Get Leaner, Stronger and Moving Better on the Fireground with these 10 Tips.
These 10 tips will not only help your uniform fit better this year, they will also improve your performance on and off the fire/rescue scene.
Would you agree that a leaner athlete is a better athlete? I know this is a "loaded" question. A lot of the answer has to deal with the sport in which the athlete is participating. One thing that research shows is that a leaner athlete is a "more efficient" athlete. When it comes to firefighters, EMTs and medics, this is a valid finding. If you are leaner (and stronger) you will move better on and off the fire/ rescue scene.
Efficiency in general terms, describes the extent to which time, effort, or cost is well used for the intended task or purpose. So, a more efficient Fire Rescue Athlete will be able to do more work with less physical effort. This is especially important since most of our "more intense" work as Fire Rescue Athletes comes when breathing air via an SCBA or in emergent situations.
The fire service offers challenges when it comes to keeping your weight and bodyfat in "check." The long hours, stress of the job, unhealthy food options and the abundance of available sweets makes it difficult to stay fit all year round.
So, to help you stay lean and perform better on (and off) the fireground this year, I came up with some easy tips.
Here are 10 (actually 11) great tips to help you get stronger and leaner in the next couple of weeks and months. These tips can help you lean up, gain strength and ultimately be more "fit for duty" in 2019. Take a look.
3. Eat low-glycemic carbohydrates such as vegetables, whole-wheat products and oatmeal instead of refined processed carbohydrates which usually come in a box or a bag.
4. Eat some type of lean protein at each meal. Protein helps to satisfy hunger and provide the necessary building blocks to maintain lean body mass while losing body fat.
5. Eat 4-6 small meals day a day instead of the usual 2-3 large meals. Eating frequently will help regulate and boost your metabolism to burn more calories.
6. Remember fat is not bad. Consume adequate amounts of healthy fat foods such as olive oil, walnuts, almonds, Omega-3 fortified eggs, or other Omega-3 products. Healthy fats are great antioxidants as well as help with brain function and many other essential processes that take place in the body on a daily basis. Essential Fatty Acids, according to clinical studies, could also help prevent certain diseases.
7. Reduce your soda and diet soda (including energy drinks) consumption. These diet drinks have sweeteners in them that can wreak havoc on your insulin sensitivity and actually make you crave sweets. Try to consume Green Tea or Water instead of calorie-filled drinks such as soft drinks. Green Tea has many health benefits and you should be drinking at least 1 ml of non-caffeinated fluid for every calorie that you consume. This works out between (8-12) 8oz glasses of Green Tea or water a day.
8. Consistent fat loss and fitness gains require good habits. If you want to create good habits, then you need plan. Therefore, map out your meals every day and follow them. If you follow your plan everyday for 2-3 weeks, you will form habits that become part of your daily routine and part of your life.
9. Incorporate “superfoods” into your meal plan on a daily basis. Some examples are salmon, low-sugar plain yogurt, tomatoes, spinach, mixed berries, whole oats, mixed nuts, olive oil, flax seeds(or flax meal), green tea, and various beans.
10. Avoid ADDED Sugar. Look for sugar in the ingredients and not just the nutrition facts. Sugar occurs naturally in many foods and is healthy for the body. The goal of reading the label is to make sure sugar is not an added ingredient. If it is not added then do not worry about the natural sugar on the fact list. As far as how much sugar can you have in a day? The World Health Organization suggests that no more than 10 percent of your daily calories come from added sugar, so that’s a good dietary goal. By reading labels you can figure out the number of calories you eat each day and how much sugar.
Bonus: Follow the 90% rule. If you can follow your plan 90% of the time you will soon see unwanted fat melt off your body. Stick to a plan and make 2019 a Happy and Healthy year!
Time to get "Fit for Duty," I hope these tips help. Please comment, share and like your thoughts.
Aaron Zamzow
Fire Rescue Fitness has workout programs that will help first responders lose weight, gain strength, lose bodyfat and most importantly improve performance on (and off) the fire/rescue scene. To discover the best program for you, take the FRF workout quiz (click the link below).
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Is there any way to purchase the FRF App without buying the entire program. I have already purchased the entire program and would definitely benefit from the having the app as well. Thanks!
Brian Antigiovanni
Hey Brian, I have some different ways to get you the app. Just wanted to check in with you to see if you had any questions.
Which program were you looking to get the app for?