Teachers, Don’t Shhhuuussssshhh away Your Health!
Teachers are some of those most important members of our society. A teacher’s life is hectic, from being the earliest birds awake every morning to being the last to sleep at night, they’re constantly juggling work and home life.
It’s a known fact that teaching is a noble yet taxing vocation, and is rightly given the respect it deserves by today’s society. Teachers are an important part of the workforce, and there’s no denying the physical and mental demands of this profession, which often puts them at risk of serious health complications.
Due to their fast-paced schedule, teachers hardly have any time to think about themselves, much less sort through the sometimes-conflicting claims about the nutritional value of various meals in order to ‘eat healthy’. Especially since snacking on convenience foods is a much simpler option (no matter what most packaging claims say).
I’m sure each one of us can admit that at least once in our lives we’ve all been mean to one of our teachers. From sticking nasty gum to their chairs to purposely disturbing them during their lectures, to reducing them to tears with our atrocious behaviour, we’ve left no stone unturned to make their lives miserable.
But despite all the odds, these loving souls put their best foot forward (something we didn’t quite value back then) to educate, enlighten and train us for every hurdle that life would throw at us, both big and small.
The most frequently-reported health complaints among teachers are lower back pain, tiredness, leg pain, voice disorder, headache, neck pain, anxiety, shoulder pain, varicose veins of lower limbs and sleep problems.
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Sharleen Zacharia is a trained Nutritionist with a Master’s degree in Foods, Nutrition and Dietetics.