Coquitlam Firefighters Local 1782
Maintaining Good Health!
Updated On: Jun 157, 2012

Keys to Maintaining Good Health!

 

Fitness and Nutrition must work hand in hand to have healthy fit firefighters. We also know that 80-90% of your positive results come from the nutrition part of any wellness program. The challenge is to instil healthy habits in the firehouse. We all know that the traditional meal at the fire house serves a hearty meal laden with fun, fat and flavour, but not necessarily the healthiest. The biggest challenges we face in the firehouse: time to cook meals, time to eat meals, staying consistent and the variety of backgrounds when you have a crew to feed.

 

 

10 Reasons to eat healthy

  1. Increases your mental ability to focus on tasks at hand and throughout the day.
  2. Gives you energy to make it through the day with a constant stream of energy, rather than feeling ups and downs as if you’re on a roller coaster.
  3. Speeds up your metabolism so you will lose fat. When you eat healthy by combining the proper amounts of macronutrients your body will have to switch “on” its pre-programmed “fast metabolism” mode.
  4. Keeps your muscles strong and conditioned. Why go to all the trouble at the gym if you are not going to supply your body with proper nutrition?
  5. Increase your bone density (via adequate nutrient intake and providing energy for resistance training).
  6. Increase your confidence, because you will look and feel better.
  7. Help you have more discipline in other areas of your life. Once you master food selection, you can master just about anything else you need to. Most foods that taste good-the ones we crave-are not the ones that will make us feel and look our best.
  8. Boost your immune system, allowing you to better fight infections and to defend against bacteria that you encounter everyday.
  9. Keep your moods balanced by keeping your blood sugar levels balanced.  Do not be fooled, eating is a very hormonal experience. Insulin is produced by the body, and we need it to survive. But, too much insulin leads to fat storage/inhibited fat burning and increased appetite/hunger. You can avoid excessive amounts of insulin by scrutinizing the amounts of carbohydrates that you consume, which in turn keeps your blood sugar levels steady. Excess insulin also diminishes the release of the hormone glucagon. Glucagon promotes fat burning by inhibiting fat-storing enzymes. Instead, it mobilizes fatty acids from fat stores to be burned for energy. Hooray for glucagon!
  10. Lower your risk of developing countless diseases, from heart disease to hypertension to diabetes to cancer. You have a longer, healthier, and happier life and can enjoy the retirement you worked so hard to achieve!

Here’s a little food for thought and a basic guideline to eating healthy and maintaining it.  These guidelines are new to many of us firefighters, but extremely important. Providing these guidelines is the first step, educating everyone is the second step and then implementing them and having the crews live by these guidelines is the final and hardest step. Repetition is the key. The repetition of these guidelines will eventually become a habit.  Maintaining good health is all about lifestyle.  It has to be part of your everyday routine on and off the job.  Let’s be honest we all function in our own comfort zones, but sometimes we have to get out of those comfort zones to see the results!       

 

Clean Eating Guidelines     

 

Basic Principles:

  1. Eat 5-6 meals per day/every day
  2. Eat every 2-3 hour (no more then 4.5 hours)
  3. Eat lean protein and complex carbs at every meal (complex carbs fruit/veggie/whole grain)
  4. Drink at least 2 litres/ 8 cups of water each day
  5. Never miss a meal, especially breakfast (pack a snack in your bunker gear)
  6. Carry a cooler loaded with good food every day
  7. Avoid ALL over processed, refined foods, especially white flour and sugar
  8. Avoid saturated and trans fats
  9. Consume healthy fats (EFA/essential fatty acid) each day
  10. Avoid alcohol – another form of sugar
  11. Avoid calorie dense foods that contain no nutritional value
  12. EAT fresh fruits and vegetables for fibre, vitamins and enzymes
  13. Stick to proper portion sizes –give up super sizing!

 

Portions size is important!

  • 1 serving of:  4-5 oz lean meat = size of palm
  • 1 serving of: Complex carbs = size of tennis ball
  • 1 serving of: Fruit or vegetable complex carb = heaping handful

 

Important helpers for following the eat clean meal lifestyle

 

  • Eating Clean means several small meals throughout the day!
  • No amount of exercise will reshape your body without proper nutrition.
  • 80% of your health and physique comes from your nutrition.
  • People believe that clean eating taste bad.  If you start clean eating you will soon dislike the taste of sugar and processed foods (try it for 1 week). Your taste buds will start to reject the “bad” foods.
  • Portions are important especially when you first start.
  • If you experience lethargy mid-morning and/or mid-afternoon it is due to falling blood sugar. This is when people reach for coffee, soda, or sweet and salty snacks.                                                                                                            Try eating a clean wholesome snack instead and drink WATER!
  • It is important you get enough calories to maintain your muscle and lose weight or gain more muscle if that is your desired goal. You never feel hungry. You should eat when you body tells you to eat (every 2-3 hours).
  • Access an activity counter and food nutritional guide.

A good website to visit to see how many calories you need each day is: www.nutritiondata.com. Find the (Daily Needs Calculator) and click on it. This website will calculate your calories for your age, gender and activity, you

 

Snack ideas for the station:

 

Hard boiled egg

1 apple with 1 tbs. almond butter

 

1 yogurt or soy yogurt

10 almonds

Low sugar granola ½ cup

 

Low fat mozzarella cheese sticks

1 piece fruit

Small handful nuts

 

2 corn tortillas

½ cup black beans or 2 oz chicken breast

Low fat mozzarella cheese

Salsa

 

1-2 slices Ezekiel bread toasted

1-2 tablespoon almond butter

All fruit jam

 

2-3 oz chicken breast

Veggie sticks

Salad with balsamic vinegar for dressing

1 fruit

 

Veggie stick

Hummus for dipping

 

16 Baked chips with 2oz. melted mozzarella cheese

Salsa

Avocado

 

Egg white omelette with veggies and salsa

Whole wheat toast, dry

Almond butter for toast

 

Any whole food protein bar for your bunker gear is a great idea as well! 


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