Hastings Fire Department
TACTICAL FITNESS AND WELLNESS RESOURCE PAGE
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Great resources and workouts to help you improve your performance, reduce injuries, and prolong your career with HFD.
Get this 28-day Workout Program from FRF that will help you lose weight, gain strength, and improve your overall health and fitness.
Time to start training like a fire rescue athlete. FRF is offering a free 28-day workout program to help you lose weight, gain strength and take your fitness to the next level. The program includes access to the FRF tracking app, eating guides, coaching, and more. It is FREE for all HFD members. Give it a try!
Firehouse Fresh- Recipes designed to fuel hungry firefighters.
Designed by registered dieticians, these recipes are easy to prepare and healthy for your crew. Give them a try!
Addicted to Awake: Sleep Deprivation in the Fire Service
The hard truth is that almost 40 percent of firefighters suffer from a sleep disorder. According to a screening of 6,933 firefighters, 80 percent of those who tested positive had no prior awareness or previous diagnosis of their condition. This is a growing concern in the fire service.
Health & Fitness: Fitness for the Fire Attack
Here is a great article to help you prepare for the basement fire scenario. Advancing charged hoseline and fire attack are some of the most physically demanding activities we do on the fire ground. Make sure you are strong, mobile, and ready for the fire attack with these great exercises.
Functional Fitness for the Fire Service
Click the link below to obtain a copy of the presentation and slides from Aaron Zamzow's seminar on Functional Fitness for the Fire Service.
Additional Resources for you and your crew.
Foam Rolling Guide for the Fire Service
Muscles sore and tight from a previous shift or workout? Have you tried foam rolling? The compressed foam pieces floating around all the stations might just be the fitness tool you need to start feeling and moving better.
Five Steps to Better Nutrition
Eating in the firehouse or any house can be a challenge. This guide simplifies nutrition and gives easy to follow and applicable steps to help you "clean up" your diet and lean up. This manual includes:
-Five easy to follow guidelines to get you lean and “fit for duty.”
-Nutrition Hacks that will help you prepare and plan healthy meals
-Healthy Snack Options to insure you stay on track
-The 90-10 Eating Plan. Teaches you how to plan your "cheat meals" and stay on-track with your nutrition.
-Example meal plan
Additional Resources for you and your crew
The Best Gifts for First Responders
One of the best gifts to give yourself or those you care about is something that promotes good health and fitness. Whether it be for yourself or someone else, here are some of the best gift ideas for any first responder.
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Fitness Tips for First Responders- The Holiday Twelve!
These twelve fitness tips will help you survive the holidays and thrive in the new year! Commit to improving your health and fitness this year! Your family, your crew and your community are counting on you. This is the year to build your first responder resilience.
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Healthy Firehouse Pancake Options
Pancakes, a staple in the firehouse brunch or breakfast menu yet rarely a healthy option. That is until now. Take a look and try these healthy firehouse pancake options. Your crew and/or family will not know the difference.
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First Responder Holiday Fitness Tips
As the Holidays approach the stress levels go up and the health of most people goes down. It’s easy to get sidetracked and put off your fitness and nutrition until next year. But this is the year of health (I just declared that) and I do not want you to lose any fitness progress that you have made this year. So, as a gift here are some great FRF fitness tips that will help you manage your stress and waistline through the season.
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FRF Functional Exercise for Firefighters- Prisoner Squats
What makes an exercise “functional” for firefighters, EMTs, and medics? In this post Aaron Zamzow from FRF shows us an example with the Prisoner Squat. This is a great exercise to work the postural muscles of the shoulders and upper back and mobility of the lower body. Click to link to hear more…
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Simple and Healthy Chicken Parmesan Recipe for First Responders
Chicken Parmesan is a firehouse staple meal. There are a lot of ways to make it, including some that are not very healthy. Here is a healthier option, quick to prepare, and very tasty. Your crew (and family) will love it. Give it a try.
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5 Essential Fitness Truths for First Responders: Maximize Your Progress in 2024!
Are you ready to take your level of fitness to the next level? Here are five truths you need to understand in order to do so. In the intense and high-stakes world of firefighting, emergency medical…
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Top 21 Reasons First Responders Need to Exercise (Numbers 11-21).
As a first responder, you need to face the fact that exercise and good health are essential for performance and career longevity. Here are reasons 11-21 that confirm why every first responder needs to consistently exercise.
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FRF Mobility Routine for First Responders
This FRF “flow” routine is a combination of back and hip mobility movements that will help alleviate pain and tension in those muscles. Perform this 50-second routine before your shifts and workouts especially if you are feeling tight and stiff. These movements will help you feel and move better on and off the fire/rescue scene.
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Why do Firefighters Have Heart Attacks?
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.)
Improve YOUR Sleep.
Firefighters often don't get enough sleep. Sleep deprivation can lead to real problems, including safety concerns. For anyone who has worked in the fire service, this is hardly news. One of the most difficult adjustments for new firefighters can be the shift work: the 10/14 split, the 24- or 48-hour workday. As firefighters age, sleep disorders can lead to serious health problems for them. Click here to read about the "7 Ways to improve your crew's sleep and safety
Why Firefighters Need YOGA
The truth of the matter is yoga can be as mellow or as arduous as you make it, just like any physical practice. The beauty of yoga is that it goes beyond just the physical. For firefighter’s yoga can be a really great way to relieve stress and center the body and mind. This is especially important considering the high stress of the job. Yoga, if you allow it to be so, could be one of the best ways to combat PTSD.
Click here to discover 5 Reasons Why Every Firefighter Should do Yoga. (Click here for the article.)
Goblet Squat for more Fireground Strength
We all know that stairs and climbing are major fire rescue movements performed on the fire ground so… improve your leg strength and you could improve your performance on the fire ground. One exercise is very good at doing just that…. the goblet squat. The goblet squat is a multi-joint lower body exercise that fires up (no pun intended) the glutes, quads, and hamstrings. Unlike the traditional back squat, the goblet squat is executed by keeping the body in an upright position, which results in less strain on the lower lumbar and spine and places an increased demand on your upper back and core. Goblet squats also help improve mobility in the hip, thus helping you out with other fire rescue movement patterns. Click here for a great tutorial on the Goblet Squat
If you have any questions, please reach out to Aaron (click here).