Activity-duty service members have many responsibilities: staying fit, learning life-saving tactical skills, maintaining administrative duties and managing the near-endless stress of performing a potentially dangerous job day and night. When first joining the military (as well as other tactical professions), their primary goals are to perform and learn new skills quickly while being physically stressed. These two abilities typically measure their job performance potential.
Job Performance
Being fit to do your job is easy to understand. The term “tactical fitness” has been around for the last 15 years and means people in tactical professions have to be able to perform their jobs fully and be strong enough to save their own lives, their partners’ lives or the lives of victims during emergencies and on any potential terrain.
A level of fitness is required to perform that primary mission, and the ability to apply tactical skills learned in training defines job performance. If fitness is not part of your daily programming and you are in any tactical profession, you could jeopardize your life and the people you protect.
But physical activity is more than performing your job; it is also about being healthy and setting yourself up well for longevity in your chosen career. Regardless of your job, you will hopefully be older longer than you are younger in this life. Start preparing for the next decades while you are young.
Health and Wellness Now Build Longevity
If you make the military, police or fire departments a career, realize that you will be older for more time than you are younger. Your 20s will likely not cause many issues, as you are still training, working and even playing hard without many negative results from high-stress living.
Things start to change in your 30s and 40s, when the ability to outwork your diet is gone and you need more time to recover from workouts. Life’s stresses also increase with family life and work responsibilities, so the need to “actively pursue recovery” is a new mantra for remaining healthy. This means your sleep, nutrition and other de-stressing skills must be practiced very seriously.
The Big 3: Sleep, Nutrition and Breathing
These are the big three of stress recovery. Sure, sleeping, eating well and breathing are not sexy, but they also do not require the purchase of ice baths, infrared (IR) saunas, massage tools or compression boots. When you truly want to recover from stress (physical, mental, emotional, work, family, etc.) start with the basics: Sleep, nutrition and breathing. If you have these three tools in balance, you will find that your health, wellness and job performance all improve. Also, mastery of these three recovery tools is the key to longevity in your career and post-career life.
It is not easy. The long days, sleepless nights, combat deployments, job stress, family stress and poor eating habits will take their toll during your 30s, 40s and beyond. Here are the requirements to improve your health and wellness:
Sleep — It’s No. 1: You must get sleep. Even if you work night shifts and odd hours, your sleep must be a priority. Even nutritionists will say sleep is our No. 1 recovery tool from the stressful events that occur each day. Tips for a better night’s sleep:
- Avoid drinking caffeine long before you try to sleep. If you do not drink caffeine eight hours before your bedtime, you will be able to go to sleep more easily, as the half-life of caffeine is 5-9 hours. (Quit Caffeine)
- Set your watch for bedtime. I have my watch set about an hour before I go to bed. This reminds me that I must start winding down, change into sleeping clothes, stop looking at screens (phone, computer, TV) and actively get ready for sleep.
- Turn off electronics at least 30-45 minutes before going to bed and darken your space unless you choose to read (a book — not on a screen) at this time.
- Set a cool temperature for sleeping. Studies show that 67-70 degrees Fahrenheit is a good range for falling asleep quickly. Take a quick shower to cool your body and use a fan if air conditioning is limited.
- Go dark or wear an eye mask. When it is time to sleep, remove as many light sources from the room as possible, even during the day.
Nutrition planning (food and water): As we age, the hard-gainer life of our teens and 20s no longer applies to most people. You can’t outwork your diet, so focusing on portion control, even with healthy foods, is a requirement. Foods rich in protein and amino acids, good carbohydrates (fruits and vegetables), fats, antioxidants, electrolytes, omega-3 fatty acids and other vitamins and minerals (supplements) are required for a balanced diet.
You need 80-100 ounces of water daily, as well as electrolytes, if you sweat profusely or are in arid environments that leave salt stains on your clothes. If these are not in sync, you will not have the fuel to handle workloads or workouts at the required ability to perform your job or meet physical standards in training. See Military.com — Diet and Nutrition Section. Food is fuel for future events, but it is also recovery from the day’s stress, just as sleep.
Breathing is a natural stress mitigation tool: We breathe more when we exercise. That helps, but learning to breathe deeply to reduce stress and anxiety is a useful tool you can use anywhere for the rest of your life. You have the power to promote calmness just by breathing.
Next time you face a stressful moment, whether it’s an upcoming deadline or a challenging conversation, remember to take a minute to breathe. Aim for 4-5 breath cycles in that minute to manage your feelings effectively. Start by inhaling fully through your nose, then hold your breath for 2-3 seconds. Finally, exhale slowly through your mouth for 10-15 seconds. This simple technique can help ease any jitters, butterflies or anxiety you might be experiencing.
Consider incorporating this breathing exercise into your nighttime routine as well. Doing this for a few minutes as you prepare for sleep can significantly enhance your ability to unwind, setting the stage for better and more restorative rest. If you can get solid sleep (6-7 hours) most days and eat well, you can accomplish most of your health, wellness and stress mitigation goals. Talk to friends, chaplains or counselors if you feel you need more than your body’s big three: sleep, nutrition and breathing.
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