CopsAlive.com Fitness Monday

EDITORS NOTE: This is fitness week three as CopsAlive.com follows Police Chief Scott Silverii, Ph.D. on his quest to lose weight and get into better shape. We are also keeping track of Warden Rae Timme with the Colorado Department of Corrections, a member of the CNN Fit Nation Team, as she prepares for the Nautica Malibu Triathlon on September 8. We all know that fitness is critical in law enforcement, but we don’t always do what we know is right. Over the next couple of months you can follow Scott, a Police Chief, and Rae a Department of Corrections Warden, as they open up their lives to you. We invite you to also participate in any way that you choose to improve, your fitness and, your ability to survive a career in law enforcement. We also encourage you to support Scott and Rae with your comments, emails, Tweets and Facebook entries.

Last Monday I announced my partnership with CopsAlive.com. It also meant the added pressure of extra accountability and less breaking my diet and exercise commitments. Unfortunately, pressure does not lock the freezer from late night ice cream binges.

I did however, use the BMI link and measure everything spreadsheet to set goals and monitor my intake and activities. John Marx has included more great information and we all encourage you to join us in setting goals for regaining a physical, emotional and spiritual level of health.

Here’s to holding each other accountable… when the couch looks inviting and the snacks endless.

Week 3 recap;

Weight – 219 lbs

Exercise
– Ran (jogged) (Ok, lots of walking) 4 times this week, but mixed more jogging than walking over last week.
– Ran stadiums at the local high school because I was pressed for time. Great session & quickly done before eating dinner out.
– Rode my beautiful Trek Madone 6.9 (on the trainer) for 30 minutes doing intervals. Another great time crunched option.
– Hits the weights 3 times doing circuit routines
– This week was my best exercising period in 2 years. Dedication carries through, where motivation ends about Monday mornings.

Eating
– only 1 trip to the secretary’s dish snack for M&M’s. Monday (11th) was my birthday (TY 4 belated wishes) & HAD cake.
– spent every dinner out with friends. Yes, expensive and not healthy.
– Ate out at lunch with officers every day. Also very expensive, but stuck to salad and chicken.
– Overall, an improved week for eating sensible.

UNO Ring & BP
– A few days of shoving it over my knuckle, but came off at end of day without saw affect. Dipped into the 150’s/90’s for first time in weeks (yes, dipped).

Monday – Sunday Goals:
– Weight at 217 lbs (can do; preplanned meals at home)
– Eat sensible lunch at home 2 days
– Exercise 4 times (combine weights & cardio)
– Wear UNO ring with sawing into knuckles

CopsAlive.com Wellness Tip: Stay Hydrated. Whether you are doing an intense workout or just working through an average day in law enforcement, proper hydration is critical. Most people don’t drink enough water on a good day and in our business that can be disastrous.

According to the Mayo Clinic: ” Water is your body’s principal chemical component and makes up about 60 percent of your body weight. Every system in your body depends on water. For example, water flushes toxins out of vital organs, carries nutrients to your cells and provides a moist environment for ear, nose and throat tissues.

Lack of water can lead to dehydration, a condition that occurs when you don’t have enough water in your body to carry out normal functions. Even mild dehydration can drain your energy and make you tired. The Institute of Medicine determined that an adequate intake (AI) for men is roughly 3 liters (about 13 cups) of total beverages a day. The AI for women is 2.2 liters (about 9 cups) of total beverages a day.”
Source: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/water/NU00283 accessed 3-17-13

There is an old adage that suggests drinking eight 8 ounce glasses of water a day. This is good advice but done alone will not give you all the water your body needs to function.

“Most people fall short of recommendations to drink eight 8-ounces servings a day, results of a new survey reveal. Although nearly three quarters of Americans are aware of the recommendation, only 34% actually drink this amount, while 10% said they do not drink water at all. However, Americans drink an average of nearly 6 servings a day of caffeinated beverages such as coffee and soda. These drinks can actually cause the body to lose water, making proper hydration even more difficult to attain. Water makes up more than 70% of the body’s tissues and plays a role in nearly every body function from regulating temperature and cushioning joints to bringing oxygen to the cells and removing waste from the body. Severe dehydration can affect blood pressure, circulation, digestion and kidney function. But on a daily basis, not getting enough water can cause fatigue, dry skin, headaches and constipation. Nearly one-third did not know that giving a child water instead of sugar-containing drinks such as juice or soda can help prevent childhood obesity, the survey revealed. This data came from a survey conducted at The Rockefeller University, New York, for the International Bottled Water Association”.
Source: http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2000/06/10/water-part-one.aspx accessed 3-17-13

” We can go without food for almost two months, but without water only a few days. Yet most people have no idea how much water they should drink. In fact, many live in a dehydrated state.” Condensed from Parade by Leroy R. Perry, Jr. Proper water intake is a key to weight loss,” says Dr. Donald Robertson, medical director of the Southwest Bariatric Nutrition Center in Scottsdale, Arizona. “If people who are trying to lose weight don’t drink enough water, the body can’t metabolize the fat adequately. Retaining fluid also keeps weight up.””
Source: http://www.naturodoc.com/library/nutrition/water.htm accessed 3-17-13

Our CopsAlive Fitness recommendation is to drink a full 8 ounce glass of water before every meal as well as having a beverage with every meal. This makes sure you are adding water to your diet and helps curb your appetite. We also suggest that you always carry a water bottle with you throughout the day. This will help you keep track of how much you are drinking and works to improve the environment by not wasting so many disposable plastic bottles and cups.

Keeping track of your water intake is only one critical component of a healthy lifestyle. As we mentioned last week you can CLICK HERE to download our free and comprehensive “Count Everything” Excel Spreadsheet which will help you track your water intake as well as other important data about your life and health.

As we mentioned we are also following Rae Timme and the CNN Fit Nation promotion. Rae is a 57 year-old mother of three and a 25 year corrections officer who now serves as the warden of a medium custody men’s prison for the Colorado Department of Corrections. Every year CNN selects iReporters to race in a triathlon with Dr. Sanjay Gupta and the Fit Nation team. This year we’re giving six lucky readers a road bike (with all the necessary accessories), a wet suit and a gym membership to help them prepare for the Nautica Malibu Triathlon on September 8.  Source: http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/fit.nation/

Rae said on the CNN site that she has read all the scary statistics about the mortality rates of people who work in corrections and found that they have the second highest mortality rate of any job; on average, a corrections officer’s 58th birthday will be their last. That motivated her to apply for the CNN Fit Nation team. This week Rae Tweeted to her followers: “Thanks to TIm Halfpop @ Old Town Bike Shop in Colorado Springs for getting me set up on my brand new Cannondale”

Follow Rae on Twitter at: ‏@TriHardRae
Follow Scott on Twitter at: @ThibodauxChief

Please encouarage them and let us know about your efforts at improving your fitness in the comment boxes below.

CopsAlive is written to prompt discussions within our profession about the issues of law enforcement career survival. We invite you to share your opinions, ask questions and suggest topics for us in the Comment Box that is at the bottom of this article.

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Our “Armor Your Self™: How to Survive a Career in Law Enforcement” on-site training program is an eight hour, hands-on, “How to” seminar that helps police officers and other law enforcement professionals armor themselves physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually to survive their careers in police work. To learn more CLICK HERE

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I’m John Marx, Founder of The Law Enforcement Survival Institute and the Editor of CopsAlive.com. Connect with me on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.

CopsAlive.com was founded to provide information and strategies to help police officers successfully survive their careers. We help law enforcement officers and their agencies prepare for the risks that threaten their existence. Thank you for reading!