May is National Employee Health & Fitness Month

In the fire service, maintaining an optimal level of fitness is a crucial contributing factor when it comes to the successful performance of job duties. True, there is often a disconnect between the ideal fitness level for a firefighter and the actual fitness level of any given firefighter, but at least the expectation exists and there is usually at least some talk among Brothers and Sisters about how much they can bench or curl or [insert random exercise here].

What about the Administrative Personnel?

Sadly, part of the nation’s mental image of office personnel revolves around an un-fit individual who stashes snacks in the desk and replies with an emphatic “I could never do that” whenever others describe their most recent exercise routine or event. Maybe you could & maybe you couldn’t, or maybe you simply don’t want to (I’ll be honest, I simply don’t want to run a marathon)………but are you at least doing something?!

I’ve heard that it takes about one month for a person to transform an activity or action into a habit so I challenge you to use the month of May to develop a health and fitness related habit. I’m not suggesting you go from zero to 60, but I am suggesting that you commit to doing more than what you’re currently doing.

I won’t bore you with the ‘same old’ suggestions that are always offered on the morning news shows; hopefully you all understand that you’ll burn more calories by taking the stairs instead of the elevator or parking in the furthest spot instead of the closest. I will however offer a twist on a recommendation that is fairly common. The recommendation: swap out your office chair for a physio ball. The twist: Just get a basic ball without the base that makes it look like a chair because: 1) you can get a physio ball for about $20-25 (the chair is around $100 or more) and 2) you can get in an occasional ab workout and strengthen your belly-dancing muscles by playing music that makes you move your hips. Stop by my office any time and I’ll show you exactly what I’m talking about!

In case you’re interested in some other, more traditional ideas, check out some of these links:
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/office-exercise/SM00115
http://physicalfitness.org/nehf.html
http://www.military.com/military-fitness/workouts/office-workout
http://www.firelife.com/index/display/article-display/9900142915/articles/fire-life/Fitness/2011/03/my-favorite_exercises.html

Now, go out there and make today healthier than yesterday!