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?
Placing orthotics bellow your arches is very harmful in the long term. In general you shouldn’t prevent your foot doing what it is designed to do (big heel drops, fat soft shoe soles, orthotics) unless there is a problem (read injury) and only temporarily (until you recover). So are narrow toe-boxes in shoes, your toes should be able to move freely and naturally. If they can’t, the restriction will create irreversible (read: even surgery won’t completely fix what they cause) problems, that mess up all the bio-mechanics of the leg. I wish I knew this when I was younger, working 8-10-12 hour shifts (yeah, I know), as a waiter/barman.
Btw, it might sound counter-intuitive, but proper running, relaxed and a little each day (even as little as 10 minutes) can help getting your legs stronger, relieve stress, restore fascia (without stretching, static stretching never ever worked well for me) and keep it flexible and strong, reset nervous system firing patterns on your shoulders (moving your hands like you do in running with the proper form is way more effective than PT exercises like trap-3-raises for the traps) to counter balance the amount of time you spend looking down, help re-align your spine, and pretty much invigorate your whole body.
But most importantly, rest and eat well. This will be the defining factor on whether your body will adapt and get stronger or not, and how long it will need to do it. We are supposed to be standing all day (not facing downwards though), your feet shouldn’t be the issue here, your neck & shoulders are the part that is assuming the unnatural positions for extended periods of time, so as often as you can break them and do some gentle full range of motion movements (a.k.a dynamic stretching) the better.
Regardless, good luck with your new job! :-)
I unfortunately had a surgery a few years ago and I recently got bursitis on my right foot. The only relief was wearing the orthotics so I thought I’d benefit a lot from wearing them while standing long hours. I’ll look into better posture, dynamic stretching, and more you’ve mentioned below. Thank you!!
Is there a “barefoot” shoes community on here lol. Edit : I agree with you
Stretch and do some light exercise right before you leave for work just to get the blood flowing. Take regular breaks just to stretch as well, and make sure to use as much of your breaks as possible off your feet. I’ve worked a few of these jobs and the worst thing you can do to yourself is ignore your breaks or even taking your breaks but not sitting down.
Make sure to get good sleep before your shifts and go to bed at a reasonable time. At the risk of accidentally sounding pro-capitalist here when I’m not trying, human bodies are actually uncommonly great at exercising and being on our feet for extended periods of time, so you should get used to it eventually. The first few weeks are definitely not going to be fun though.
To add to this, I’d recommend practicing your deep squats. Squat deep and stay there. It’ll build your leg endurance and becomes a great way to rest your legs.
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.
How’s your hydration? Poor hydration can lead to muscle cramping, among many other issues.
I’ve been working in kitchens for about ten years. I was pretty much sedentary before I started too, and yeah, the first few weeks are the hardest, but you do get used to it. NGL it’s hard work though. It’s rough on your body, mind and soul. Good on you for taking steps now to look after yourself, I wish I had when I first started. Aside from @bermuda@beehaw.org’s advice, here’s some tips from an old line cook:
If there are rubber mats in your kitchen (this is OHS in some places), stay on them as much as possible. Aside from the non-slip aspect, the extra bit of cushioning is easier on your knees/ankles than tiles/concrete.
Other usual stuff like proper lifting technique.
If you’re standing at a bench or grill for long periods try not to hunch over too much, it’s easy to do if you’re concentrating on what you’re doing.
Alternate your posture by either bending your knees a little or spreading your legs a bit. Try not to stand flat footed for too long, and try to avoid keeping all your weight on one leg for long periods.
A good sharp knife that fits your hand along with proper cutting technique will save your wrists/shoulders from a lot of strain.deleted by creator
I read your advice this morning and caught myself in bad posture several times today. Bending knees and feet apart were comfortable while doing all my prep work. I think I still need to work on my knife technique so I get a good use of my shoulders instead of depending on my wrist alone. I do always sharpen my knife though because nothing’s more frustrating than a dull knife. Thank you so much for this!
Finally found it in my youtube history. Took ages because I was thinking of the wrong celebrity chef. It’s a sponsored / marketing video but mostly educational.
Thank you! I fortunately don’t have to work with animal products as much but the knife knowledge is always great to revisit
Good knife technique is in the wrist a lot, that’s why you need a sharp one. I watched a video years ago by Heston Blumenthal that helped me heaps. I’ll see if I can track it down for you.
+1 for all the advice here, with one extra one: Make sure you’re getting enough protein in your diet. Your muscles are getting torn up, and that’s good - that’ll make them grow back stronger! But only if you’re getting enough protein to build them back. I boil up 6 of these guys at a time and pop two a day for breakfast for just a little extra protein: https://food52.com/recipes/35930-momofuku-s-soy-sauce-eggs
As much as I’d love to have some soy sauce eggs, I unfortunately don’t consume eggs anymore. I’ll keep in mind to increase my protein though! That means more tofu soup in the morning :D
I dont know how old you are OP or in what good state of health you are, but assuming youre young and ablebodied it should get easier.
I worked fast food for years and while it was emotionally and physically draining to do more than 40 hours a week it became mostly second nature after a while.
I made friends and spent time with good people in my fastfood, including finding my future college roommate which admittedly helped change the trajectory of my life(I may not have gone to the uni I went to if I had to go alone). In a lot of ways I was the perfect age for it because a lot of my coworkers were people close to or around my age and it made the experience a bit more fun and the hard work of it all was a bonding experience that brought us together. Future jobs I would take didnt have that.
That said, get out as soon as you can. It’s easy to let the fuzzy rose colored filter of time make it out to be good, but it was work. Long nights, long shifts, lots of angry mean customers, stupid workplace drama from people fighting for what little crumbs we got paid as shift and team leaders. It’s unjust but I find that the more money that I make in progressively newer jobs the less I have to work. Believe me I understand leaving is easier said than done, and you only just started, but if you can get better reach for it and grab it.
I say this not to preach some bootstraps nonsense, but because fast food workers are underestimated. Good ones have to have strong customer service skills, thick skin, an ability to quickly learn and multitask, and the ability to quickly make and prep the food. I also mention this because it’s easy, especially when youre tired from working your fast food hours, to get stuck. I myself worked that fast food for close to 5 years and I know others who are still working there all these years later.
Get a remote customer service position if possible. Better pay and they usually ship you the equipment.
I am in a similar position in my job. I am more of a farmhand, so I do a little bit of everything. I just cope with energy drinks lol. Maybe I should get some compression socks.
