Last week was the most consistent training I’ve had in the last two years. Combinations of running, weights and cycling are benefits for committing to regaining holistic health. Being held accountable and supporting friends in their efforts also helps. It does require a lifestyle change to change your lifestyle.
While the exercise has returned to being enjoyable and I am doing better at scheduling my time more wisely, I’ve not had the same success in dieting.
New Team Member
Lt. Kim Lane
I am happy to announce an additional Team Member for regaining a healthy lifestyle. Joining the cause is one of my very own police officers, Lieutenant Kim Lane. Kim currently serves a Patrol Shift Commander, and the very first female to hold this position. Though she does not feel it is significant to say, I am proud of her for breaking that glass ceiling.
Kim is a valuable member of the Thibodaux Police Department, and a… lifetime fitness and training guru. A quick intro to Kim:
Lt. Kim Lane
After not stepping on stage for body building since 2000, I made my return at the Red Stick Classic in Baton Rouge in June of 2012. I placed first, giving me the confidence to push through to the big show ñ The NPC LA Championships in Lafayette, LA. I participated in the NPC LA Championships several times in my twenties, but I had never won. This show was where the big girls come out to play.
In July of 2012, I won the tall class and overall Miss LA Physique. This competition was a national qualifier, meaning that I had qualified to participate in a national level NPC physique competition.
I am now just under 17 weeks out from the NPC Masters Nationals in Pittsburgh, PA. If I place in the top two in my division, I will earn my pro card and the status of being an IFBB Professional Physique Competitor.
Kim is providing me with a sensible diet and exercise plan, and will share tips with us along the way. Kim is currently training to compete this in NPC Master’s Nationals in Pittsburg. Sponsors are greatly appreciated for offsetting costs. Kim is also available for training and fitness consultations. You may reach her by CLICKING HERE
Spiritual Survival
While I do focus on physical health in each week’s post, I also strongly believe in the holistic aspect of a healthy lifestyle. Spiritual Survival is a must for law enforcement officers and their family’s.
Here’s to holding each other accountable when the couch looks inviting and the snacks endless.
Week 4 recap;
Weight
– 219 lbs (no change. YET!!)
Exercise
– Ran (intervals on cardio machines at the Nicholls State University Recreation Center – It’s a brand new and crazy high-tech facility filled with positive energy). Working on the BP by maintaining an elevated heart rate. 5 sessions this week included a 2Xday (getting my tail up in the morning for quick walk and then a run in the evening)
– Ran stadiums one night to mix it up and to save time.
– Short interval session on bike trainer due to time crunch.
– Weights 3 times and the feeling of sore muscles from sensible exercise is a great reminder of being active.
– As I said earlier, this was my best week of consistently exercising. I will combine a sensible diet with the training, and turn one week into a month, and then a lifestyle.
Eating
– The secretary’s dish on her desk full of snacks is no longer an option.
– Still eating almost every meal (lunch & supper) out at restaurants, but sticking to chicken and fish. Kim Lane’s diet plan will put an end to this expensive & unhealthy habit.
– Overall, a good week of being more aware of intake. Must confess that knowing this strict diet begins Sunday, I gorged a little over the weekend (just a little).
UNO Ring & BP
– Same as last week’s efforts to shove it on and then twist it off. BP dipped saw the 134/90’s.
Monday – Sunday Goals:
– Weight at 217 lbs (We can do this; preplanned meals at home)
– Eat sensible lunch at home 2 days
– Exercise 5 times (combine weights & cardio)
– Wear UNO ring with sawing into knuckles
Our CopsAlive Fitness recommendation is to call for backup on your workout plan. Just as it is true for law enforcement on the street, effective backup is a partner or someone who can support and encourage you in your fitness improvement process. Just as Chief Silverii is using you, Kim and the readers of CopsAlive.com, for support and encouragement (peer pressure if you will) he is utilizing backup just as you would on the street. Backup is a critical factor in street-safe law enforcement just as backup can be critical to effective law enforcement fitness.
The other kind of backup is the support your agency or organization gives you to encourage your physical fitness. CopsAlive has always encouraged agency support and encouragement of fitness activities and have long suggested them to appoint a fitness trainer (even a volunteer fitness trainer if necessary).
We know from Dr. John Violanti’s BCOPS research that reveals connections between daily police work stress, obesity, suicide, sleep disorders and cancer. The study reports that shift work is a contributing factor in an increase in the metabolic syndrome which include many symptoms of abnormal obesity, hypertension, insulin resistance, type 2diabetes and stroke.
The Cooper Center Longitudinal Study (CCLS) has shown repeatedly that having a moderate to high level of cardiorespiratory fitness significantly decreases the risk of developing coronary artery disease, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, certain cancers, and metabolic syndrome.
The Cooper Institute also says that “there is broad consensus that a lack of physical fitness is a strong predictor of disability, early retirement, and premature death. Because of this, many professional groups such as IACP and various state peace officer standards and training councils have proposed policy changes to counteract the adverse effects of low physical fitness in the law enforcement population. In fact, the IACP has stated that “the functions of a law enforcement agency require a level of physical fitness not demanded by many other occupations, and fitness requirements should be specified.””
The Cooper Institute Recommended Fitness Test Battery including:
Vertical Jump1 RM Bench Press
1 Minute Sit-up
300 Meter Run
1 Minute Push-up
1.5 Mile Run
Could you meet the Cooper Institute Standards?:
Test Range
1.5 mile run 14:40 – 15:54 minutes
300 meter run 64.3 – 66.0 sec
1RM bench press raw score 151 – 165 lbs
1RM bench press ratio .78 – .84 of body weight
Push-up 25 – 34 reps
Sit-up 30 – 38 reps
Vertical Jump 15.5 – 16 inches
Consider sending an officer through the 4.5 day Law Enforcement Fitness Specialist course conducted by The Cooper Institute. This course will prepare the officer to be a fitness coordinator who can set up a testing and training program in the department.
Topics Include:
Fitness and Wellness
Coronary Risk Factors
Medical Screening
Exercise and Safety
Anatomy and Kinesiology
Body Composition (Skinfold method)
Fitness Assessment for Law Enforcement/Public Safety
Exercise Physiology
Goal Setting
Exercise Safety
Strength Training and Prescription
Flexibility Training and Prescription
Cardiovascular Training and Prescription
Nutrition
Motivation and Adherence
Physical Fitness Testing in Law Enforcement/Public Safety
Physical Fitness Standards in Law Enforcement/Public Safety
To learn more CLICK HERE
or consider their 3.5 day Military and First Responder Exercise Leader Training
Topics Include:
Leadership & Motivational Skills
Fundamentals of Circuit Training
Basic Anatomy and Developmental Circuit Exercises
Class Design & Group Planning
Exercise Guidelines & Safety Programming
Exercise Modification & Amplification Guidelines
Resistance & Cardiovascular Training Guidelines
Body Mechanics & Controversial Exercises
Static Stretching, Dynamic Stretching and Athletic Warm-up
Sports Nutrition & Application as a Fitness Leader
Interval Training & Running Drills
Partner Strengthening Exercises
Exercise Prototypes & Sample workouts
To learn more CLICK HERE
You can learn more on the Law Enforcement page of the Cooper Institute at: http://www.cooperinstitute.org/law-fire-military
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.
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.
Rae did not Tweet anything about her preparations for Fit Nation this week as I’m sure she is very busy following the murder of Tom Clements the Executive Director of the Colorado Department of Corrections who was shot as he answered the front door of his home last week. We join with Rae and the entire law enforcement community in mourning the loss of Director Clements.
EDITORS NOTE: Our Fitness Monday articles are going to be an ongoing feature 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.
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.
At The Law Enforcement Survival Institute (LESI) we train law enforcement officers to cope with stress and manage all the toxic effects and hidden dangers of a career in law enforcement.
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
The concept of “True Blue Valor™” is where one law enforcement officer has to muster the courage to confront a peer who is slipping both professionally and personally and endangering themselves, their peers and the public. It takes a system of organizational support and professional leadership to support and foster the concept of courage and intervention. We will train your trainers to deliver this program to your agency.
To learn more CLICK HERE
Our “Armor Your Agency™: How to Create a Healthy and Supportive Law Enforcement Agency” Program includes critical strategies that you will need to build a system of support and encouragement for a healthy and productive agency. To learn more CLICK HERE
CLICK HERE to read more about The Law Enforcement Survival Institute.
CLICK HERE if you would like to contact us to learn more about training for your organization.
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!
