Personal Fitness on the Job:

August 4, 2010

One area of protection work I feel is sometimes neglected is building and maintaining the appropriate level of personal fitness.  Before I go any further with this blog, please get the image of a 6 foot, 230 pound ripped Adonis in a tight black shirt and sun glasses out of your mind.  The level of fitness I am speaking of is an operational and maintainable level for operatives constantly living out of hotels with very little time to train.  Whilst at home, I have no problem maintaining a high level of fitness training 5 – 6 days per week for no less than an hour per session. This, coupled with regular sleep and health eating patterns, ensures that when I leave on an assignment I am in the best possible shape I can be.

Where this became a problem is on an assignment where it is impossible to replicate usual training routines and healthy lifestyles. After extended periods of 20hr work days, buffet food, no training and constantly maintaining the level of alertness required, I was beginning to suffer.  I gradually noticed my moods becoming less positive, reaction time slowing and thought process becoming less crisp. This meant I was not giving the client my 100% for the full length on the contracts on extended assignments. I began to look for alternative training methods when I realised the positive effects of being able to maintain a high level of fitness had on not only my moods, but also reaction time and mental alertness.

When travelling, I will always take the stairs if not with clients, and as soon as possible check out the hotel gym / pool and grounds so as to formulate a plan of attack.  I try to limit my sessions to no more the 45mins.  I am nearly always on call, so I make sure my workouts are high intensity from start to finish.  I have a selection of workout of the day (WOD) crossfit routines that require little or no equipment for locations with no facilities. I also have an arsenal of bodyweight and Isometric exercises I can perform in my room using the bed, chairs, water bottles and even my suitcase if need be.  There is a multitude of sites and programs dedicated to this with guys like Ross Enamait, having a wealth of material available.

The next biggest challenge is diet.  With limited choice and time to eat, I will always look for the healthiest options.  If none are available, I choose to limit the portions I do eat.  Nearly every hotel I have stayed in has grilled fish, chicken or salad of some kind, it just comes down to will power not to load up at the buffet or though room service.  Unfortunately sleep patterns are harder to control and are usually dictated by schedules, recourses or the principal’s movements. However by training and eating correctly the sleep you do get will be of lot better quality.  Having a good level of personal fitness for this industry is more than just for appearance value and physical incidents. Maintaining your fitness will assist in endurance, fine motor skills, reaction times, alertness, moods and overall appearance.

Damon

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