Work & Health | Are We Sacrificing Our Health for Our Jobs?

Most Americans have been working since the age of about sixteen (or earlier) and above. It's apart of the thread woven deeply into our society. We desire things, and once we become of age and gain some sense of independency, we get a job. During our teenage years and young adult years (15-22), our jobs may have consisted of being a grocery store bagger, stocker, or cashier; or, working at a car wash, fast food restaurant, movie theatre, or skating rink. However, upon graduating college or with age, our priorities begin to shift, and so does most of our jobs. No longer are we saving money for our letterman jackets, prom dresses, and  kicks, we're thinking about having our first apartment or home ownership, savings, rent, children, groceries, and retirement. To attain these desires, most of us millennials, sought after "better" jobs and higher salaries in an attempt to achieve our American dreams, to win, and to make it in this society. But, there is a caveat to landing those dream jobs.

 The sedentary lifestyle and high amount of stress that often comes along with those "good jobs."  But, are those good jobs killing us? Are they leading us down a path of physical deterioration and destruction. No longer are we active throughout the day as we were when we worked our jobs in our teens and early twenties. Many of our jobs consist of office jobs, where we're sitting up to 7 to 8,9,10 hours within the day. This is not how or what our bodies were created and designed to do, sit all day. Our muscles, joints, musculoskeletal frame does not approve of our current lifestyle and it shows. Our jobs are also causing a substantial amount of weight gain, as the requirements that we stay glued to our desk are causing us to neglect steps and bodily movement throughout the day.  We may be exercising our brain (this is debatable with many current jobs),  but we're not exercising our bodies, and this is costing Americans tons of pain, money, and most importantly, our lives.

So what do we do? Americans have to work to provide for our families and maintain our personal lifestyle demands and desires. We must determine a better way, strategize, and put our health first. Your health should be in the top three to four of your life's priorities, and it starts with your willingness to want to take control of your health.

I've developed a habit of walking in the mornings before work, and I see a diversity of people from all walks of life. Young, old, middle aged, moms with strollers and dads with strollers, various ethnicities, people with physical disabilities, and people from various socioeconomic backgrounds; and, there is one thing for certain, that there are many adults who are prioritizing their health. No, all of these individuals are not unemployed, and have a copious amount of time on their hands, but they have simply made a choice. They have chosen to make time for themselves and their bodies to become physically active. Is it harder as adults to maintain a physically actively lifestyle? Absolutely, we have more constraints. However, is it impossible? Absolutely not, it is very possible with realistic strategies, willingness, behavior change, reprioritization, and appropriate planning for your lifestyle.

There's our adult silver lining! We can achieve and maintain great physical health within our adult lives while working. Will it be hard to adjust our current sedentary lifestyle? Yes, initially. But, give yourself grace, and time to strategize, explore, and figure out what works for you so you can begin to prioritize your health while working.

 Be true, be balanced, be well.