How Exercise Can Boost Your Medical Career
Freelance Writer Jocasta Morrison is back with an insightful blog on how exercise can help boost your Medical Career...
"The physical demands of a career in medicine can quickly take a toll on your health. According to national charity BackCare, back injuries among NHS staff cost around £400m a year — that’s how much it costs to employ 16,000 nurses a year. This is precisely why taking care of our bodies is critical to a thriving career in medicine. We’re all familiar with the importance of exercise, but as medical practitioners, it’s also important that we set a good example and take care of our health, in spite of our busy schedules. Doing so won’t just improve our quality of life, but also our career trajectory.
“Freelance Writer Jocasta Morrison is back with an insightful blog on how exercise can help boost your Medical Career... “
Exercise Reduces Risk Of Back Injury
Staying fit is crucial for medical practitioners. Due to long hours and demanding workloads, nurses, midwives, and healthcare assistants are at a high risk of injury. Every year, over 80,000 nurses are inflicted with work-related back injuries, forcing around 3,600 workers to cut their careers short.
Lifting heavy objects and repetitive strenuous movements — both common in medical professions — can cause injuries at work. To prevent this, medical practitioners should regularly dedicate some time to a workout that combines aerobic exercise with strength training. such as cardio kickboxing. This dynamic workout is also great for improving your balance and flexibility, as well as sharpening your reflexes.
Exercise Helps Lower Stress Levels
Stress is a serious problem in the medical field. Healthcare professionals experience higher work-related stress compared to other professions. One study found that doctors work 10 hours more than the average person, and are more likely to experience emotional exhaustion and burnout.
While stress is an unavoidable part of life, exercise is an effective way to manage stress. Exercise causes your brain to produce feel-good endorphins and is also a great way to blow off steam and take your mind off work. Thus, regular exercise can do wonders for your mood, helping you remain calm under pressure and perform better at work.
Exercise Helps You Cope With Long Work Hours
It’s no secret that healthcare professionals work longer hours than the average person. Medical workers are more susceptible to fatigue, which can seriously affect their work. Exercise can help you deal with fatigue by improving sleep quality, as it helps you unwind and reduce stress.
Exercise lets you do more. Regular exercise also increases your endurance and stamina, helping you meet the physical demands of your career. If you’ve maintained an inactive lifestyle for a while, it may take some time for you to feel the difference, but over time, you’ll start noticing that you don’t tire out as easily as you used to.
Taking care of your body also gives you more authority — after all, why would your patients listen to your advice if you obviously don’t practice what you preach? However, getting sufficient exercise when you work long hours is easier said than done. To make workouts fit in your schedule, it’s a good idea to make them short and sweet, around 30-45 minutes per session, two to three times a week."
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