Shoulder Pain: Is it impinging on your life?

It is well documented that firefighting is a physically demanding job and throughout their career a firefighter will deal with some type of injury (ie. low back, knee, shoulder). Low back injuries are ranked as the highest among musculoskeletal injuries followed by knees and shoulders. Shoulder problems are starting to become more apparent with firefighters due to a number of factors such as a reduction...

Heart Disease and Firefighters: How and Why? John Hofman, CSCS, MS

It has been well documented that the number 1 killer of firefighters is heart disease. Intervention strategies within a comprehensive health and wellness program have helped to reduce these numbers over the years, but there is still an alarming rate of firefighters who suffer from heat attacks each year.

Researchers at Iowa State University discovered that 86% of volunteer...

How much does Obesity Cost Your Department? John Hofman, MS, CSCS

Sick time, modified duty, and on-line injuries are consistent staple in the fire service. Let’s face it firefighting is a very physically demanding job so injuries will occur. So it would only make sense to have a health & wellness program to help reduce the chances of these things from occurring. Yet many fire departments may not have the resource to incorporate one, or worse...

Last posting we discussed the idea of shift schedules and exercise programs. This posting we will show you how to put it together. We will apply it to 3 different schedules: 48/96, Modified Kelly, and the Kelly. Click here for the full article.

Many firefighters often feel overwhelmed or confused when it comes to exercise prescription. Let’s face it there so much information out there it can be somewhat confusing. When should exercise? What type of exercise should I perform? How long? How hard? Etc….. We all can agree that it firefighting is a physically demanding job and that multi-plane & multi-joint exercise would be the best selection of exercises.  Read More >>

It’s the New Year and most people have started their new years resolutions. But how many actually succeed at them? Most people believe that if they simply write down their goals for 2012 it will become a reality. I wish it were that simple, but it is not. Most people will have a difficult time trying to achieve their goals because making a wish list is not enough. So what goes wrong?

1. TOO MANY, TOO MUCH

Studies have shown that if you want to make one change in your life, you have an 85% chance of success. However if you try to change two thing at once, your chances of success drop to around 35%. Three things at once? Almost zero. Many people actually develop certain poor habits over 10, 20, 30, or even for 40 years. So trying to establish a new habit while breaking an old one can be challenging in itself. Now include a number of other goals and you will not achieve any of them.

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