Transforming Firefighter Fitness: Zam's Way - with guest Aaron Zamzow

WEBVTT

00:00:09.590 --> 00:00:15.778
This is All Clear Firefighter Wellness, where we help you light your fire with it.

00:00:15.778 --> 00:00:24.996
Travis got a very good guest with us today, got Aaron Zamzow, or should we call you Zam, whatever you prefer.

00:00:24.996 --> 00:00:25.812
How are you doing today, got Aaron Zamzow, or should we call you Zam, whatever you prefer?

00:00:25.812 --> 00:00:27.204
How are you doing today, sir?

00:00:29.321 --> 00:00:29.945
I'm good, buddy.

00:00:29.945 --> 00:00:31.189
Thanks for having me Great.

00:00:31.189 --> 00:00:32.625
We've already had great conversation.

00:00:32.625 --> 00:00:36.369
I hope we haven't wasted the show on our behind-the-scenes stuff already.

00:00:36.369 --> 00:00:38.002
No, it's been great already.

00:00:38.002 --> 00:00:39.543
Happy to be here, I'm sure it'll come out.

00:00:39.603 --> 00:00:46.734
I'm sure a lot of those points will come out and when you talk to brilliant people and you always have good opportunities to expand what you're learning.

00:00:46.734 --> 00:00:53.331
So tell us about yourself, tell us where you're from, what you're doing and what you're into these days, because I know you are quite a busy man.

00:00:53.981 --> 00:00:55.018
Yeah, where to begin on that?

00:00:55.018 --> 00:01:08.433
So I have a podcast myself called Better Every Shift and it's hosted on Fire Rescue One and that's been just an amazing journey, as we talked a little bit about how much fun these can be, but they're also lots of work.

00:01:08.433 --> 00:01:12.757
Hats off to you for doing this and for having me, because I understand how much goes into it.

00:01:12.757 --> 00:01:16.683
So I've been doing that now for two years.

00:01:16.683 --> 00:01:47.004
I actually started a company called Fire Rescue Fitness almost 15 years ago and that was to develop programming, functional fitness programs, programs for firefighters, emts and medics and it really that came about because I started joined the fire service about 20 years ago on call, paid up in Minnesota, and I was a full-time trainer at the time and I was working with athletes, pro athletes, general population, doing some coaching and there's a sign that said, hey, join your local fire department.

00:01:47.144 --> 00:01:49.209
So at age I think it was 30.

00:01:49.209 --> 00:01:50.111
Yeah, I was 30.

00:01:50.111 --> 00:01:53.007
I went through one of my first fire academies.

00:01:53.007 --> 00:01:59.661
It was one night a week and four or five hours and you went through firefighter one and firefighter two and I thought I was in good shape.

00:01:59.661 --> 00:02:10.497
I was 30 years old and I was a trainer and so I was working out and I actually was humbled a lot of times as we were doing drills, climbing, carrying and hoisting things.

00:02:10.497 --> 00:02:16.979
There's guys that were just beating me and they weren't necessarily gym shape, they were blue collar.

00:02:16.979 --> 00:02:20.206
I do this every day kind of work shape.

00:02:20.548 --> 00:02:31.814
And from there I started to do a lot of research into okay, if I was, this was an athlete which I think we all are, and that's debatable of course by some but what do I need to do to perform better?

00:02:31.860 --> 00:02:39.699
And that kind of started when I was 30 years old in my first department and then at 36, got an opportunity to go full time with Madison Fire Department.

00:02:39.699 --> 00:02:57.072
I've been there since gosh going on 15 years and I'm a lieutenant there, fire officer, so I get to ride a big red truck and then talk about it and how to improve on doing that job and then write about fitness and I guess I've written for everybody.

00:02:57.072 --> 00:03:11.611
I'm on the advisory board for Firehouse Magazine, fire Rescue One, done some stuff with Firefighter International and I will talk about fitness just about anybody and excited to actually start working with the First Responder Center for Excellence.

00:03:11.611 --> 00:03:22.436
So I'm doing some work with them and just trying to learn as much and transfer that knowledge that I can retain to hopefully help somebody else.

00:03:22.436 --> 00:03:24.808
Programs like this are awesome to have these conversations.

00:03:24.808 --> 00:03:27.954
Again, appreciate the opportunity, brother no worries, no worries.

00:03:28.436 --> 00:03:53.105
Anybody that's listened to our podcast for any length of time, they'll learn that we are very diversified in what we try to teach and learn about when it comes to our fire service, and whether it be mental health, cancer reduction, what you eat, how you sleep all that stuff is important and in our pre-conversation before we hit the record button today, we covered a lot of that really effectively, really quickly.

00:03:53.105 --> 00:03:58.623
But there's some good things that I think that our folks need to know about.

00:03:58.623 --> 00:04:03.723
But I guess one of the first things is what is the importance of fitness in the fire service?

00:04:03.723 --> 00:04:05.984
How important is it for a firefighter to be fit?

00:04:05.984 --> 00:04:11.183
I know we talk about professional level athletes and, to be really honest, that is a reality.

00:04:11.183 --> 00:04:19.610
When you have to do so many different tasks, it can't just be endurance, it can't just be cardio, it can't just be strength, but you have to be pretty well balanced.

00:04:19.610 --> 00:04:22.124
But why do you think fitness is so important?

00:04:23.887 --> 00:04:48.257
Well, for two reasons, and the research now shows, fitness is good for the mind just as much as it's good for the muscle, and what I mean by that is your body's hormonal responses when you're moving and when you're working out and after that really play a lot into mood and general health and just disease prevention.

00:04:48.257 --> 00:04:54.682
And so I think moving in general and exercise is important, just whether you're a firefighter or not or anybody.

00:04:54.682 --> 00:04:55.805
It's super important.

00:04:55.805 --> 00:04:57.228
It helps with cognitive function.

00:04:57.228 --> 00:04:59.322
It helps obviously with muscle mobility.

00:04:59.322 --> 00:05:09.516
For us in the fire service I think it's a little bit more imperative because, like you said, we don't really know a playing field per se.

00:05:09.516 --> 00:05:21.187
When I would work with my football players, I wouldn't train my defensive back in football the same way I would my female soccer athlete, because their playing field is different.

00:05:21.187 --> 00:05:28.134
So what you do is you break their playing field down and say, okay, what motions do we need to work on to help them excel and perform better?

00:05:28.134 --> 00:05:32.870
Now, there's always some foundational similarities.

00:05:32.870 --> 00:05:40.230
You can break it down with more detail With the fire ground man, it's all over the place.

00:05:40.439 --> 00:05:44.805
You could be on a roof doing ventilation On my job up in Wisconsin here.

00:05:44.805 --> 00:05:46.170
That roof might be covered with snow.

00:05:46.170 --> 00:05:59.591
You could then be going to a pulseless non-breather where you're doing compressions and trying to move a patient through narrow hallways and the next thing you're doing you're trying to extricate a patient of a car accident.

00:05:59.591 --> 00:06:08.603
So it's a wide range of things that we have to do physically, wide range of things that we have to do physically.

00:06:08.603 --> 00:06:16.826
And so when you have those variabilities on a day-to-day basis, you have to be able to move efficiently, with strength, with a good core function, or else you get injured.

00:06:16.826 --> 00:06:29.607
And I think that's the other big thing is one you need fitness for mental clarity, which I don't think we lose track of that when you start to look at oh, I got to be calendar ready, which is BS.

00:06:29.607 --> 00:06:31.307
You don't need to be calendar ready.

00:06:31.307 --> 00:06:32.769
You got to be able to move.

00:06:32.769 --> 00:06:35.951
You got to be able to step up into a truck 82 times.

00:06:35.951 --> 00:06:37.853
You got to be able to crawl, get down to the ground.

00:06:37.853 --> 00:06:38.954
You got to be able to drag.

00:06:38.954 --> 00:06:40.615
You got to be able to push things.

00:06:40.615 --> 00:06:41.855
You got to be able to pull things.

00:06:41.855 --> 00:06:44.781
You got to be able to advance hose line push things.

00:06:44.781 --> 00:06:45.704
You got to be able to pull things.

00:06:45.704 --> 00:06:46.528
You got to be able to advance hose line.

00:06:46.528 --> 00:06:49.581
And then you got to be able to do that again, and then on air, and, and then sometimes do it without a lot of sleep.

00:06:49.701 --> 00:06:53.329
So fitness is just so important for so many different things.

00:06:53.329 --> 00:06:58.627
Now the research shows that people that work out consistently are less likely to get cancer.

00:06:58.627 --> 00:07:09.413
They're they have a less chance of having, I shouldn't say, ptsd, but they can actually overcome their PTSD issues better with consistent fitness.

00:07:09.413 --> 00:07:13.160
All the other things obesity, diabetes and just general performance.

00:07:13.160 --> 00:07:32.529
So there are just a litany of reasons to do it, and I think the important part about it is one you got to stay functional with it, and I always ask everybody this question as far as exercise, if you haven't done exercise and you're just starting to get moving, whether that's walking for 30 minutes a day, great.

00:07:32.831 --> 00:07:41.874
Eventually, though, as a first responder, as a firefighter, you want to be moving for purpose, meaning your workouts need to.

00:07:41.874 --> 00:07:58.036
I think one of three things they need to improve performance, reduce injuries and prolong career, and if you look at fitness in your workouts in that scope, you're going to be okay, you're going to make progress and you're going to continually make progress through your career.

00:07:58.036 --> 00:08:04.663
We look on and we were talking about like Instagram.

00:08:04.663 --> 00:08:07.995
You're like, oh, I want to do that because I see, well, that looks really cool or that person looks really good.

00:08:08.619 --> 00:08:09.540
And I always go back to the question.

00:08:09.540 --> 00:08:10.665
I'm like, yeah, but can they?

00:08:10.665 --> 00:08:18.321
They might be able to bench press 700 pounds, but I've never read a line of duty death where 700 pound bench press would have got them out of a situation.

00:08:18.321 --> 00:08:31.300
So you, you have to hone that in and I think if anybody's taking anything from that ramble is that fitness is important number one for so many reasons.

00:08:31.300 --> 00:08:38.453
And number two, when you approach fitness as a firefighter, you should have that mindset of is this going to help me move better?

00:08:38.453 --> 00:08:39.865
Is this going to help me perform better?

00:08:39.865 --> 00:08:46.227
Is this going to reduce my injuries and is this going to help me get to that end game of retiring healthy and that's it.

00:08:46.668 --> 00:08:57.724
You know, Yep, and that is a key thing is trying to keep yourself qualified during your entire career, because you can disqualify yourself very quickly if you get hurt, depending on what happens.

00:08:57.724 --> 00:09:15.933
One of the things you did mention in our pre-conversation and one of the things that I know and I'm not a fitness guru is the fact that consistency is one of the keys to success in fitness, and when you're on a shift, say, you're every third day, you're at the station, you have equipment there, you can work out.

00:09:15.933 --> 00:09:18.267
Well, there's two days in between.

00:09:18.267 --> 00:09:30.456
How can you carry consistency from what might be the greatest workout program in the world, but if you take two days off in the middle, it's not going to do you a whole lot of good.

00:09:30.456 --> 00:09:30.618
How?

00:09:30.658 --> 00:09:31.220
do you balance that?

00:09:31.220 --> 00:09:32.443
Great question?

00:09:32.443 --> 00:09:40.508
I, you know, as far as like, biggest I, the biggest mistake I think people make with their fitness is that they don't have a plan.

00:09:40.508 --> 00:09:55.201
We like, hey, every three days I'm going to work out at the station you got to do some more things in between that for numerous reasons but like, but then you go to the station and you know, like, what are you going to do?

00:09:55.201 --> 00:09:57.087
I'm going to go do chest and try why?

00:09:57.087 --> 00:09:59.163
Cause that's what so-and-so is doing.

00:09:59.163 --> 00:10:04.702
Then how does that play into your workout the next day or the day after or the next day?

00:10:05.403 --> 00:10:15.034
And a lot of times I just like to ask questions, like we had said, you know, say it again reduce injuries, improve performance and pull on career.

00:10:15.034 --> 00:10:22.274
I'll ask people that how does that play into your Monday workout or your shift workout or your at-home workout?

00:10:22.274 --> 00:10:25.385
And I get some blank stares and I'm like let's start with that.

00:10:25.385 --> 00:10:30.440
Let's try to figure out some things you can do at home to help you do one of those three things.

00:10:30.440 --> 00:10:37.033
So, to answer your question, let's say, if you're working out on shift, my biggest thing is start with you can always do cardio.

00:10:37.033 --> 00:10:40.005
You can always open the door, take the dog for a walk, kiss for a walk.

00:10:40.005 --> 00:10:43.113
Find a hill where you can walk up and down the hill.

00:10:43.113 --> 00:10:47.410
The other thing is I'm 50 now and you said you're 39.

00:10:47.431 --> 00:10:47.932
47.

00:10:47.932 --> 00:10:49.124
Yeah, 39,.

00:10:49.124 --> 00:10:50.865
I wish I remember that a long time ago.

00:10:51.660 --> 00:10:52.986
What's the first thing that you lose?

00:10:52.986 --> 00:10:55.166
You lose the fact you can't move very well.

00:10:55.166 --> 00:10:59.028
Mornings are tough, you're a little stiffer in some mobility.

00:10:59.028 --> 00:11:01.677
Mornings are tough, you're a little stiffer in some mobility.

00:11:01.677 --> 00:11:05.076
I see these young kids they can bench, press a house and they can squat a house, but I'm like dude, you can barely touch your toes.

00:11:05.076 --> 00:11:27.418
You're 30 years old, like another 10 years you're going to really have trouble and that's where you start to feel, where you lose a step and you feel like I can't recover as quickly On the days off, if anything, focus on doing some five to 10 minutes of just some stretching, mobility work, and get your body moving for at least 30 minutes.

00:11:27.898 --> 00:11:38.004
You know, every single day and I, like I've worked with thousands of people over the years and the ones that are successful everybody says you need a rest day, you need to take a day off.

00:11:38.004 --> 00:11:38.385
Totally.

00:11:38.385 --> 00:11:44.936
I agree a hundred percent, but I don't think you need to just sit on your butt for that entire day.

00:11:44.936 --> 00:12:04.067
I think 30 minutes every single day should be devoted to something that is improving your fitness, and so that can be 15, 20 minutes of stretching, some foam rolling, taking the dog for a walk that's a great off day for per se because you're actually helping your body recover and rejuvenate.

00:12:04.067 --> 00:12:07.921
So what I liked, I have a little 15, 20 minute recovery workout.

00:12:08.042 --> 00:12:11.870
If I didn't get a lot of sleep let's say I worked out on shift I did.

00:12:11.870 --> 00:12:17.070
I like to do like crew work, crew workout circuits with my some members of my crew.

00:12:17.070 --> 00:12:18.413
We just set up eight stations.

00:12:18.413 --> 00:12:19.534
We do them three times each.

00:12:19.534 --> 00:12:26.652
We time it in about 30 minutes, we do a couple of warm-up exercises to work mobility and then we stretch.

00:12:26.652 --> 00:12:28.525
At the end it's about 33 minutes actually.

00:12:28.525 --> 00:12:30.365
So I'll do that at the stations.

00:12:30.365 --> 00:12:47.327
If we don't get sleep the next day I was supposed to lift, I would just do this recovery workout and there's a little yoga in there, there's some just rehab movements, for we all have these ailments and injuries, and that's what I'll do.

00:12:47.327 --> 00:12:51.941
And then if I was supposed to do weights, I'll postpone it a day so I get some good rest in there and it's all part of a you know plan.

00:12:51.941 --> 00:12:57.549
I look at each week and go okay, I have shifts these days, I have travel these days and commitments.

00:12:57.549 --> 00:13:09.799
So I'll take each week and kind of move workouts around and I think that's what we all need to start looking at is more big picture and then break it down into the week and then the day and really just focus.

00:13:09.799 --> 00:13:14.620
I prefer to focus on the things that I'm not really good at when I work out at the station.

00:13:14.620 --> 00:13:21.600
So mobility, stretching, those are things I don't like to do, so I always try to get them in when I'm at the station.

00:13:21.600 --> 00:13:23.423
So long drawn out.

00:13:23.423 --> 00:13:28.673
Answer to your question is have a freaking plan and start to figure out.

00:13:28.840 --> 00:13:34.153
You can do pushups, sit up pushups, planks and squats at home without any equipment.

00:13:34.153 --> 00:13:36.263
Working with guyvers in the fire service.

00:13:36.263 --> 00:13:43.179
You can take a piece of webby, throw it up over a tree service.

00:13:43.179 --> 00:13:45.969
You can take a piece of webby, throw it up over a tree, tie two little handles and you can do some rowing movements with it.

00:13:45.969 --> 00:13:50.240
There's some simple things you can do just to keep yourself moving.

00:13:50.301 --> 00:13:52.806
I think the biggest thing is to stay consistent.

00:13:52.806 --> 00:13:59.147
Dedicate some time every single day to improving your fitness.

00:13:59.147 --> 00:14:04.562
When you're older, like us or like me, I got to do it just to maintain, and sometimes it's.

00:14:04.562 --> 00:14:09.490
I look forward to it because if you're like I'm really tight today, I want to go stretch.

00:14:09.490 --> 00:14:11.025
Maybe it doesn't have to be 30.

00:14:11.025 --> 00:14:15.389
I'm up to 30 minutes and I'll even do some deep breathing exercises.

00:14:15.389 --> 00:14:19.306
I've been trying to do not really meditation because I don't have enough brain cells.

00:14:19.306 --> 00:14:20.895
I think to do not really meditation because I don't have enough brain cells.

00:14:20.895 --> 00:14:21.399
I think to do that.

00:14:21.399 --> 00:14:23.727
But a lot of flexibility stuff and mobility stuff.

00:14:23.727 --> 00:14:28.511
And the other question I have for people have you had any injuries in the fire service at all?

00:14:28.700 --> 00:14:30.587
I hurt my shoulder several years ago.

00:14:31.360 --> 00:14:32.243
And a lot of people are going.

00:14:32.243 --> 00:14:34.090
Oh yeah, I have two Knees shoulders back.

00:14:34.090 --> 00:14:35.245
We all hurt them.

00:14:35.245 --> 00:14:38.469
When do you stop doing your rehab exercises?

00:14:38.528 --> 00:14:40.846
for I don't think I've stopped yet.

00:14:40.846 --> 00:14:41.688
I still stretch.

00:14:41.688 --> 00:14:42.663
In fact it hurts me.

00:14:42.663 --> 00:14:50.731
A lot of mornings I get up to a little bit of yoga and work out that shoulder and I still do that 10, 15 years later You're one of the smart ones.

00:14:50.840 --> 00:14:54.067
But a lot of us will stop doing it after the shoulder feels good.

00:14:54.067 --> 00:14:56.322
Yeah, and you're right, you should always.

00:14:56.322 --> 00:14:58.469
There's always some things you could do.

00:14:58.469 --> 00:15:01.941
You can do.

00:15:01.941 --> 00:15:02.522
I call them prehab exercises.

00:15:02.522 --> 00:15:06.753
So I still try to do my shoulder exercise, even though shoulders feeling good, get those in there.

00:15:06.753 --> 00:15:08.726
So there's always something you can find.

00:15:08.726 --> 00:15:16.083
I know a lot of firefighters are challenged with family, but remember those old radio flyers.

00:15:16.083 --> 00:15:23.123
That's throwing the kids in the wagon and just pull them around for 15, 20 minutes and get the family involved with it.

00:15:23.123 --> 00:15:24.505
Take your dog for a walk.

00:15:24.505 --> 00:15:28.341
And all those things do add up to helping with consistency.

00:15:28.863 --> 00:15:29.364
It's funny.

00:15:29.364 --> 00:15:30.947
We just came back from vacation.

00:15:30.947 --> 00:15:32.972
My family and I and we took our camper.

00:15:32.972 --> 00:15:43.326
We went out to a state park here in North Carolina, had a great time, but the thing I enjoyed the most was the fact that my wife and I and my son we were able to go out and walk.

00:15:43.326 --> 00:15:48.605
It wasn't anything spectacular, we just walked a couple miles and just talking.

00:15:48.605 --> 00:15:52.303
I know that seems like you're not breaking a sweat, you're not getting sometimes.

00:15:52.303 --> 00:15:53.086
It's not about that.

00:15:53.086 --> 00:15:59.984
It's about keeping the motivation going and I have slacked off as I've gotten older and the position I'm in now.

00:15:59.984 --> 00:16:13.030
I don't have to necessarily qualify like I did, but I'm trying not to let that get in the way of me, trying to be better constantly and that's one of the things staying motivated and you've got to find the push for why you want to do it.

00:16:13.552 --> 00:16:35.990
Yeah, you had mentioned family, and when I was working a lot with just general population, a lot of times people would say I can't work out, I got to get Jimmy or Bobby or Susie or whatever and do all these things for them, and I'd always go back and I'd say what example are you setting for them for their own health, when you're sacrificing your own health for your family?

00:16:36.480 --> 00:17:16.647
And then I think we do that for the job too, right, we sacrifice everything for helping others, and I believe, though, that some of us use that as a crutch to avoid looking in the mirror and to avoid really working on our own issues, and, I'll be honest, like I did that for a while, I was like, ah, yeah, I'm running this where I'm doing this and I'm talking about that, and, before I knew it, 15, well, 15 pounds came on, and it was because I was avoiding some things, and I think, with parents, it's really easy to do that, but there are ways you can find to get 10, 15 minutes in.

00:17:16.647 --> 00:17:19.551
That go a long way, like you said, to stay consistent.

00:17:19.551 --> 00:17:27.559
So I know there's obligations, but there's also there's solutions and there's different mindset that you can take for that.

00:17:27.559 --> 00:17:29.184
Like you said, man.

00:17:29.184 --> 00:17:38.932
Take your kids on a walk and it's surprising how well they start to open up without a phone, there or right, and they start to see something so good for you.

00:17:38.932 --> 00:17:39.779
That's a great example.

00:17:39.779 --> 00:17:40.119
It's right there.

00:17:40.140 --> 00:17:41.101
I'll tell you that's a great example right there.

00:17:41.101 --> 00:17:48.144
I'll tell you one of the things that motivated me and I'm not throwing shade on anybody, because I am by no means the healthiest individual in the world.

00:17:48.144 --> 00:17:59.989
My son homeschools and we went to a homeschool event a couple years ago and I saw all the other dads there and the majority of them were gamer dads.

00:17:59.989 --> 00:18:03.131
They were way out of shape.

00:18:03.131 --> 00:18:07.972
They could barely function when it came to holding a conversation.

00:18:07.972 --> 00:18:09.373
I'm like I can't be like this.

00:18:09.373 --> 00:18:10.614
I cannot be like this.

00:18:10.614 --> 00:18:23.404
So that set a whole bunch of goals, including trying to eat better, trying to be better and things like that, and sometimes we just have to look around us and see what we don't want to be, and that'll be that motivation to get us where we want to be.

00:18:23.766 --> 00:18:27.093
Yeah, exactly Exactly, and that's important too.

00:18:27.093 --> 00:18:30.184
It's important to set the example.

00:18:30.184 --> 00:18:41.810
But then, as your children grow, you want to be able to be that active dad and to be able to experience those things with them and don't look, yes, you look around and say, okay, I don't want to be that example.

00:18:41.810 --> 00:18:45.769
Experience those things with them and don't look, yes, you look around and say, okay, I don't want to be that example.

00:18:45.769 --> 00:18:50.651
And I think we can do that in a fire service too, right, like you had mentioned, and we join it to make a difference.

00:18:50.651 --> 00:18:56.252
And sometimes that can get lost in the shuffle of all the other stresses.

00:18:56.440 --> 00:19:00.205
But Arnold Schwarzenegger has a book out there and he says it best.

00:19:00.205 --> 00:19:05.353
He says be fit enough to be useful, don't have to be the most fit.

00:19:05.353 --> 00:19:28.645
But if you're not true, you want to be fit enough to be useful, meaning you don't want to be that person that everybody's worried about or has to work around, right, you want to contribute to it, and I think that is if you are someone listening to this, you're contemplating, working out, let that sink in a little bit and say, look, I just want to get to a point where I'm useful, where, if we're going up on a high rise fire.

00:19:28.645 --> 00:19:29.888
We're going up four stories.

00:19:29.888 --> 00:19:41.141
I don't want to be the person that's on floor two when everyone else is ready to go on four floor, and make that as your motivating point and then think about ah yeah, now I can get even a little more fit down the road.

00:19:41.141 --> 00:19:44.929
But if you're starting with unfit, get to useful first.

00:19:44.929 --> 00:19:46.553
Yeah, bring something to the table.

00:19:47.359 --> 00:19:48.363
Bring something to the table.

00:19:48.363 --> 00:19:50.448
Yeah, absolutely so.

00:19:50.448 --> 00:19:53.564
Now you know we were talking about I have a jacked up shoulder.

00:19:53.564 --> 00:19:56.210
You mentioned how you're stiff, sometimes waking up.

00:19:56.210 --> 00:19:58.580
I think that's the reality for all of us.

00:19:58.580 --> 00:20:10.851
But what are some good resources that you know that we can maybe look to when we start talking about workout safety, because I know people were when CrossFit was the hot and big thing.

00:20:10.851 --> 00:20:15.255
We had more guys getting hurt doing that than getting hurt actually doing their jobs.

00:20:15.255 --> 00:20:17.537
Bad backs and knees all grew out of that.

00:20:17.537 --> 00:20:26.644
But what are some resources, some ideas that you could maybe give folks so that they can learn how to not hurt themselves when they're trying to make those gains?

00:20:28.490 --> 00:20:29.251
Oh, that's a great question.

00:20:29.251 --> 00:20:34.905
So I have I'll give your listeners I have a free workout for everybody that's listening, that I'll leave free.

00:20:34.905 --> 00:20:39.799
I have a 28-day workout program that people can use as a guideline.

00:20:39.799 --> 00:20:42.641
It actually it lays out weekly full weeks.

00:20:42.641 --> 00:20:47.853
It actually has that prehab workout that I was talking about, that flexibility workout.

00:20:47.853 --> 00:20:50.967
So Fire Rescue Fitness I have some resources there.

00:20:50.967 --> 00:20:52.932
We'll give your listeners a free one.

00:20:52.932 --> 00:20:58.853
My good friends, dan and Kerrigan and Jim Moss, who have Functional Firefighter Fitness for Sale.

00:20:58.853 --> 00:20:59.762
That's on Amazon.

00:20:59.762 --> 00:21:03.410
That's a great book and reference for them, for anyone.

00:21:03.410 --> 00:21:08.488
I just talked to Dan earlier this week and we talked a little bit about functional fitness and training.

00:21:08.808 --> 00:21:23.143
I do believe to seeing a trainer try to hire someone locally just to get the basics down of form and function and I think the biggest thing is that you really need to take you need to take charge of your own fitness.

00:21:23.143 --> 00:21:32.565
So the athlete, the pro athletes that I would work towards, the best ones, the ones that actually made the most money, the ones that did the best, were the ones that would always go Sam, what are we doing today?

00:21:32.565 --> 00:21:35.280
And I'd be like, oh, we're going to do plyo training today.

00:21:35.280 --> 00:21:36.083
And they're like, why?

00:21:36.083 --> 00:21:40.190
I'm like good question Cause we're doing footwork stuff today.

00:21:40.190 --> 00:21:52.000
There's a lot of what we call them foot contacts high impact foot contacts on this today so that tomorrow we're doing recovery, then we're going to go back to strength and then power the next day, based on our goals.

00:21:52.000 --> 00:22:02.328
But they would ask and they would understand how and why we were doing what we're doing, because they could adapt it if I wasn't there or they could start to get better input into it.

00:22:02.328 --> 00:22:19.566
When you look at fitness programming one of the reasons why like CrossFit and I'll say I think CrossFit can be really good, but I also believe it could be the other side of it Unfortunately it's all under the umbrella of CrossFit right In Madison we have whatever.

00:22:19.586 --> 00:22:20.387
There are two boxes.

00:22:20.387 --> 00:22:23.163
There's one that's on the east side and one on the west side.

00:22:23.163 --> 00:22:24.366
The one on the west side.

00:22:24.366 --> 00:22:25.631
There's great coaches there.

00:22:25.631 --> 00:22:26.280
I know them personally.

00:22:26.280 --> 00:22:32.785
They're going to really coach you and critique you and not have you go hey, every single day you got to get a little more weight.

00:22:32.785 --> 00:22:35.921
It doesn't care if you cheat on five of those reps.

00:22:35.921 --> 00:22:38.643
Tomorrow you're going to get six with cheating on them.

00:22:38.643 --> 00:22:43.006
But the other side, the other Tomorrow you're going to get six with cheating on them, but the other side, the other gym, isn't as good.

00:22:43.006 --> 00:23:02.711
So I think that's one thing that we have to look at First of all is look at the coaching, look at credentials, look at testimonials, but then ultimately come down to understanding what your body is, where your fitness is and where you want to go.

00:23:02.730 --> 00:23:04.140
And when it comes to form, there's really just.

00:23:04.140 --> 00:23:06.227
I always tell people to start with form.

00:23:06.227 --> 00:23:09.046
You just got to remember three things.

00:23:09.046 --> 00:23:15.390
One is head is back, so it's good posture with your head and your chin back.

00:23:15.390 --> 00:23:17.826
What's your back doing?

00:23:17.826 --> 00:23:32.990
So protect your back and let it move naturally and then make sure that you stay balanced within your stance and then eventually you can get to single leg movements or you can start doing a lot of the wobbly stuff, but, like, stick with the basic stuff.

00:23:32.990 --> 00:23:40.863
And the older you get, the more your ego lets you lift just lighter stuff to feel the right way that would be.

00:23:40.883 --> 00:23:47.665
The other thing with form is you really need to check your ego at the door, especially if you're just getting back into it.

00:23:47.665 --> 00:24:00.525
Don't worry about weights, worry about how it feels, worry about really controlling the movements and staying with good form If you keep that in mind and ego is the last thing you think of.

00:24:00.525 --> 00:24:02.689
You're going to be okay with that.

00:24:02.689 --> 00:24:08.519
And then the other thing is look for resources like firefighter functional fitness, fire rescue fitness.

00:24:08.519 --> 00:24:12.675
There's some other great resources through National Academy of Sports Medicine.

00:24:12.675 --> 00:24:23.846
Get a coach I think you had mentioned you got a coach or a trainer just to look at how you're moving, and I still have coaches that I see when I do my workouts.

00:24:23.846 --> 00:24:31.548
Unfortunately, sometimes I put my stuff on YouTube so that I have 100 people commenting on how bad my form is, but that's okay too.

00:24:31.548 --> 00:24:34.202
I don't mind it because it makes me evaluate it.

00:24:34.202 --> 00:24:37.123
So all those things are part of the process.

00:24:37.765 --> 00:24:45.608
Yep, like I tell my son all the time, you may be stronger, you may be faster one day, but I am older and much more treacherous, so be careful.

00:24:47.416 --> 00:24:48.078
So same things.

00:24:53.434 --> 00:25:02.767
And some of us have other skills that maybe somebody else doesn't, and we just need to develop what we're good at and that will make us very effective at our job.

00:25:02.767 --> 00:25:16.019
But one of the big things that I really hear a lot of chatter about not just chatter but talk about now is when you're working out, when you're training, should you do it in gear or should you do it in t-shirt and shorts?

00:25:16.019 --> 00:25:17.321
What's the best thing to do?

00:25:17.321 --> 00:25:22.402
And I think there's a huge push right now for training in gear.

00:25:22.402 --> 00:25:24.406
Working out in gear Do you find that to be a trend that is beneficial?

00:25:24.406 --> 00:25:25.028
That's a good question.

00:25:25.028 --> 00:25:26.451
There's a lot there because of the P5s that are in gear.

00:25:26.451 --> 00:25:27.815
Do you find that to be a trend that is beneficial?

00:25:28.414 --> 00:25:29.378
That's a good question.

00:25:29.378 --> 00:25:32.170
There's a lot there because of the PFAS that are in gear.

00:25:32.170 --> 00:25:51.454
Some people are saying our gear is full of these PFAS and that increases our risk of cancer, and to that I can say, yeah that there are PFAS in gear, but we also have to come to the reality that we need the gear right now until there's a better substitute for it.

00:25:51.454 --> 00:25:58.175
I've had this conversation with somebody who's chewing I've got a big chew at the back of me Yep, hey, man, I don't want to.

00:25:58.175 --> 00:26:02.057
There's PFAS in my gear and I'm like, really Well, just look in the mirror, what's in your lip?

00:26:02.057 --> 00:26:03.959
Wow, I've been chewing for years, right?

00:26:03.959 --> 00:26:05.619
Wow, I've been chewing for years, right, it's still.

00:26:05.619 --> 00:26:09.843
It's a risk that you obviously overlooked for many years.

00:26:09.843 --> 00:26:13.525
So now you're going to choose the gear as what you're going to take a stance on.

00:26:13.525 --> 00:26:19.368
And I was at a conference and I can't remember which one it was, and that just tells you I've been traveling a little too much.

00:26:19.368 --> 00:26:24.652
There's a researcher that said there are PFAS in your gear, but that's not really the issue.

00:26:24.652 --> 00:26:27.198
Nope, right, but that's not really the issue, nope, right.

00:26:27.198 --> 00:26:48.479
The issue is all the things you can control that you're not addressing and we're pointing our finger at one thing, but the reality is we could hydrate better, we could eat better, we can stay consistent with our fitness, we could be more functional with our fitness, we can focus on sleep, we can focus on sleep, we can focus on mental health.

00:26:48.479 --> 00:27:15.538
And so I think one of the things with the PFAS and the gear, it's a little distracting for people that are looking for an excuse, because I do find it's valuable, because that's how we have to perform in that gear it's heavy, it doesn't breathe very well, it is restrictive and then also, when you throw SCBA in there, it challenges your cardiovascular system because the SCBA can actually restrict, obviously, some airflow, which makes you have to work harder with it.

00:27:16.160 --> 00:27:19.888
So I take two kind of thoughts to this.

00:27:19.888 --> 00:27:22.776
I like to do minimal workouts.

00:27:22.776 --> 00:27:31.122
Sometimes, if I haven't been in my gear in a fire, if I haven't been on air, I try to do something every week on air in gear.

00:27:31.122 --> 00:27:38.583
Minimal time sometimes it's because of shifts, it's every two weeks, but nothing more than 15 to 20 minutes.

00:27:38.583 --> 00:27:39.565
We'll do some circuits.

00:27:39.565 --> 00:27:43.760
I'll set up five or six different exercises, put my gear on, move through.

00:27:44.221 --> 00:27:47.367
I like to go on air whenever I can and then, once I'm on air.

00:27:47.367 --> 00:27:48.296
I like to stay on air.

00:27:48.296 --> 00:27:53.957
I'm crazy like that but I think the more comfortable you are on air, obviously, the better off you're going to be.

00:27:53.957 --> 00:27:56.343
You should stay on air through overhaul as well.

00:27:56.343 --> 00:28:04.717
So I do believe that we need to train in our gear and I don't like necessarily doing pull-ups in gear and deadlifts in gear.

00:28:05.398 --> 00:28:15.201
I like to do more fire ground related things, where you're carrying things upstairs, where you're maybe dragging some hose line, ldh, or you're crawling right.

00:28:15.201 --> 00:28:25.595
Those are things that we need to be able to do and you could do a plank or some core stuff, because you're putting those positions when you have your SCBA and when you're in gear.

00:28:25.595 --> 00:28:35.305
So try to just look at more fire ground related movements and simulate them while in gear, and if you can go on air for a little bit, great.

00:28:35.305 --> 00:28:42.276
But as soon as you're done, strip that gear off and do some stretching and cool down exercises outside of that gear.

00:28:42.837 --> 00:28:51.082
But because we still need to perform in it, it's still got to practice in it and I think it's it still got to practice in it and I think it goes back to every single spore.

00:28:51.082 --> 00:28:52.623
There's got to be a time to.

00:28:52.623 --> 00:28:56.288
You have to have an acclimation period, but football they still.

00:28:56.288 --> 00:29:04.255
They try to minimize how much they're in their pads, but they still are in it at some point because you have to simulate.

00:29:04.255 --> 00:29:09.925
But you got to practice like you play and so for those that are out there shaking their head going, they have PFAS in them.

00:29:09.925 --> 00:29:17.987
I'm like I get it, but we can't avoid that and you still are paid or you're expected to be able to move in that gear and perform in that gear.

00:29:17.987 --> 00:29:23.487
It's our obligation, it's what we promised to our community members and our crew members.

00:29:23.487 --> 00:29:28.723
Minimize it as much as you can, but still get some in so you can perform and do the duties you're supposed to.

00:29:28.763 --> 00:29:31.367
Yeah, pfas is one of those things.

00:29:31.367 --> 00:29:36.724
I've had conversations with some of the guys at NC State University over here.

00:29:36.724 --> 00:29:37.948
They're textile labs.

00:29:37.948 --> 00:29:57.005
They develop next generation firefighting gear and they test everything and there is such a deep conversation on that and if somebody's crutching on that as to why they should never touch their gear other than a structure fire, they really do need to step back and take a look at it, because if you're wearing a Gore-Tex when you're fishing, guess what?

00:29:57.005 --> 00:29:58.180
You're getting some PFAS.

00:29:58.180 --> 00:30:00.938
There's some PFAS Depending where you live.

00:30:00.938 --> 00:30:02.240
What you may have in.

00:30:02.240 --> 00:30:09.810
You could be even higher than a firefighter in another part of the country just because of where you grow up or what's in your environment.

00:30:10.336 --> 00:30:12.083
So, yeah, a lot of food for thought on that.

00:30:12.083 --> 00:30:17.666
I do believe that the industry needs to address it.

00:30:17.666 --> 00:30:26.942
When I was having a conversation today, I think part of the issue is that these manufacturers lied to you, and I think that's the main thing no, there's no PFAS in your gear.

00:30:26.942 --> 00:30:32.703
When you got it independently tested, you're like well, wait a minute, this is a lot higher than what you were indicating.

00:30:32.703 --> 00:30:38.227
And I think there's where the discussion needs to be.

00:30:38.227 --> 00:30:42.661
Is all right, it's like the cigarettes right, like cigarettes, don't harm you.

00:30:42.775 --> 00:30:47.303
And all of a sudden, someone's like wait a minute, you guys are hiding all this research.

00:30:47.303 --> 00:31:04.221
Or and to me, that's the part that leaves a really bitter taste in my mouth is that here we are doing all this stuff to sacrifice, to build our communities, and these businesses are like yeah, we're, yeah, you're fine, don't worry about this.

00:31:04.221 --> 00:31:06.557
Good stuff for you, it's gonna help you and I.

00:31:06.557 --> 00:31:07.178
I just think.

00:31:07.178 --> 00:31:08.761
I think I'm not.

00:31:08.761 --> 00:31:10.425
I don't want to leave anybody off the hook.

00:31:10.425 --> 00:31:16.067
I think we need to really make some changes in it, but until we get those changes, we still have that obligation.

00:31:16.067 --> 00:31:17.578
So I just wanted to make sure.

00:31:17.578 --> 00:31:18.382
Right, you and I.

00:31:18.402 --> 00:31:33.381
We could talk for hours on it, but I think this is where the fire service and then those manufacturing companies really need to step up at this point, and I think it won't be too long before there'll be a lot of things that are going to start to change, because I know science is working hard at it.

00:31:33.381 --> 00:31:35.307
But, like you say, we depend on the gear.

00:31:35.307 --> 00:31:36.397
We can't do without it.

00:31:36.397 --> 00:31:37.602
Work with it.

00:31:38.664 --> 00:31:39.234
Work with it, yep.

00:31:39.615 --> 00:31:46.259
And I know you say you go to a lot of conferences and we don't go to a huge amount, but we do get around.

00:31:46.259 --> 00:31:50.781
And years ago health and wellness cardiac that was a big issue.

00:31:50.781 --> 00:31:57.586
Then cancer was the big issue and to my nonprofit that's the big one North Carolina Firefighter Cancer Alliance.

00:31:57.586 --> 00:32:03.170
We always look at how to reduce exposures and we do the peer support for folks to get a diagnosis and things like that.

00:32:03.170 --> 00:32:05.451
But guess what?

00:32:05.451 --> 00:32:07.192
Now it's mental health.

00:32:07.192 --> 00:32:08.393
That's the big thing.

00:32:08.393 --> 00:32:14.540
So what do you think is going to be the next big thing?

00:32:14.540 --> 00:32:16.189
It's sad that we go in cycles like that because all of it is so important.

00:32:16.189 --> 00:32:18.317
What do you think we see coming up when we start talking about?

00:32:18.336 --> 00:32:20.161
firefighter, wellness.

00:32:20.161 --> 00:32:21.203
How much time do we have?

00:32:21.203 --> 00:32:22.928
I'll tell you, I think sleep.

00:32:22.928 --> 00:32:26.079
Obviously sleep is already starting to come to the forefront.

00:32:26.079 --> 00:32:33.122
And then my personal, where I'd like to see all this go and I'm trying to push it a little bit, and part of it is my own mistake.

00:32:33.295 --> 00:32:37.926
I used to just be the fitness guy and go to these conferences and they'd say, damn, how do I get in shape?

00:32:37.926 --> 00:32:44.303
And I'd offer pre-workout programs and nutrition programs, which we're going to offer to the listeners here, thank you.

00:32:44.303 --> 00:32:56.747
But I'd still see that there's quite a few people that just didn't really benefit from it, and part of it was everybody's at different stages of their lives, and we have external things that I think play into it.

00:32:56.747 --> 00:33:19.663
But I really believe a lot of times, as I looked into it, people couldn't work out because they were tired or we weren't sleeping very well because of the trauma, the mental trauma, and then that led to poor decisions in nutrition and those poor nutritional decisions really added more inflammation and made our systems worse.

00:33:19.663 --> 00:33:30.107
And so I think where it's going is you're going to have the sleep and people are going to talk about four shift and different shift schedules, and I think it's great.

00:33:30.736 --> 00:33:35.114
But where I'd like to see it go is let's look at the confluence of all these things together.

00:33:35.114 --> 00:33:42.002
Right, let's look at eating and moving and sleeping and minding our mental health.

00:33:42.002 --> 00:33:43.924
Think treating people better.

00:33:43.924 --> 00:33:57.977
Gratitude can play into that and how, building a salad resistant resiliency protocol, right, where you try to get to bed by 10 o'clock so you can get your seven and nine hours.

00:33:57.977 --> 00:34:07.707
You drink 80 ounces of water because you understand how that really helps to wash out a lot of the inflammation or the exposures that we have.

00:34:08.275 --> 00:34:16.465
I understand, like, nutritionally, there's a lot of great foods in the firehouse but like those sugar spikes add to inflammation.

00:34:16.465 --> 00:34:24.735
I'm not saying don't do it anytime, but just understand how that can play into you being crabby at two o'clock if you've had two of them in the morning, right it's.

00:34:24.735 --> 00:34:32.865
You know, eating foods that can help with inflammation more vegetables, more fruits, more healthy fats.

00:34:32.865 --> 00:34:46.382
Functionally training, which we focused and talked a lot about but moving and exercising to help you improve performance and reduce those injuries, and that'll lead to prolonging your career as well.

00:34:46.382 --> 00:34:54.085
Focusing on creating a good kind of sleep habit or sleep awareness.

00:34:54.085 --> 00:35:02.088
You're not going to be perfect every night, but focusing on it a little more is going to help and those small little details can go a long way.

00:35:02.088 --> 00:35:06.322
And then, obviously, working on consistency with it and that down the line.

00:35:06.382 --> 00:35:17.054
I think that draws into accountability, right, hey, are we going to get to a point where we need some accountability, more accountability testing or more accountability evaluations?

00:35:17.054 --> 00:35:19.543
And I firmly believe we need to a little bit.

00:35:19.543 --> 00:35:28.539
We owe it to the population, we owe it to the community to hold each other to at least a certain standard, so we are useful.

00:35:28.539 --> 00:35:31.161
I think that's where we're going with it is.

00:35:31.161 --> 00:35:39.485
You're going to, you're going to hear a lot about sleep and then hopefully, you start to hear about okay, how do I put all these pieces together to be a more resilient person?

00:35:39.485 --> 00:35:46.061
Because mental health, believe it or not, nutrition plays into it, sleep plays into it.

00:35:47.135 --> 00:35:55.130
Anytime you go to now recovery, like addiction recovery centers, all have fitness as part of a mandatory component of it.

00:35:55.130 --> 00:36:11.242
So obviously the fitness side of that is very valuable and I think just by continually trying to add a little bit here and a little bit there, people can create the again that protocol which will help them throughout their career.

00:36:11.242 --> 00:36:12.364
And that's where I'm at.

00:36:12.364 --> 00:36:28.284
Like, I try to do 30 minutes of exercise a day, I try to get 8,500 steps, I try to drink 80 ounces of water, I try to get to bed and power down, but for me it's 1030, power down at 10, meaning I just try to reduce blue lights.

00:36:28.284 --> 00:36:30.824
I have these glasses that I've been wearing lately and they help.

00:36:30.824 --> 00:36:32.340
I need more focus on that.

00:36:32.340 --> 00:36:36.141
That's an everyday kind of thing, and one another thing is gratitude.

00:36:36.181 --> 00:36:50.920
Man, just one minute a day helps a ton, because you can sit at that kitchen table and you can get caught in the toilet ball, as I like to call it right, where she started doing this, and we got this and this and this today and I get it.

00:36:50.920 --> 00:36:53.983
But we also get to ride a fire truck.

00:36:53.983 --> 00:37:23.447
Man, people trust us and people look forward to seeing us, and I was just at I worked Saturday and we were at this fair for, like this neighborhood fair for an hour and a half because kids just kept wanting to ask us questions and adults wanted to talk to us, and that's such a great thing that the community bestows on us and so to be able to provide a service to them where it's a very gratifying thing and it's an honor to be able to do that.

00:37:23.447 --> 00:37:23.969
And I think I have a.

00:37:23.989 --> 00:37:25.938
I got that outlook because I wasn't always in the fire service man.

00:37:25.938 --> 00:37:45.217
I did some crappy jobs before, even training, and so now I'm just very grateful for the opportunity to do that, and I'm not always chipper, but it's one of those things that you still do have a choice on how you're going to respond, and the gratitude thing for me was one that I was just like wow, just one little thing.

00:37:45.217 --> 00:37:47.744
Like there's a journal pops up that says what are you grateful for?

00:37:47.744 --> 00:37:54.565
Today I'm going to say, hey, I got to talk to Travis here and we had a great time and I was able to be on the All Clear podcast.

00:37:54.565 --> 00:37:56.815
Hopefully it made a difference to somebody.

00:37:59.023 --> 00:38:05.557
Yeah, and one of the things that I have to remind myself occasionally is that our job is a privilege.

00:38:05.557 --> 00:38:17.268
Yes, we get paid to do what we do, but at the end of the day, it's a privilege and a responsibility to our community, to ourselves, to our families, and that gratitude is huge.

00:38:17.268 --> 00:38:32.820
And for me, I've started journaling in the last I don't know probably two or three months, and literally sitting down for five minutes in the morning with a piece of paper and writing out longhand what's on your mind, what are you grateful for, what do you find a challenge.

00:38:32.820 --> 00:38:35.925
That really helps to organize a lot of that and get it in check.

00:38:35.925 --> 00:38:40.327
And when you start doing all of those things, everything starts working.

00:38:40.474 --> 00:38:44.467
And the whole point of our podcast we talk about light your fire within.

00:38:44.467 --> 00:38:59.969
We always say that at the end that's because each of us need to become better firefighters and we're just trying to put all those voices together, like yours and so many more that we talk to, because everybody has something important to bring to the table and we all have to focus on it.

00:38:59.969 --> 00:39:05.367
And I appreciate you lending us your experience with fitness and overall well-being today.

00:39:05.367 --> 00:39:07.597
That was huge and I greatly appreciate that.

00:39:08.480 --> 00:39:09.826
Yeah Well, thanks for having me.

00:39:09.826 --> 00:39:17.047
I think it's outside even the fire service just about being better people and making that kind of an impact on society as well.

00:39:17.047 --> 00:39:18.257
We're very fortunate to work.

00:39:18.257 --> 00:39:26.063
I think a lot of community members look at us for that right Like we're sometimes that that positive thing for them.

00:39:26.063 --> 00:39:38.876
I mean they might see us and they know that we're there for them and sometimes that just gives them, like you said, it's just a, it's sometimes it's a feeling of safety and it's a very gratifying thing and it is an honor to be able to do it.

00:39:38.956 --> 00:39:50.327
And one of the things that I think gives me a good perspective too is the fact that I get to talk to wonderful people like yourself, and I've been out to the National Fire Academy and I've seen the wall.

00:39:50.327 --> 00:39:56.967
Unfortunately, I've had some instances where some members have died and I think they don't get this opportunity ever.

00:39:56.967 --> 00:40:19.324
They're no longer with us, and so I just feel like it's our honor and we still are able to do it, so let's do it the best we can, and it is hard sometimes, but it's a heck of a lot better than a lot of the other stuff I was able to or that I was doing in the past, appreciate the opportunity to talk a little fitness and life and I hope somebody takes advantage of this program.

00:40:19.324 --> 00:40:20.438
I'll send you the link.

00:40:20.438 --> 00:40:21.402
You can put it in your show notes.

00:40:21.442 --> 00:40:21.983
Absolutely.

00:40:22.275 --> 00:40:29.505
If anybody has any questions or if they think I'm on to something or on something, they can reach out and I'll leave you my email.

00:40:29.505 --> 00:40:33.670
But they can go to fireescuefitnesscom contact, and that's me.

00:40:33.670 --> 00:40:39.827
They can also go to the Better Every Shift podcast page, and that's me as well, and I'll try to leave you a link.

00:40:39.827 --> 00:40:47.789
Sure, If somebody's out there struggling to stay consistent when they need somebody just to email them every once in a while, I love doing that.

00:40:47.789 --> 00:40:50.063
We had mentioned it before.

00:40:50.063 --> 00:40:53.175
We're not the best with social media, but I love emailing people.

00:40:53.175 --> 00:40:58.206
And that's where the ZAM thing came up, because I was always typing my name.

00:40:58.206 --> 00:41:00.302
I'd be sending people like how's it going today?

00:41:00.302 --> 00:41:02.001
And then I'd have to type in area, ZAM zone.

00:41:02.001 --> 00:41:04.780
I'd always mess it up, so I'm like heck with it.

00:41:04.780 --> 00:41:10.152
So ZAM send and I was able to get more emails out, and that's where that whole thing started.

00:41:10.172 --> 00:41:12.358
Productivity yeah, productivity right.

00:41:12.358 --> 00:41:14.003
But thanks, man, keep doing what you're doing.

00:41:14.003 --> 00:41:17.461
This is a great show and I appreciate the opportunity.

00:41:17.481 --> 00:41:20.818
No, no worries, no worries, and allclearpodcastcom.

00:41:20.818 --> 00:41:22.661
You can go there and you'll be able to find all the notes.

00:41:22.661 --> 00:41:29.800
So if you go to guests of the show, you'll see Aaron's or Zam's, his whole profile and all his links and all that good stuff.

00:41:29.800 --> 00:41:35.108
But before I let you go, Zam, I don't know if you've ever listened, but we do have a small tradition here on All Clear.

00:41:35.108 --> 00:41:36.755
I do have a question for you.

00:41:36.755 --> 00:41:38.777
You know what you call a sleeping bull.

00:41:40.501 --> 00:41:41.141
What's that?

00:41:41.141 --> 00:41:43.786
You know what you call a sleeping bull.

00:41:43.786 --> 00:41:45.086
Don't burn too much.

00:41:45.086 --> 00:41:45.708
How?

00:41:46.369 --> 00:41:47.130
censored is this?

00:41:47.130 --> 00:41:50.001
It's pretty censored and I'm not that far off.

00:41:50.001 --> 00:41:51.197
You call it a bulldozer?

00:41:51.197 --> 00:41:53.322
Ah, all right.

00:41:53.342 --> 00:41:55.005
You see, that's a great dad joke.

00:41:55.146 --> 00:41:55.788
And dad jokes.

00:41:55.788 --> 00:41:57.057
They make me smile.

00:41:57.057 --> 00:41:58.501
Hopefully they make somebody else smile.

00:41:58.501 --> 00:42:01.615
People come up to us at conferences and they say that's the part of the show.

00:42:01.615 --> 00:42:02.818
They look forward to my to.

00:42:02.858 --> 00:42:08.565
My uncle used to work at a fire hydrant factory but he quit because he couldn't park anywhere near it.

00:42:08.565 --> 00:42:14.041
Yeah, you all on the line, Sure go for it.

00:42:14.715 --> 00:42:15.581
These may be reused.

00:42:15.581 --> 00:42:17.320
These may be reused.

00:42:17.320 --> 00:42:17.702
Go ahead.

00:42:18.195 --> 00:42:21.159
My dad told me he had to fight fire with fire.

00:42:21.159 --> 00:42:24.384
He was a great man but a horrible firefighter.

00:42:24.384 --> 00:42:29.286
Now he wouldn't have been a great wildland firefighter, but he was a great structural firefighter.

00:42:29.286 --> 00:42:30.436
I got you, I got you, zam.

00:42:30.496 --> 00:42:33.862
Thank you for your time and, like I said, allclearpodcastcom.

00:42:33.862 --> 00:42:40.385
You can learn more about Zam and all the wonderful things he's doing and, as we always say, be sure to light your fire within.

00:42:40.385 --> 00:42:47.606
You have been listening to All Clear Firefighter Wellness.

00:42:47.606 --> 00:42:51.385
All Clear is presented by the North Carolina Firefighter Cancer Alliance.

00:42:51.385 --> 00:42:55.304
You can find out more about us at allclearpodcastcom.

00:42:55.304 --> 00:42:56.706
Leave us a message.

00:42:56.706 --> 00:42:57.913
We'd love to hear from you.

00:42:57.913 --> 00:43:00.483
If you like what you hear, tell someone.

00:43:00.483 --> 00:43:05.494
All opinions expressed on the podcast do not always reflect the opinions of the podcast.

00:43:05.494 --> 00:43:08.244
As always, light your fire within.