All of us in the first responder community bring different perspectives to our work. And when it comes to health, yes, police officers have different health challenges and stressors than firefighters, and firefighters have different challenges than EMTs. But at the end of the day, our mission remains public safety. Ensuring we are at the top of our game is not only important for our own health, but also for our ability to fulfill our mission of helping others. After all, how can you help someone in need if you haven’t helped yourself first? Similarly, I needed to answer this question myself before sharing these insights with you.
That “aha” moment
As a young firefighter, I trained regularly with my crew, and as a police officer, I made sure to prioritize gym time every shift. We didn’t really focus on functional fitness. It was more about throwing weights around and seeing if you could throw a ladder and run a mile and a half.
Fast forward to my transition into leadership roles, specifically my time as a chief executive. As a battalion chief in Prince George’s County, Maryland, I started jogging and still occasionally lifted weights.But we were busy, and I had children of my own. It seemed like there wasn’t enough time at all. Since I was on a high-carbohydrate diet, it didn’t take long for my carelessness with fitness to show.
Fitness wasn’t as much of a focus for me when I transitioned into a leadership role at West Virginia. The reasons vary, but they are actually excuses. Many of the excuses were valid in their own right: kids, extra work responsibilities, not being able to go to the gym. But one day in 2007, as my wife was reading her newspaper, I asked her. “Who’s that fat guy on the front page?” She turned the page, looked back, then turned to me and said, “That’s you, hun.”
I didn’t recognize myself. ah!
Getting back on track – and back on track
It didn’t happen overnight, and it didn’t go away overnight, but one thing is for sure: It won’t get better unless I do something about it. This isn’t just about fitness. Obviously, it was also about nutrition and overall health.
I began the process of researching relevant resources and changed my diet to a carbohydrate restriction plan. By increasing my cardio, I quickly lost 75 pounds. Yes, it’s impressive. However, within a year, the 75 pounds of weight slowly came back. I went back to square one and started doing more research.
Another “aha” moment for me during this research was discovering (and understanding) the micro-macro relationship of foods and their effects on the body. Being healthy is a complex process and a complex puzzle of factors that influence our daily decisions. In my case, I realized that the negative effects (and dangerous addiction) of sugar were definitely affecting my yo-yo weight. Added sugar became part of my dietary intake and I had to learn to mostly eliminate it if I wanted to stay healthy.
The next piece of the puzzle for me was physicality. I needed to find a way to make fitness a part of my lifestyle. In the hills of West Virginia, I picked up a treadmill at a local gym and followed an online fitness guru who specializes in treadmill work. I jogged for 30-35 minutes, then lifted weights, and the rest of the days were rest days. Note: For public safety professionals, weightlifting should focus on functional fitness, not free weights.
When I balanced a diet that focused on lowering sugar, carbs, and carbonation and increasing water intake with a fitness plan that centered around some intermittent fasting, I slowly started losing weight. When I hit a weight loss plateau, I went back to my online guru (Dr. Google). The “doctor” told me to simply increase my cardio time. He increased his time on the treadmill by five minutes a week and it helped, and the weight started coming off again, and he lost an additional 20 pounds.
Conclusion: Get up and move! Your body adapts to what you’re doing, so lying on the couch is the surest way to degenerate faster than you can imagine.
What are your plans?
Before you start developing your health plan, there are two important things to keep in mind.
1. Each of us is different, and each of us has a different nutritional and muscle balance in our bodies. In other words, what worked for me may not work at all for you.
2. Don’t go down this road alone. Research the type of diet and fitness that fits your lifestyle, and find a qualified medical professional, nutritionist, or trainer to help you reach your individual goals.
My plan was to go to the gym three days a week and do cardio on the machine or on the street (jogging) two days a week. I followed the traditional methodology of spending each of his three days at the gym doing a routine that matches big muscles with small muscles.
Monday
- Chest (large muscles), press, incline, and descend for 3 sets each of 15, 12, and 8 reps
- Biceps (small muscles), 3 sets of dumbbells, cable/bar curls, hammer curls same reps
Tuesday
- Treadmill/elliptical, 30-40 minutes
- Core work 20 minutes
Wednesday
- Back (big muscles), 3 sets each, pulldowns, rows, back extensions – same repetitions
- Triceps (small muscle), 3 sets of triceps extensions, cable, dips reps (tolerance)
Thursday
- Treadmill/elliptical, 30-40 minutes
- Core work 20 minutes
Friday
- Legs (big muscles), 3 sets of squats, extensions, and curls, 10 reps each.
- Shoulders (small muscles), 3 sets press, fly, front raise, 10 reps each
There’s a lot more you can add to the process when considering functional fitness. For firefighters, this may mean consolidating the weight of ropes, ladders, sledgehammers, sledgehammers, and personal protective equipment. For police, that might mean climbing or tactical equipment. And for EMS providers, it might be like lifting a crib or carrying gear.
construction and maintenance
Once you find your system and experience success, move from weight loss or toning/sculpting mode to maintenance mode. In other words, once you reach a healthy weight and height, it’s time to adjust your plan to stay there.
As I moved from a “build” program to a maintenance program, my time in the gym shifted to a combination of cardio and weightlifting, increasing some weights and reps and decreasing others.
It’s been 17 years since that first “aha” moment I saw in the newspaper, and I’m 95 pounds lighter. My goal as a chief was not to be the “muscle man” that I once aspired to be as a firefighter, but to become a chief who could compete with new employees. Let me be clear here, they may outperform me, but at least I gave them a run for their money!
“Aha” moments beyond fitness and nutrition
During my four years in high school, 19 of my classmates died in drunk driving accidents. There are 19 people. This was enough for me to avoid alcohol. And I thank God every day that it was my choice. Not only can the intoxicating factor of alcohol have a negative impact on your overall health, but the impact on your gut health and weight can be just as great.
Then there’s the thorny issue of sleep. There is little controversy in the many studies on sleep deprivation and how our facilities exacerbate the problem. High performance, muscle recovery, mental recovery, and mental acuity all depend on the rest you get during sleep. I recently started using the “Do Not Disturb” feature on my phone. I am retired. Do you really need late-night push notifications with the latest news and information? You may not be able to turn it off, but you can adjust settings so that you only receive certain notifications at certain times, or only ring certain phone numbers during emergencies or Do Not Disturb hours. There is a way to do that.
Mental strength and moral focus complete the personal success tetrahedron that I shared earlier. Regardless of your profession, it’s okay not to be OK. The important thing is to do something about it. We cannot allow our members to be alone in this fight. We need to provide them with the resources and support they need, whether it’s through a peer support team, their EAP, or just creating a culture of post-call conversation.
The complete picture of your health
First responder health is more than just exercise and nutrition. It’s clear that there’s a lot more to our success than what we eat or how much exercise we can do. It’s about finding a stable plan that works for you. This is what you actually do to make sure you show up to work every day ready to perform. As an example, I witness evidence of overall health, which includes a healthy mind, a healthy body, and a healthy body. And don’t forget that a good night’s sleep is a key factor in holding everything together.
