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3 Healthy Eating Tips for the Firehouse (or any house)…

Cooking in the firehouse for a bunch of hungry firefighters is not easy, trust me I know. In most cases we sacrifice health for taste to avoid complaints and heckling. But, in order to change the culture of the fire service (to a healthier one) cooks and food choices need to get better.  Here are 3 easy and healthy tips that can help. 1. Assemble 5 simple and healthy recipes that can be easily tweaked to create different dishes.– Learning new recipes are fun but isn’t best done in a busy firehouse. We all know, the more times we make a recipe, the faster, easier and possibly healthier it gets–It becomes a routine, like putting on your gear. There are a lot of resources to find healthy recipes, pick some out and use them as your staples. Need some extra guidance on nutrition?  Get into “Ultimate” shape with this program…Eating…

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Firefighter Performance- Stay Hydrated… Stay Alive

Heart attack and strokes are more likely to kill firefighters than an actual fire.  A recent research article just confirmed one of the major reasons why.   The research confirms that the physical demands of firefighting may trigger the formation of blood clots and impair blood vessel function — two factors associated with increased risk of heart attack and stroke.  (You can read more about that research by clicking here.)  The research also confirms the importance of proper fitness and hydration in firefighters.  Take a look at the article below and make sure you (and your crew) stays hydrated.  It can save your life! In most stations, your shift starts with checking your gear, SCBA, med supplies and looking over the apparatus (usually with a cup of coffee in hand), but do you ask yourself, Am I physically ready to do my job? I imagine 100% of you nodded your head…

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4 foods that help firefighters combat heart disease…

Its been very well documented that the leading cause of firefighter-on-duty deaths is related to heart disease.  Recent research has discovered that more than 70% of US firefighters are overweight or obese (click here for the research), exceeding the national average for adults. Obesity and heart disease are a major threat to firefighter health and safety and is associated with an increased risk of job-related disability.  Therefore any information regarding decreasing the chances of heart disease are very valuable to the firefighting community. Many risk factors contribute to the development of heart disease, or atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries). So what is the main culprit to the increasing numbers to this Heart Disease epidemic? Is it high cholesterol? About 50% of heart attacks and strokes occur in people with normal cholesterol levels. This suggests that many people at risk are presumably “healthy” because they have normal cholesterol levels. What I’ve…

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This Movement can Reduce Firefighter Injuries…

I have a confession to make…sometimes I skip my active warm-up exercises when I workout. We are all guilty of it (admit it).  Let’s face it, sometimes you hit the gym or the workout room in the firehouse and are tired or short on time and will “sacrifice” the warm-up and stretching.   I do not recommend EVER skipping your warm-up.  If you have read my posts in the past you understand how important the active warm-up and flexibility portions of the workout are.  Need a refresher, click here for a great post about active warm-ups and flexibility. So, today I wanted to give you a very quick active warm-up movement option that can be used as a substitute or as an addition to your normal active warm-up.      You can use this movement to warm-up before your workout or drills and throughout your shift to increase flexibility and…

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Firefighter Birthday Challenge Workout…

I like challenge or out-come based (OCB’s) workouts because:  #1 They are tough, #2 They are a great way to measure your level of fitness.  The last 4 years (including this one) I have completed this special “Birthday” workout to help me measure my fitness and determine where I need improvement.   This particular workout doesn’t require a lot of equipment and can be done at home or at the gym  or firehouse (even if its 22 degrees below zero).   I encourage you to do this workout (or a similar one) every once in a while to help keep you motivated and to gauge your level of fitness.     This “Birthday” workout is difficult but can be scaled to meet your available equipment and level of fitness.  Before you begin this workout, like every workout, perform an active warm-up. Active warm-up (perform for 30 seconds or 10 reps of…

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Add this Exercise to Improve Fireground Performance…

We as fire rescue athletes are generally moving in unbalanced positions. Whether its climbing a ladder, pulling hose, or ventilating, we are usually in an unbalanced, split stance. Therefore one area of focus should be the deep balancing muscles of the core. These muscles play an important role in holding and stiffening the pelvis to prevent it from bending and can be challenging to train in normal bi-lateral lifting and pulling exercises. In addition, we as fire rescue athletes are routinely required to carry heavy loads and equipment. The farmers carry (and other carry variations) address these issues; it engages the core, improves balance and at the same time improves grip strength. It’s a simple movement, grab some fairly heavy objects, engage the core by bracing your abs and slowly walk (chest up, good posture). The longer and heavier you go the more you challenge the core and your grip.…

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10 Simple Rules for Firefighter Fat Loss (2017 Edition)

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, this is a valid finding.  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.    The winter months can be a challenging time to keep your weight in check.  Here are 10 (actually 11) great tips to help you get stronger and leaner in the…

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Get Paid to Get Fire Rescue Fit in 2017!

Over $2,500 in cash and prizes will be given away to Firefighters, EMTs and Medics!  YOU can Win and more importantly Motivate Others!   Don’t wait, get your program and get started today! The purpose of the contest is to motivate Firefighters, EMTs and Medics to change the unhealthy culture of the fire service.   Statistics show that the obesity rate in firefighters is higher than the general population.  Sadly, firefighters are more likely to die from a heart attack or stroke than in a fire related incident. WE MUST CREATE a HEALTHY CULTURE IN THE FIRE SERVICE as lives, communities and our families are counting us! Take the “fit for duty” challenge, get others in your department involved and help change the fire service industry! See the complete entry instructions below.    Deadline to submit your results entry is  April 15th, 2017 Good luck! Rules of the 2017 FRF “Fit for Duty” Challenge Contest Important Dates: The Contest officially starts on January…

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Fire Rescue Fitness 300 Challenge Workout

This is a great 300 rep challenge workout that you can do in the firehouse with minimal weight.  The goal of the workout is to finish in the shortest amount of time possible, not by rushing your reps but by not resting….   All you need for this challenge workout is a stability ball and a weight.  The object of the workout is to complete 50 reps of each exercise (300 total) as quickly as possible.  There is a catch of course, each rep has to be performed in a controlled manner and bad reps don’t count.   Safety first, form is your biggest focus. You can do the reps in any order and even mix and match if needed as long as you do 50 of each.  Personally I like to choose two exercises and alternate between them until the reps are completed.  As a guideline choose a weight that…

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