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Manual handling for healthcare professionals - Staying fit and healthy to prevent injury

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3. Preventing injury

It is your responsability to think about your lifestyle choices and implement a healthy routine. This should include regular exercise, eating healthily, getting enough sleep, drinking enough fluids and managing stress levels. It's known that participating in regular physical activity will help improve your muscular strength, flexibility and cardiovascular health as well as helping to manage stress levels. The National Health Service (NHS) recommends moderate exercise a minimum of 30 minutes 5 times per week. Exercise should be a combination of strength and cardiovascular training.

Work within your comfort levels, and try and work in good posture whenever you can, both at home and at work. Evidence suggests whenever possible we should try and work in an upright posture keeping loads close to our bodies. These two body mechanics principles will also help prevent musculoskeletal aches and pains developing.