I started working in a fast food kitchen 2 weeks ago and it’s physically stressful so far. I do a lot of meal prep which includes a lot of chopping, carrying, and cleaning. Being on my feet for ~7 hours a day is slowly taking a toll on me and I really want to take preventive measures for long term problems that come with it. My right thumb is numb as I type down this post at 1am because I somehow woke up before 4:30am.
For a little background, this is my first official job where I’m being paid actual money for my work. As per usual, I can’t quit because of finances and I like my coworkers and managers so far. I just want my body to cope with it better and I’m not sure how I should go with it. I was pretty sedentary before I started working. I wear comfortable non-slip shoes with orthotics to better support my arch. I also bought a muscle rolling stick to help massage my feet and leg muscles after work. I think the compression socks I recently got isn’t doing much so I’m going to invest in some Bombas socks soon. What else can I do to prevent breaking my body doing this job?
A lot of great advice in this thread.
Adding a note here about socks. Don’t bother with Bombas. They are fine, but no better than other generic socks you will find out there. I was all in to the hype of them too but after using them for a few years i found they don’t hold up any better than other socks. I wouldn’t consider them an “investment”.
Now, if you want to invest in a sock, consider getting Darn Tough. They are more expensive, however their wool and synthetic socks are pretty solid. I find they hold up way better than my Bombas ever did, are much more comfortable, moisture wicking of wool is very good and, best part, if they fall apart, wear down and get holes, Darn Tough will replace them. They will have you send them back and give you a credit to get a new pair. Full credit. It’s fantastic. Highly recommend.
I’d love some Darn tough socks too but they’re made of wool and I’m an ethical vegan so it’s pretty much out of the picture. I saw that they only had a few selections for synthetic socks 🥹
Even the synthetic ones are great. Your options for colors are a bit more limited but the quality is still good. Would still recommend those over Bombas. I was disappointed in the Bombas quality and found myself having to buy them more often due to wearing down quickly.
Ultimately I hope you can find what you need! All the best to you, friend!
I recently started a similar service job and compression socks sold at outdoors stores do a great job at preventing the aching.