with your body in essentially the same position all of the time can take a heavy toll on the body. Even though you are working, your body remains relatively sedentary, which is known to be perhaps the worst risk factor for most age-related diseases. Adding to the problem, it is hard to find healthy foods when you're on the road that will help the body recover.

Taking Responsibility for Our Work Environments

As we age, we should take into consideration what types of work we do. Any job that involves repetitive stress or inhaling of fumes or dusts should be avoided. We also need to eat right and exercise regularly to help our bodies deal with the difficulties our bodies encounter daily. We should not neglect getting regular rest and staying on a regular sleep schedule. We work hard to make money, so we shouldn't make ourselves so sick that we spend our money on medical care. We need to keep our bodies as whole and strong as possible so that we can age on our own terms. When we die, we want the best chance possible to die while healthy and independent. Our work environments have a big role to play in this process as we age.