Healthy Ways to Survive as a Worker in Lagos

Dear Aunty Nurse Readers,

How has your week been so far? 

Bearing in mind that Lagos is a tough and stressful place to work, live and conduct business, I write on the lifestyle of a typical Lagos worker and how it can be modified to prevent  illness in the future. The following are the characteristics of an average Lagos worker:

Time spent out of the home: The Lagos worker wakes up between 4:30am-5:00am to prepare for work  and gets back home between 7:00pm-10:00pm

Diet: The average worker in Lagos eats egg yolks (bad cholesterol) and junk food everyday. Because of the time

spent in traffic trying to get home he/she eats foods high in fat and carbohydrate content just before bedtime.

Exercise: The average worker in Lagos spends the whole day or most of it on a chair at a desk or in traffic.  

Mind: The average worker in Lagos is mentally fatigued because of the high demands placed on them at work. 

This lifestyle is a recipe for disaster and poses health risks in the long-term. When I was an intern some years back, I lived at Ajah and worked at Onikan. I used to get up at 4:30 am to get ready for work and sometimes get home at 11:00 pm. It was horrible and at some point I broke down and for one whole week I couldn't be at work. 

I have to say that over the years things have improved. Nonetheless, I still get up at 5:00am but I manage to get home by 7:00 pm which isn't bad.

The Lagos lifestyle is a major risk factor for developing Hypertension (constantly high blood pressure) ,  Diabetes (when the body loses its ability to control sugar levels in the blood), Hypercholesterolemia ( too much cholesterol in your blood vessels), Obesity (having a Body Mass index > 40). These conditions are very common amongst Lagos workers and are life -threatening.

Here are a few tips to help lower your risk of developing any of these conditions:

·         Time spent out of the home: While it might be impracticable to modify your working hours, you could at least ensure that you get as much sleep as you can. When you get home, don't turn on your TV or laptop, just take a shower and go to bed. If you have kids and they're still up when you get home, reading them a bedtime story could help kick start the journey to dreamland for both parties. Doing this reduces the risk of hypertension.

·  

       Diet: If you must eat at a fastfood  avoid the egg sandwich and go for meals with high fibre content. Eat the tuna sandwich instead for breakfast and at lunch time.
Avoid eating meals like yam in fast food restaurants because sometimes they add butter/magarine and sugar to it when preparing it. Too much sugar intake is bad for your health. Try eating vegetable soups, beans etc and less of the baked goods and some fruits would do.  Doing this reduces the risk of Hyperlipidemia or high cholesterol and Obesity. Also,avoid d

·         Exercise: Find a reason to go up and down the stairs as this is some form of exercising your body. Don't send "Favour or Emma" to pick the documents for you. Do it yourself. Trek as much as you can afford to. Try to also slot into your schedule when you are at home long walks, running or join a gym.

·         Mind: Keep a positive mental state. If you see everything as stressful, it will remain stressful. You need to try to have fun and relax with what you're doing. Convince yourself that you can handle all that comes before you and you will.

With these tips, you're sure to reduce the health risks and be a healthier individual.

Do have a lovely day!

Regards,
Aunty Nurse