Health and Fitness Awareness

University Degree Miscellaneous

FDA Public Services – Jodie Bateman

Unit PC1/7

Louise Birchley

Contents

The Origins and causes of workplace stress

The prevention, identification and management of Workplace stress

The principles of physical fitness, good nutrition and healthy eating

The public sector fitness requirements.

The personal and professional issues concerned with following a healthy lifestyle.

1. The origins of workplace stress

The following Essay aims to look at the origins or workplace stress, How to prevent it, how to manage it and how stress can affect the public service sector. It will also explore the principles of fitness and what fitness levels you should be aiming for to gain entry into any of the services. The personal and professional issues concerned with following a healthy lifestyle within a public service provision will also be discussed.

Stress can originate from sources we hardly ever associate it with. One of the most popular causes of workplace stress is the lack of control, where employees have no say over things within the workplace that affect them. A definition of stress used today is that:

‘It is the psychological and physical state that results when the resources of the individual are not sufficient to cope with the demands and pressures of the situation. Thus, stress is more likely in some situations than others and in some individuals than others. Stress can undermine the achievement of goals, both for individuals and for the organisation,’

( Michie. S. 2002 ). .

The definition above is stating that some individuals will suffer from stress where other individuals will not. Stress factors vary depending on the individual and the situation that the individual is put into. A definition of workplace stress is;

‘Job stress can be defined as the harmful physical and emotional responses that occur when the requirements of the job do not match the capabilities, resources, or needs of the worker. Job stress can lead to poor health and even injury.’

( NoshPublications 99-101 )

A common cause of workplace stress is the threat of losing your job if you under perform. If you feel as though you could have performed better in a certain task and your job is on the line, this will raise the stress levels in your body.

Another common cause of work related stress is ‘taking work home,’ when the workload gets to much for you to handle you may think about it outside of work and it may start to effect your social life, this would raise the stress levels as work would seem to take priority over things you would normally enjoy doing. 28% of workers

Who took part in a U.K study stated that their workload was affecting their relationships at home with their family and friends.

2. Identification, prevention and management of workplace stress

Most people manage to cope with stress related to their work and the pressures that they are put under, but the ways in which these pressures are dealt with vary depending on the levels of stress and pressure a certain individual can take. People suffering from workplace stress often find themselves losing concentration, they can often have mood swings and will more than likely become very irritable. They will suffer from sleep disturbances and also suffer from low morale. Frustration plays a major part when becoming stressed. It often takes a physical symptom like exhaustion to make that individual realise that some changes need to be made.

If workers within the public service sector were to suffer from stress, it would have a significant affect on their work. It may stop them from concentrating properly and this could lead to serious injuries to themselves or others around them, and could even result in death. This is why it is important to recognise stress, prevent stress and then manage it.

Work place stress is a complex issue, to manage workplace stress the best you can, a comprehensive approach is needed. First, identify the cause of the stress, and then take steps to remove that cause, or remove yourself (the stressed person) away from the situation. Understanding the type of stress that is affecting you is important in order to manage and handle that stress.

Diet is important when trying to manage stress, vitamin group B is important and so is magnesium as these help to stimulate the mind. Vitamin C is there to maintain a healthy immune system which is important when trying to reduce the levels of stress you are feeling. Vitamin C speeds healing and is also associated with improving post traumatic stress disorders.

Tobacco and alcohol may provide a temporary relief but they contribute to stress susceptibility and therefore they will increase the stress itself. Exercise is a good way to manage stress as well, exercise burns up adrenaline which produces helpful chemicals and positive feelings. People who are stressed should never try to control things that are uncontrollable; instead they should adapt the situation to one in which they can control. Talking to someone will almost immediately make you feel better, as it would help you to get your thoughts and feelings out. Once you have opened up to someone ...

This is a preview of the whole essay

‘increasing self awareness of personal thoughts and feelings, anticipate and take steps to avoid stress build up before it comes more serious.’

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This would help you to control your feelings towards stress, and would also help to anticipate what your feelings are going to be before the stress becomes too severe.

3) The Principles of Physical Fitness

Physical Fitness can be defined as ‘A set of attributes, primarily respiratory and cardiovascular, relating to the ability to perform certain tasks requiring the expenditure of energy’

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Health related fitness components include Muscular strength, endurance agility, flexibility, body composition and cardiovascular endurance (stamina) and speed.

Muscular strength can be classed as the maximum muscular force that can be applied besides the resistance. There are three different ways to test strength, static strength involves the use of isometric resistance against a motionless load for example, pushing as hard as you can against a wall or pulling against an equal force like in a ‘tug of war’. Dynamic strength uses isotonic muscle contractions to move heavier loads for example weight lifting uses dynamic strength. Explosive strength is the fast and powerful muscle reactions for example punching a punch bag in boxing.

Agility is the skill to move in quick fluid movements this is very important when trying to improve sports performance. Agility involves changing directions whilst maintaining balance and speed. Agility can improve with practice and also by developing strength, suppleness and stamina.

Stamina can also be called aerobic endurance which means the ability to carry out a certain task for a longer amount of time without becoming tired and out of breath. Stamina is very important to professionals within the public service sector for example a police officer would need a high level of stamina if he or she was chasing a criminal on foot, he/she maybe expected to run a long distance at quite a high speed without getting exhausted.

Cardiovascular fitness is

‘A person’s ability to deliver oxygen to the working muscles is affected by many physiological parameters, including heart rate, stroke volume, cardiac output, and maximal oxygen consumption.’

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Speed is the ability to move a part of the body or the whole body quickly. Nearly all sports require speed, especially ones where you have to outpace an opponent. Quick physical reactions are important to most public services, for example the Fire Brigade, where speed is needed to possibly save a life.

Nutrition is all about the study of food and how our bodies use food for fuel and growth for daily activities. Good nutrition and healthy eating includes a balanced diet, getting plenty of exercise and keeping your heart strong and healthy. People who practice good nutrition, hygiene and exercise patterns develop a lifetime of habits that will keep them healthy for many years. Variety, balance and moderation are 3 basic rules when trying to lead a healthy lifestyle.

(www.drpbody.com)

Variety means that you include foods from all the levels in the pyramid because no single food can supply all of the nutrients that your growing body needs on a daily basis.

Balance means that you must eat the right amounts of foods from all levels of the Food Pyramid each day. If you do this you will be consuming the right amount of calories and nutrients for development and growth.

Moderation means that you are careful not to eat too much of any one type of food.

As you can see from the pyramid, bread, cereal, rice and pasta are the foods at the bottom, and the foods that you are supposed to eat the most of on a daily basis. These foods are known as starchy foods and they make up about a third of the food we eat. Starch foods provide energy and are the main sources of nutrients in our diet. As well as nutrients these foods contain fibre, calcium, iron and B vitamins.

Drinking water is essential when trying to stay healthy, water makes up about two thirds of our body weight. Water is important for our blood to be able to carry nutrients around the body. We lose water through evaporation when we breathe and sweat. The more activity we do and the hotter our bodies get, the amount of water we lose is increases.

Although fats are at the top of the pyramid and you should not be consuming many of these, it is important that we have some fats in our diet because fats help the body to absorb some vitamins and it is a good source of energy, fat also helps build up the level of fatty acids that the body cannot make itself. There are three different types of fat; saturated fat, unsaturated fat and Trans fats. Having too many saturated fats in your diet can increase the amount of cholesterol in our which increases the chance of developing heart disease. Trans fats have a similar effect on cholesterol as saturated fat that increases the chance of heart disease. Evidence suggests that the effect of Trans fats can be worse than saturated fats. Trans fats are often found in biscuits, margarines and some fast foods. Unsaturated fat can be a healthy choice, this type of fat helps to reduce the levels of cholesterol and also provides us with the fatty acids that we need that our body cannot produce itself.

Public sector Fitness requirements

To gain entry into any of the services you need to have a physical fitness test, this is to ensure that all professionals within the public service sector are able to complete certain physical tasks without getting tired or breathless. It is important that all of the professionals within the public service sector have the same basic level of fitness, this is so they would all be able to keep up with the physical tasks that they may encounter and that one will not have to wait for another simply because they are not as physically fit.

The police force has a selection of physical fitness tests that possible recruits have to pass to gain entry into the force; these include dynamic strength and endurance fitness.

Dynamic strength is upper body strength. It will be assessed by the use of a machine called the ‘dyno machine’. The test involves 5 seated chest pushes, and 5 seated back pulls on the machine. The average sum of the 5 pushes and the average sum of the 5 pulls will be recorded. When performing the push tests, 5 pushes will be performed at maximum effort with three seconds of recovery between each. The average values of the 5 efforts will displayed at the end of the set you will need an average of 34kg to pass. When performing the pull tests you will pull five times on the machine using maximum effort with 3 second recovery time in between. The average force produced during each test will be displayed. You will need an average of 35kg or more to pass.

Within the endurance fitness tests you will be asked to run backwards and forwards along a 15m track in time with a series of bleeps. The timing between bleeps is slower at first but then speeds up as the test progresses. You will run for as long as you can no longer keep up with the set pace. A minimum of four shuttles at level 5 needs to be reached to pass.

To gain entry into the army, all recruits and soldiers of all ranks and ages are required to take a physical fitness test. All recruits are required to complete a 1.5mile run, adult entry candidates are required to complete the run within 14minutes or less, all junior candidates have 14minutes 30seconds to complete the run. Officer candidates have to undertake a multi stage fitness test (the bleep test). Males have to get a standard of 10.2 and females have a standard of 8.1. Maximum repetitions of sit ups, press ups and burpees over a two minute period will be recorded; also a series of shuttle runs will be completed.

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The criteria for selection as a fire-fighter can be very demanding. The physical fitness tests that possible recruits have to undertake are crucial for the selection process. There are four tests that have to be completed. They measure the potential to perform specialised physical tasks related to fire fighting. There is a strength test that involves a handgrip test and a leg/back pull test. It will be tested using equipment designed to measure your strength of grip for each hand, and determine the combined lifting strength of your back and legs. Another test that will be undertaken is the ‘climbing to the top of the tower’. To measure cardiovascular capacity it will be required for you to make your way up a Floor drill tower and then return to ground level at a brisk pace. This will performed wearing full fire uniform; fire coat, over trousers, boots, helmet and gloves. They also test your ability to crawl around in small and awkward spaces. You will be required to drag an infant sized dummy through a special crawling gallery, once with clear vision and once with a clouded plastic visor. This gives an assessment of your agility and body management in confined spaces, breathing apparatus will be worn throughout this test. Ladder extension is the name of the last test that will have to be performed. It is required to haul a weight of 57.5 kg to a height of 8.2 metres using specially designed equipment. ‘This action stimulates the effort required to extend a 13.5mtre ladder’

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The navy also requires you to undertake a fitness test before joining. The navy tests include a 1.5mile run on the treadmill which must be completed within the following times :

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There will also be a series of cardiovascular and strength tests, including, press ups, sit ups and 5 x 55m shuttle run. Males are required to achieve 23 press ups, 39 sit ups, and so the runs in 59seconds. Females are required to do 17 press-ups, 29 sit ups and do the run in 72 seconds.

The fitness test for the Marines includes pull ups, crunches and a 3 mile run. The minimum scores that have to be achieved depends on the age of the person being tested. Males aged between seventeen and twenty six have to achieve 3 pull ups, 50 crunches and complete the run in 28minutes. The crunches have to be completed within a two minute time period.

There are fitness tests involved when trying to gain entry into the prison service these are the grip strength test, this measures the strength of your forearm, you squeeze a measuring device as tight as you can, both hands are tested, this test has to passed. There is a shuttle run test and this tests aerobic endurance it involves running backwards and forwards along a 15mtre track getting faster each run. The Dyno test measures the strength of your upper body and upper arm muscles. It involves pushing and pulling to reach a target level of force. A speed and agility run must also be passed, because prison officers have to able to respond quickly when incidents occur this test measures your ability to do that whilst dodging obstacles an changing direction. The final test that will need to be completed is the shield test, this is where you will stand still and hold a 6kg shield during control and restraint techniques. All of these tests need to be passed to gain entry into the prison service.

The ambulance service is also a service that includes a fitness testing upon application. These tests include stepping onto and off 15cm and 30cm steps at different stepping speeds. This test lasts no longer than twenty minutes. Carrying weighted equipment of up to 30kg over a distance is another test that has to be passed. Applicants will also have to perform a cardiac massage to a resuscitation doll. This is to ensure that the possible recruits are able to keep someone alive at the scene of an accident or in the ambulance until they can get the person hospital.

Personal and professional issues concerned with following a healthy lifestyle

It is important, when working within the public service sector that you maintain a high level of fitness and eat a balanced diet. A healthy lifestyle is about both physical and mental wellbeing. Good health and effective learning go together.

It is important to maintain a decent level of fitness when working within the services because most of the time the work that will be undertaken will be physical. The public services are there for the ‘public’ and it is there duty to ensure that the well being of the citizens is protected. So for example, if there was a fire in a block of flats on the top floor, the fire brigade would have to climb up the flights of stairs or the ladder without becoming short of breath or experiencing fatigue. Also if there was a person inside the flats the fire-fighter would be required to carry that person back down the stairs or the ladder. If the fire-fighter involved was not physically fit they could put their own life or someone else’s at risk.

Eating a balanced diet is also important when working within the public service sector

Because it is important that you balance out the food groups so that you do not feel tired or exhausted or the other extreme irritable and restless.

Work can effect the way you lead your lifestyle, for example a police officer working shifts will have an irregular sleep pattern and this could have a bad effect on his/her performance at work because he/she may feel tired during their night shift as they have not slept during the day or they may feel tired during their day shifts where they have been used to sleeping during the day and working at night. Also he/she would be eating at irregular times which could also have a bad effect on performance. The public service professionals that work irregular hours may be tempted not to cook a healthy meal that supplies them with the sufficient food groups but to eat foods which are quick and easy to make, this could lead them to miss out vital foods and cause them to feel bloated, tired or restless. This would obviously have a bad effect on their performance at work.

To conclude, it is clear to see that a healthy lifestyle is important when working for one of the services this is in order to make sure you are not putting your life or anybody else’s life at danger. Also stress is likely to be experienced when working within the public service sector, because it involves a lot of strenuous activities and hard to tackle situations but as long as it is dealt with quickly and in the right ways, it should not have a great effect on your lifestyle or workplace performance. Exercise is a good way of relieving stress, so if done regularly stress levels will kept to a minimum, and at the same time fitness levels will be maintained or even improved ensuring that you are performing at the best possible level that you are capable of.