Feeling "Too Old for this Shift"?

First Responders: Science shows it isn't age making us feel old, it's stuff we lose. Here are three keys to feeling stronger longer in the job you love.

In the movie "Lethal weapon," Danny Glover played a cop who was “getting too old for this ...shift.” Yet he kept at it because he loved the job and felt like he was making a difference.

We all eventually get too old for this "shift." But good self-maintenance now could mean the difference between retiring on your own terms or being forced out of a job you love by a body you don't.

If, you, too, want to continue making a difference as long as possible, but you've been off the "wellness wagon" and aren't sure where to start working on your health, I'm writing for you today.

I want to share a problem we experience, three keys to addressing it, and simple ideas to help you act.

The problem, as we age, is that we lose things. I'm not talking about our keys or our hair, but stuff that makes us feel “too old for this shift.” Starting in our 30's we lose about 5% of our muscle mass every decade. At the same time, we're losing flexibility in our joints.

This should matter to us as emergency responders: muscle loss and stiff joints are common causes of back pain, which affects more than half of us each year. That’s a major problem in a job that routinely demands lifting, bending, climbing, and carrying stuff, and where most of our injuries are sprains and strains.

Adding to the problem, we also "lose" our metabolism, which contributes to fatigue and an increased risk of diabetes and heart disease (already a problem for us).

Sounds hopeless, doesn't it? Like we ARE getting too old for this shift?

The silver lining behind that dark cloud is this: you don't lose it if you use it.

In "The Dallas Bed Rest Study," healthy 20-year-olds kept on bed rest for 3 weeks experienced devastating drops in muscle, health, and strength - like what you'd "expect" to see in someone almost three times their age.

In fact, follow-up studies of those same men at age 50 found that their health had been affected more by those three weeks of sedentary living than by 30 years of natural aging. On top of that, their age-related loss of aerobic power was 100% reversed when they started training again.

The body of evidence clearly supports the idea that the "typical problems of aging" are caused more by sedentary lifestyles than by aging alone. Even into advanced ages, adults can gain muscle and strength, and slow down or even turn back the clock on cardiovascular declines and metabolic diseases.

So what's the real problem, then?

I believe it’s partly a mindset problem: we're conditioned to expect less of ourselves as we get older, so we lose motivation.

Physically, though, we do lose something called "metabolic elasticity" as we age. We don’t process stress as efficiently, so it builds up, and our recovery - especially from harder efforts - slows down.

So I propose three keys to aging well in the emergency services.

Key #1: Muscle is a key indicator of "health span" – meaning the time you live functionally, in relative good health. I’ve heard it said, "the goal is to die young, as old as possible."

Key #2: Strength is key to injury prevention. Stronger muscles make more stable joints, and data suggests that de-conditioned responders are up to ten times more likely to get hurt.

Data also says most of our injuries happen to 25-to 34-year-olds, not middle-agers.

Why is that?

Studies show that right after entering active duty, the average first responder keeps gaining weight and becoming more sedentary year after year. Start this pattern around age 20, and within 5 to 10 years you’re seriously de-conditioned and in that "most likely to be injured" age group. (Remember the bed rest study?)

Key #3: Fitness is a key component of resilience - our ability to maintain a healthy path of function after an adverse event.

Strength and cardio exercise each help enhance resilience and mood. In fact, a major study published in 2023 by the University of South Australia showed exercise is 150% more effective than counseling or medications at treating symptoms of depression and anxiety. Moving more helps you resist not only physical injuries, but mental and emotional stress.

So what can you do to boost your personal health span, your professional longevity, and your resilience if you've been off the "workout wagon" too long (or never got on)?

The "dose" needed to improve your health is surprisingly small: Research from 2021 found that 30 minutes of strength training per week reduced mortality from any cause by up to 20%. In a 2001 study, sedentary people who started walking 30 minutes 4 times per week dropped their heart disease risk as much as lifelong exercisers.

Haven't got 30 minutes to spare? A 2015 study showed nine 15-minute workouts over 5 days were as effective as three 45-minute workouts. And in multiple studies, a few 10-minute bouts spread throughout the day had the same health benefits as one continuous session.

If you can't squeeze in 10 to 15 minutes, there's good news! "Micro workouts" are short, 30- to 60-second bursts of exercise. Accumulating about 5 daily minutes of these has been linked to a 40% drop in all-cause mortality, 30% lower cancer mortality risk, and a 35% reduced risk of cardiovascular death.

Accumulating 11 daily minutes can drop your cardiovascular death risk by a remarkable 65%!

“Micro workouts” are short enough to do almost anywhere without inducing serious sweating. They boost your mood and focus, helping you feel more positive and productive. But to be effective, they should be vigorous: think jumping jacks, running in place, jogging the stairs, fast squats, or push-ups.

For first responders who’ve been off the wellness wagon, improving cardiovascular risk, injury resistance, and resilience doesn’t require a huge time commitment or complicated plans. Showing up for yourself simply and consistently now can help keep you from feeling “too old for this shift” before you’re ready.