An apple a day and an eight-hour shift, too?

Employment contributes to our health and well being in many ways—and not only by preventing the stress of being unable to pay the bills.

 

For instance, psychologist Maria Jahoda is known for her “deprivation theory” that suggests the unemployed suffer from mental woe in the absence of several important functions of work. Some of these work functions include a structured schedule, a sense of personal identity and shared social experiences. Without these functions, many people become depressed and lose some of their self-esteem.

 

A 2002 article in the Journal of Occupational and Organization Psychology describes a study that found the “unemployed… engaged in social leisure activities less frequently and solitary leisure activities more frequently than the employed… they also reported higher depressive affect and lower self-esteem.” The reduction in social activities, the study suggests, happens because the unemployed are out-of-touch with their fellow employees.

 

For those who socialize outside of the work sphere, though, social activity can still be reduced by unemployment. This stems from a reduction in, or lack of, regular income. No money usually equals less socializing.

 

In some cases, a stagnating social life corresponds with a reduced level of physical activity. In other cases, people who exercise when performing their regular job duties or when travelling to work—by walking or biking—also see a decline in physical activity when they are off work. And, as most people are aware, physical inactivity has deleterious effects on our minds and bodies.

 

We need exercise to help prevent disease—think diabetes or heart problems—and to reduce stress and fatigue. Long-term unemployment can lead to an inactive lifestyle, which in turn can drastically reduce one’s quality of life.

 

When you are off work for a lengthy period, it can become progressively more difficult to go back to work. At this point, you may be suffering from reduced or altogether poor mental and physical health. Going back to work can seem like an insurmountable task. For this reason, it is important to understand how critical it is to try and get back to work as soon as you can after suffering an injury or taking a leave. It’s better for your mind, your body and your wallet.

 

If you are off work because of an injury, try to maintain a positive outlook and focus on your recovery instead of your misfortune. Consider the role your job plays in your life—as part of your personal identity, social sphere, sense of worth and accomplishment and financial stability—and embrace opportunities for rehabilitation and recovery.

 

 

Rehab With Water

So drink up!

If you are trying to lose weight drinking plenty of water is the easiest thing you can do to help with your efforts. Water is an essential nutrient for optimal health and survival. Sweating during exercise is our body’s way of controlling our temperature so we don’t overheat during training and water cleanses our bodies of toxins and wastes. Water also helps your liver convert fat into usable energy. If you do not drink enough water your kidneys are overwhelmed with concentrated fluids and they make your liver do extra work. If your liver is doing the kidney’s job it does not have time to convert fat into energy so it just holds on to it. To top it all off, if you don’t drink enough water throughout the day instead of excreting waste and waste products, you reabsorb used water to reuse. This is what causes water retention and bloating. Consistently drinking water therefore actually helps you lose weight and prevents those dreaded weight fluctuations that too many of us suffer from.

On a final note, thirst signals are often confused with hunger signals so when your stomach “growls” and you haven’t had your daily water intake you may actually need a glass of the cold stuff rather than a candy bar.

Okay then, how much should I drink?

You need at least 8 cups of water a day. If you exercise or are in a hot climate you should increase this to 10 cups per day and if you are overweight drink an extra cup or two. People that carry excess weight around with them burn more calories in the day than they normally would so they have more waste products from metabolizing food that needs to be flushed out of their bodies.

Are you kidding? That is way too much for me to drink in one day!

Don’t worry, water comes in many forms. Most fruits, especially watermelon, and some vegetables including celery, lettuce and cucumber are made up of mainly water. Milk and juice are also fantastic sources of water, but beware! If you consume beverages with caffeine such as coffee, tea and pop you will actually excrete water before it is put to use by your body so you need to drink extra water to counteract for the loss (that means an extra cup or two)!

Always keep a water bottle with you at work and at the gym. Also eat lots of fruits and vegetables throughout the day and you will easily meet your daily needs! Good luck and drink up!

Karp Rehabilitation is an active rehabilitation program specializing with soft-tissue injury rehabilitation. For more information call 604.420.7800.

Healthy Eating Facts

Today’s article includes a variety of health and fitness facts.

Here are some fit tips that answer commonly asked questions and also some important but not commonly known fitness facts. If you want to test out your health and fitness knowledge, read on!

- One tablespoon of olive oil has approximately 13 grams of fat and 120 calories.

- A healthy range for body-fat for men is 8-15%, women are healthy between 18-25%.

- Improving your hamstring flexibility and abdominal strength can reduce your lower back pain.

- One cup of peanuts has 830 calories and 70 grams of fat.

- Improving your posture can lead to reduced headaches.

- Egg whites have no fat but egg yolks have approximately five grams of fat in each one.

- Stability balls(a.k.a. Swiss Balls) were developed in Switzerland about 90 years ago, where they were predominantly used by physiotherapists.

- One avocado has the same calories as six apples.

- Your maximum heart rate can be determined by subtracting your age from 220.

- Plyometric exercises are good for athletes that want to improve their speed and acceleration.

- Regular exercise combined with healthy eating can lower your cholesterol and blood pressure.

- Sweating is one of your body\’s cooling mechanisms and is related to the relative humidity in the air, the greater the humidity the more you may sweat.

- Regular weight bearing exercises are good for osteoporosis prevention.

- Exercising in the morning can increase your metabolism causing you to burn more calories throughout the day.

- Stretching is an important part of an exercise program as it can prevent injuries, improve performance and reduce muscular soreness.

- Water cleanses your body of toxins and wastes and helps your liver convert fat into usable energy so be sure to drink at least eight cups of water a day.

- A “superset” is when you perform two sets back to back with no rest in between.

- The goal of your warm-up is to slightly elevate your body temperature and to increase the blood flow through your muscles.

Karp Rehabilitation is an active rehabilitation program specializing with soft-tissue injury rehabilitation. For more information call 604.420.7800.