What are the risks of ignoring health and fitness?

Overwork can damage your health and fitness in a number of ways. Firstly, when you have no time or energy to spare, the prospect of regular exercise can quickly lose its appeal or simply be shut out of your timetable. With so many neglected aspects of your life competing for the little time and vigour you have left after work, the cumbersome business of getting to the gym or going for a run in the rain and darkness can drop quickly down the list of priorities.

Then there’s your diet. Long, exhausting hours can leave you without the time or energy to find a healthy mix of foods and put in the effort to prepare nutritious meals. Instead, quicker fixes become more appealing. The canteen meal, the chocolate machine, the ready-cook dinner, the takeaway and the bit of toast with cheese all seem very attractive. It’s very easy habit to fall into, but it won’t be long before your body starts to show the effects.

Long, hard working hours can also encourage you to drink a lot of coffee, at all hours of the day, which is not advisable. A quick surge of caffeine-fuelled energy may seem like just what you need, but too much caffeine can have a damaging effect on your bodyclock, nervous system and circulation. The work-hard culture also often goes hand-in-hand with a play-hard one, which usually means drinking a lot. After a tough day at work, drinking can produce a welcome release and much-needed sense of celebration, but doing it regularly can cause problems.

Then there are the sheer physical effects of working long hours. If you work in an office, there’s a good chance that the bulk of your day is spent sitting in the same position in a chair and staring at a computer screen. It might not be quite as damaging as going up chimneys or working down mines, but it still takes its toll. Back pain and RSI are two very common problems associated with desk work, and continuous computer use can put a heavy strain on your eyes. Plus there’s the effect of stress, which can trigger a whole textbook of medical conditions all by itself.

All in all, working long hours tends to reduce your fitness, damage your diet and cause undue wear on your body. The results? Poor circulation, increased weight, heart problems, higher cholesterol levels, lack of energy, poor sleep, bad concentration, nervous conditions, depression, and many more. With that lot in mind, health and fitness should be at the very top of your list of priorities.