In general, we don’t tend to give much thought to how active we are in our day jobs. Most people go to work, do what needs to be done, and do not consider how physically active they’ve been throughout the day. There are many professions where people automatically assume one needs a high level of fitness to be able to work in, such as a fitness instructor or a lifeguard, for example.
However, there are also a lot of careers that force you to stay fit and healthy because of the job roles that are undertaken. Sometimes it’s important to study active fitness and PT courses for certain professions. Below are three professions that require a certain level of fitness to fulfil the job role to a satisfactory standard.
Nursing
Nurses spend a lot of time on their feet and on a twelve-hour shift it is reported that they often walk about five miles across the wards and hospital. That takes some real stamina. But it’s not just walking that requires a certain level of fitness. There are other job roles such as:
- Moving patients from one place to another – if the patient is unable to walk, he/she will often need to be transported from the bed into a wheelchair. Although there are aides such as hoists to help with this, it still requires a lot of physical strength from the nurse.
- Assisting a patient with personal care – if the patient is bedridden and needs to be washed on the bed, a nurse is likely to be turning a patient and lifting arms and legs to bathe them properly.
- Maintaining and moving medical equipment – some medical equipment can be bulky and very heavy in weight, so moving the equipment can be exhausting if the nurse does not have a certain level of physical fitness and health.
Primary school teaching
Working with children definitely requires a certain level of fitness and good health. Children are very active and very rarely sit still, so a primary school teacher is likely to spend most of the day on their feet. Other teaching tasks that can be physically demanding include:
- Bending down over tables – this can place a lot of strain on the back, so a teacher must have strong back and stomach muscles to be able to bend a lot during the day.
- Using hands and fingers to grasp and move small objects – a teacher is often creating or constructing something with the children, so finger and hand dexterity and strength is very important.
Police officer
Working in the police force is not just about sitting behind a desk interviewing criminals. If an officer is on patrol, he/she may spend an entire shift walking around. But other aspects of the job that require the police officer to be fit and healthy include:
- Chasing down a suspect – if a police officer is giving chase to a suspect, they have to possess the stamina to not only be able to run and keep up with the suspect, but also wrestle him down if required.
- Good coordination – Sometimes a police officer might find themselves giving chase in a car, for example, and will need good coordination skills to keep everyone safe. Maintaining a certain level of fitness will ensure that a person’s coordination is at its best, no matter what the situation.
Keeping fit and healthy is important no matter your occupation, however, as discussed above, it can be vital to be able to work in some professions.