I finally listened to my old foreman about taking breaks

Back when I was a first year apprentice, my foreman Mike kept telling me to sit down and eat my lunch, not work through it. I thought I was being tough by just scarfing a sandwich while I kept welding. Last month I'm up on a boiler in Gary, Indiana, and I skipped lunch to finish a tube repair. By 2pm my hands were shaking so bad I could barely hold the stinger, and I laid a bead that looked like a snake ate a football. Mike saw the pics I sent him and just laughed, said I finally learned what he meant 10 years ago. Now I take my full 30 every day and my work's way cleaner. Any of you guys ever learn a lesson the hard way from ignoring an old timer?

2 comments

2 Comments

brown.susan22d agoProlific Poster

Read an article saying skipping meals drops your blood sugar and that explains the shaky hands.

the_gray22d agoTop Commenter

Fixed it by eating small snacks every few hours instead of full meals. Kept a granola bar in my bag and suddenly my hands stopped shaking halfway through the day. Your body just needs steady fuel, not a feast or famine cycle.