When you start to think about your career, you’ll probably look at things such as how much the job pays, what training is involved, what prospects for advancement there are. However, what might be of more importance in the long term is to find a job that helps you to stay fit and healthy, both physically and mentally. There are some jobs which do this better than others, and we’ve put together a list of the healthiest jobs you can have to help make your career choices a little easier.
Accountant
People who deal in other people’s money tend to have a high level of both mental and physical stability. It may be because they get to make sense of things that sometimes elude everyone else, making them feel much smarter and getting their brains working harder. That accounts for the mental side of things, but what about being healthy everywhere else? It seems as though working out math means that more accountants like to go out running or hit the gym when they’re done at work. Shaking those number-led cobwebs away is great when it means losing weight and keeping fit.
Optometrist
Optometrists rank low when it comes to the professions most likely to suffer from depression, and their heart health tends to be good overall as well. Since optometrists often earn well into the six figures, and it is a skill that is always in demand, it seems as though this can have a positive impact on blood pressure, thus reducing the chances of developing heart issues. As well as this, keeping blood pressure low which means a lower risk of stroke, and obesity is less likely which helps with diabetes issues.
Occupational Therapist
An occupational therapist helps many thousands of people throughout their career, and that clearly has a positive impact on their own health. Understanding how the human body functions, as well as being able to get it working again as it should after some fairly major trauma (through training and/or using an equivalent to an MBLEx Exam Coach) means that their own bodies can be positively influenced too.
Occupational therapists have a high level of overall well-being, which helps them to keep much healthier than in other professions. Plus they’re not just sitting behind a desk staring at a screen all day, both of which can have serious health implications.
The same applies to other similar professions that involve therapy, for example a massage therapist. Part of a massage therapist’s job is to provide a relaxing atmosphere to the client while a massage is being performed. If you decide to become a massage therapist, you can expect to spend most of your time working in a relaxing atmosphere and listening to relaxing spa music.
In fact, many health professionals lead extremely healthy lives, and if this sounds like something you can get behind why not check out The Definitive Guide to Healthcare Careers?
Choreographer
Perhaps it will come as no real surprise that choreographers are healthy people. Many choreographers are former dancers themselves, so they understand a lot about the nutrition and diet that is required. Add that to the fact that they are constantly moving around, showing others how to carry out the steps they have devised and walking around the studio or stage to check that everyone is moving the way they should, as well as the fact that actually coming up with these dances is good for the brain and you’ve got all the makings of a healthy career choice! After all, when your work day is basically a workout, how could you fail to stay fit?
Nutritionist
A nutritionist knows everything there is to know about how different foods make the body healthier and happier. It’s unlikely that they would tell their clients one thing and then go home and binge on cookies and ice cream (we’re not saying it never happens – we all need a bit of a treat now and then – but it’s highly unlikely that a nutritionist would do this every day!). What will generally happen is that they will follow their own lessons and eat a healthy balanced diet of fruits, vegetables, and the right amounts of fiber, proteins, healthy fats, and sugars.
Government Employees
If this one sounds strange, then you might be thinking of the stress that comes with a job as important as working for the government. While it’s true that these jobs do have a certain amount of stress inherent within them, it’s also true that government employees have good health plans. They also have beneficial exercise programs, additional vacation time, and good retirement funds. All of this means that they can afford to be healthy in their work and that can also make them more productive.
Landscape Gardeners
Landscape gardeners can gain a lot of health benefits from their work. Firstly, they are outside for the majority of the time, and breathing in the fresh air means that they are healthier from the outset. They also have very physical jobs, so their fitness levels are higher than more sedentary professions too. Not only that, but it has been shown that working with and around plants is good for you too, as the air quality is better around the foliage. Florists are also healthy people (for the most part) for the same reason.
Software Developer
Software developers are another group of generally fit and healthy people. It isn’t necessarily the work that is involved (although when you enjoy what you are doing, you do tend to be more healthy), but it stems from the environments in which these particular people do most of their work. There are wellness policies in place which means that there are always going to be break rooms full of interesting things to do, as well as company policies such as half-day Fridays, and free breakfasts in the office. These are modern, forward-thinking companies, and those working for them can reap the benefits.
Yoga Teacher
Yoga is a special kind of health practice. It not only helps to keep the body well and energized, but it also helps to keep people in a mindful frame of mind. Mindfulness means living in the moment, in the present, not worrying about what’s coming up ahead in the future and not focusing on the past which you cannot change. People who are able to practice mindfulness successfully are healthier and happier. They are able to de-stress more easily. As well as this, a yoga teacher will have the added satisfaction of doing a job that they love which also helps people in many different ways.
Artist
Although the stereotype of an artist (or writer, or any creative kind of person, come to that!) is of a tortured soul who struggles for their art and earns barely anything, that really isn’t the reality. For those who find earning enough money to live on through their art difficult, they will have second jobs and still enjoy the freedom of their painting, sculpture, ceramics, or anything else that they love to do. Many, however, work on a freelance basis and, although not wealthy, have enough to be able to enjoy life as well as do the thing they love. They can express their true selves, and this is very healthy for the mind.
Speech And Language Therapist
Being a speech and language therapist is a relatively niche occupation, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t also one of the healthiest. A speech and language therapist helps those who have trouble with their speech. This could be due to a stutter, or another issue.
Many are self-employed, so they can arrange their schedules to give them free time to work out, or at least go for a long walk in nature. A speech and language therapist is another career that offers plenty of scopes for the brain to work hard and continuously. When the therapist isn’t actually with a patient, they will need to be prepping for upcoming sessions, creating specialized plans to help their clients overcome their obstacles.
Farmers
Farming includes a lot of physical work, whether it is out on the land, or in with the animals. The days are long and hard, but extremely fulfilling, and all of this leads to excellent health. Farmers can also eat plenty of their own fresh produce, which means that don’t have to resort to more unhealthy processed foods, and they can, therefore, bypass the health risks associated with them. As discussed earlier, being outside is automatically a healthy thing, and as long as they protect themselves against the sun’s rays, farmers can be healthy without needing to go to the gym at all.
University Professor
University professors always rank high in the list of non-stressful jobs. They get paid extremely well, so there will automatically be less stress in their home lives. The work environment also tends to be fairly low in stress levels, and there can be huge amounts of flexibility in the hours they need to work, and the workload they are given.
This is especially true for the professors who have assistants; it is the assistant who will do the prep work in advance, making things even easier for the professor. Another thing that helps professors be healthy is that they have long vacation times since their work is in line with the academic year. Therefore they can enjoy plenty of time to be fit and healthy, and not have to squeeze workouts at the gym in between long days at the office.
Shift Frequency © 2018 – Healthiest Jobs You Can Have