10 Fitness Guidelines for LEO’s and Athletes

This is a re-post of a past article from February 9, 2011.  It has some good info for not only LEO's and military but for any athlete as well.  Enjoy.

Now, we could easily stretch this out to 20 or 30 guidelines, but for now, I am going with the ones that I think are the most important.  These guidelines are also good guidelines for anyone else not in the above mentioned categories.

Here we go:

1.      Get plenty of sleep, at least 8-9 hours.   We have covered this topic several times before.  Rest and recovery allows our brain and bodies to heal..and work correctly.  It improves not only hormonal balances but it also improves cognitive function.  A lack of sleep or rest elevates cortisol (the stress hormone) which in turn elevates insulin and aldosterone.  If you don’t get enough sleep do not train!  It makes no sense.  If you have to do something, do some active recovery/low intensity or mobility work.

2.      Eat adequate protein.  A good range for folks keeping or gaining muscle is 1g per kilo of body weight to 1g per pound of body weight.  This is really going to be determined by a person’s goals.  Trying to gain more muscle?? Eat more protein.  Going low carb or trying to make weight?? Eat more protein…remember protein is thermogenic and helps us burn fat.  Choose protein from meat/animal sources.  If you have to take a protein supplement, that is fine, but only if you have to.  Whey is a great source but it also has a higher insulin response which will work against someone trying to make weight.  Just maintaining overall health, then protein requirements will be a little lower.

3.      Eat plenty of vegetables.  Veggies are a great source of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants-all of which maintain health and improve recovery.  Most veggies and tubors contain polysaccarides and soluble fiber that helps feed healthy gut flora.  Get plenty of cruciferous and green leafy vegetables.  Veggies are generally low in carbs, so you can eat a lot here.

4.      Choose your carbs wisely young Jedi.   Avoid gluten containing grain products!  They contain phytates, disrupt absorption and increase inflammation.  Avoid high Glycemic index foods, except after a training session.  Stay away from High Fructose Corn Syrup like the plague.  Fruits are ok, but in moderation.  The best ones, in my humble opinion, are berries and melons.   They are low on the Glycemic index, carbs and very high in antioxidants.  If you have to eat pasta type stuff, go for the gluten free products.  Keep sweet potatoes, potatoes and squashes as a main source.  Some of the Paleo purists may throw a fit about potatoes, rice or oatmeal so you can decide for yourself on those. 

5.      Eat healthy fats.  Avoid processed vegetable oils.  They are already rancid and toxic by the time you buy them.  They are not designed for high heat, oxidize very easily and contain high levels of Omega-6, which up-regulate inflammation.  Choose cold pressed oils like extra virgin olive oil, which should only be used at low heat.  Our cell wells are comprised of about 50% saturated fats so we need them in our diet.  Coconut oil, which is perfect for cooking, and grass-fed butter are great plus both hold up to high heat and coconut oil is full of MCT's (medium chain triglycerides) which speed up fat metabolism.

6.      Keep Omega-3’s in the diet.  I know, I know…Omega-3’s are a fat and could be listed in #5, but I think they are so important to so many aspects of our health that they deserve their own spot.  So, try to keep the ratio of Omega-6’s to Omega-3’s 1:1.   We do this by eliminating vegetable oils and taking O3 supplements or eating grass-fed and wild meats.  I usually take 2-3 grams of liquid fish oil per day.  On days I do a nasty workout, I will up my dose to 7-10 grams to help with inflammation.  I have been using Vitacost’s brand NSI Liquid Fish Oil and Twinlab’s Cod Liver Oil. 

7.      Exercise.  Now this will vary depending on one’s goals, but for those looking to maintain or general fitness, try to lift heavy 1-2 times per week and do interval or met-con 1-2 times per week and occasionally do some strictly aerobic work.  Recovery or off-time should be part of any exercise program as well.  Exercise should be something to look forward to and should not be a source of stress.  If it is, you are either overtraining or not getting enough rest….kinda the same thing.

8.      Eliminate sources of stress.  This is pretty self explanatory.  Chronic stress has adverse effects on our health.  It reduces performance, muscle growth or repair, inhibits immune function, and increases body fat and cardio vascular disease.  It makes no sense to start any training program if a person is “stressed” out or has high levels of chronic stress.  The focus should be to identify sources of stress and eliminate or reduce the ones we have control over.  The other sources, well, if we don’t have control over them we can’t change em so don’t worry about em, and looky looky, we now just eliminated that source too!! It’s all about perspective. Low stress=better performance=better health=happier=longer happier lives.

9.      Keep your skills sharp.  Those in the professional or competitive fields require a specific skill set.  Unfortunately, high skill based training diminishes the quickest and is often the one that most overlook.  What does this mean?  It simply means try to practice what you do pretty often.  Perhaps once a week…it depends on what you do.  This doesn’t mean high intensity work.  It can be used as active recovery and done at low speed to develop accuracy, technique and mechanics.  BUT occasionally should be done under pressure so we respond appropriately under pressure.  Keep the stimulus/response aspect as accurate or realistic as possible. 

10.   Stay Flexible and mobile!!  This is so important for not only our ability to perform and function but also for joint health.  Guys, sorry to tell ya this, but you aint getting any younger and unfortunately this takes a toll on our joints and mobility.  On recovery days or periods, consider making your active recovery some mobility work.  Check out Kelly Starrett’s blog.  He’s got some great videos and stretches that help keep us agile.  Flexibility plays an important role in our ability to generate power.  Limited mobility=limited power.  This, for many of us, could be very problematic to say the least.  So keep flexibility and mobility work in your program.

These are 10 of many guidelines we could list but I think this is a good start. 


On a side note, don’t forget to checkout the Eat Wild site for sources of grassfed meat in your area.