I started working in a fast food kitchen 2 weeks ago and it’s physically stressful so far. I do a lot of meal prep which includes a lot of chopping, carrying, and cleaning. Being on my feet for ~7 hours a day is slowly taking a toll on me and I really want to take preventive measures for long term problems that come with it. My right thumb is numb as I type down this post at 1am because I somehow woke up before 4:30am.
For a little background, this is my first official job where I’m being paid actual money for my work. As per usual, I can’t quit because of finances and I like my coworkers and managers so far. I just want my body to cope with it better and I’m not sure how I should go with it. I was pretty sedentary before I started working. I wear comfortable non-slip shoes with orthotics to better support my arch. I also bought a muscle rolling stick to help massage my feet and leg muscles after work. I think the compression socks I recently got isn’t doing much so I’m going to invest in some Bombas socks soon. What else can I do to prevent breaking my body doing this job?
Stretching and drinking water are ABSOLUTELY essential. Make sure you stretch before your shift, a couple times during your shift, and after your shift. If you notice any particular muscle groups feeling sore or uncomfortable, Google stretches that target those areas.
I worked in the receiving warehouse at Lowe’s for a while and the manual labor resulted in a pretty intense adjustment period for my back and legs. But after learning some stretches that specifically targeted those muscles and doing them regularly I improved quickly. After a month or so I was pretty used to it (and shedding extra weight quickly, which also helped).