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Small Changes That Make a Big Impact

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It seems that we are inundated with wellness tips for dispatchers these days, and for good reason. Dispatchers prioritize work over their own health way too often. While it is an understandable affliction (after all, 911 can become an addiction that keeps us coming back for years), it comes at a heavy cost. If you have been a workaholic at the expense of your health for more years than you can count, where is the best place to start taking care of yourself?

Tiny Steps Toward Better Physical Health

When you think of making changes to your diet or to your fitness level, do you just get lost thinking of how far you have to go? It’s easy to get overwhelmed when you think of taking better care of yourself, especially if you feel like you’ve fallen into a morass of unhealthy habits. Brushing off that sense of dread will help you see the tiny changes that you can make immediately. And I use the word tiny because it doesn’t take much to get you on the right path.

Do you have a dispatch console that raises and lowers? Do you rarely stand during your shift? Try standing for 5 minutes at a time. If you can’t even consider that, try one minute. Then tomorrow try two minutes. Research from April of 2024 in the Journal of Applied Physiology (https://journals.physiology.org/doi/abs/10.1152/japplphysiol.00361.2023?utm_source=arnoldspumpclub.schwarzenegger.com&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=the-easiest-way-to-help-prevent-heart-disease&_bhlid=7104b443f5bc6cac07af30cc7fb0519156a5ba67) shows that negative cardiorespiratory effects can be mitigated by standing or walking for only five minutes at a time. And the negative effects of sitting are the same whether you are in excellent physical condition, or not. Standing every two hours could be your first small change that leads to more.

After you’ve been standing for five to ten minutes per shift, try standing on one foot for ten seconds. Switch to the other foot, then stand on one foot for 15 seconds, then 20, and so on. Does this sound ridiculously easy? Do you think it won’t make a difference? In research from the British Journal of Sports Medicine first published in June of 2022 (https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/56/17/975), the ability to stand on one leg for at least 10 seconds (yes, only 10 seconds) was associated with a longer life expectancy. The sample population used in the study was mostly men (68%), and all participants were aged 51-75 years. Why did they start at age 51? Because it is after age 50 where we see the biggest drop in our ability to balance. Being able to balance is about strength, so if you do nothing to maintain or improve strength, your balance will suffer, which increases the chance that you will fall. And falling, even in those as “young” as 50, is associated with early death.

If you know that the journey to improve your physical health will be a long haul, start with something as small, as tiny, as standing for five minutes every two hours, or standing on one foot for a few seconds a day. It may become something that you can do successfully, and that you can use as a stepping stone to make larger changes. Are you more concerned about your mental health, though?

Added Benefits

There have been multiple studies that show the connection between exercise and reducing depressive symptoms. In a study released in July of 2023 in the Journal of the American Medical Association, JAMA, (https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2807113), they learned that as little as 45 minutes a week of moderate to vigorous physical activity can reduce the risk of depression. That breaks down to seven minutes a day that could improve your outlook in the long run. Don’t have 7 minutes a day? What about 1 minute to march in place? What about 30 seconds? Once again, think of something tiny that you can do 5-6 times a week, and you could be on your way to larger changes. What about involving other members of your shift? Tell them what you are doing and why. Support from others is a proven way to maintain motivation.

Don’t let the “overwhelm” mentality keep you from doing something small to improve your health. Do it for your family. Do it for yourself. Do it so that you can keep running on the treadmill that is 911, if that’s what you want to do. Just be sure to do something tiny today.

If you want to read more about how the smallest of changes can create massive ones in the long run, check out this book: One Small Step Can Change Your Life, The Kaizen Way, by Robert Maurer Ph.D.

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