There’s no denying that farming requires physical activity and lots of it. So, it’s crucial to remain in good shape and strong.
As a farmer, your day-to-day work load can be extensive, as you’re lifting heavy weights, transporting goods over long distances, and generally having tasks to complete from morning until night. Although nowadays, the assistance of machinery means that farmers can reduce the physical labour involved in farming, the job is, nonetheless, taxing, tiring, and demanding. It’s very important to stay healthy when you’re farming, as your health will see that you continue to work for as long, and efficiently, as possible.
Make Time For Fun
Before dismissing this as something you just don’t have time for, consider that your mental health is extremely important to your quality of life and enables you to feel healthy, happy, and energised. Life begins after 50, some say, so remember to find time for yourself and do the things you’re passionate about, whether that be playing an instrument as part of a band, water sports, creative arts, theatre, or playing football with your local team. If you’re not feeling confident in trying new things, or think you’re too old, SunLife has published an insightful article on Tessa, an 82-year old who’s still dancing. If you’re very active, then you’ll require a diet high in protein, fats, and carbohydrates, so you should know how to sufficiently nourish your body.
What Do You Need To Do?
There’s more to staying fit and healthy than lifting large hay bales and walking long distances to check on livestock. You must also treat your body well, feed it with the correct nutrients, support spine health, and avoid excessive stress wherever you can. Certain types of exercise can have a detrimental effect on your health, especially if you’re in pain whilst performing them and after. It’s dangerous to lift a weight above your capacity, or weights that simply are too heavy for you to bear comfortably. When lifting, always follow the suggested guidelines, that is, to bend from the knees, not the back, and to keep your spine straight.
Maintaining Health
It’s not rocket science, and actually, in fact, staying fighting fit and supple is pretty easy. You need to avoid the obvious health disasters like smoking, drinking, and eating fast food and do more low impact exercises while making healthy life choices. These choices include staying hydrated and drinking at least two litres of water a day (more if you’re sweating throughout the day), scheduling regular appointments to see a chiropractor and a massage therapist if you suffer from achy muscles and stiff joints, and making nutritious meals at home.
Resting
Farmer’s, typically, work a very long day. With this said, it’s crucial to have a good night’s sleep to ensure that you’re not exhausted for work the following day. Once the working day is over, you should relax in order to allow your brain to calm down and focus on being able to sleep. Having people on board to help you and take care of some of the more straightforward tasks can help relieve you of some of your work, and allow you to get rested ahead of time ready for the next day. Relax by enjoying a soak in the bathtub, listening to slow music, spending quality time with friends and family, and winding down with walks in the countryside alongside your dogs.
