To have a long lasting and successful FIFO career, there's no doubt that your health is important.
To have a long lasting and successful FIFO career, there’s no doubt that your health is important.
Also consider that your health not only affects you and your career, but it affects your family and friends!
Being healthy means you’ll be a better father, mother, employee, prospect for a new employer and even better in the bedroom for your partner when the lights go out! You’ll be happier with yourself, have more confidence, be able to work longer, be able to party longer, be able to concentrate for longer and have a much better chance of living for longer.
This is a guide and a ‘go-to’ resource for you, your health and of course your family. Create good habits around the DO’S and it will become a way of life and will benefit you and your family. Limit or cancel out the DONT’S and you’ll be on track.
Stop being selfish; get healthy for you and your family… starting today.
DO: Eat Healthy
Fruit. Do you eat enough of it? Get in the habit of eating fresh fruit and you’ll find it will fill the hunger gaps with nutrition and not fat. Oranges are full of vitamin C. Vitamin C works against high blood pressure, promotes healthy teeth and gums and also helps the immune system to prevent you from getting sick.
Vegetables. Do you eat enough of them? While on site, put a source of veggies on your plate EVERY night. Why? Fresh vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage can boost DNA repair in cells which can stop them from becoming cancerous. Vegetables such as broccoli also contain awesome amounts of iron. Iron helps your overall blood flow around your body which is essential for all mine workers.
Whole-meal pasta, nuts, seeds and jacket potatoes are all full of FIBRE. Fibre has many benefits to your overall health and wellbeing and will be a part of helping you live to 100. Fibre slows the rate that sugar is absorbed into the bloodstream which will help fight weight gain. Fibre also slows down your intestines, which means that it will send a signal to your brain saying you’re full.
DO: Exercise
As a mine worker, there is a big chance you do a physical job. Does this mean you should skip any exercise out of work? No. You exercise to get fit and being fit means you have cardiovascular endurance. In English that means you can do physical activity such as running and lifting for a longer period of time. Being fit means you also have muscular strength, muscular endurance and flexibility. Most of these things, you’ll not gain in a standard role on the mines. A labourer may have the lifting strength but unless they are jogging on the spot while digging, they won’t have the cardiovascular endurance to be fit and healthy.
Make the time to get in the gym after your shift, at least three times a week for a light jog or ride. Skipping structured cardio exercise means you’ll be at a higher risk of heart disease, high cholesterol levels and high blood pressure, which unfortunately could put you at a higher risk of having a heart attack. Most of all, getting into the gym will keep your weight down. An overweight miner is not appealing to any employer.
DON’T: Eat unhealthy
Fried food tastes great. Well it tastes great for the 5 minutes you’re eating it but think about the affects it will have on you after the minutes, hours, days and years. It’s doing massive amounts of damage to your insides and overall appearance. Fried food such as hot chips, meat pies and sausage rolls have a long-term devastating effect on your cholesterol count. High cholesterol means you’re at high risk of a heart attack. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, heart disease accounted for 21,708 of deaths in Australia in 2010. DO everything in your power, starting from TODAY, to make sure you’re at less risk of a heart attack. Start by eating less fried foods.
DON’T: Drink excessive amounts of alcohol
Alcohol is a great relaxant… in moderation. In excess, it causes weight gain thanks to the calories and sugars it contains. It also contributes to liver disease. Excess amounts of alcohol cause your liver to deteriorate, which in turn makes your liver work harder than it naturally would and this can lead to liver disease. Arthritis, heart disease, kidney disease and nervous disorders are just some other results of excess alcohol.
So how much is excess alcohol? Active men should not drink more than four standard drinks per day and NEVER more than six standard drinks in one day. Women should drink no more than two standard drinks per day. EVERYONE should have at least two alcohol free days per week.
Your action starts NOW
Leading a healthy lifestyle is about creating good habits. Concentrate on some of the DO’s in this article and stick to it for a minimum of 3 weeks. Once you get into the routine and habit of eating healthy, exercising regularly and not drinking so much, it will become a way of LIFE. That LIFE will also have a much bigger chance of being longer which means you’ll be there for your family and you’ll ALL be much happier.
IMPORTANT NOTE: This health and well-being information is not intended to replace advice that might be provided by a medical professional. The information is general in nature, it may be incomplete and may be unsuited to your personal circumstances. Mining People International does not accept liability for any action taken by any person as a result of this general information.