# Female EMT Fitness



## Stewart1990

I'm a soon to be 19 yo EMT student, who honestly needs to drop alot of weight and work on upper body strength. I have asthma, which causes me some grief, because it is exercise-induced. I want to be as good or better than the boys, but honestly dont know where do begin. Any workout regiment I have found for EMTs is for men trying to bulk up. I'm 5'2, and I can't do that much bulking up. Lol. I'm basically starting from scratch.:blush:


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## Sapphyre

Stewart, what I did when I was worried about both my weight and strength, was buy some personal training sessions at the gym, and told my trainer what I was up too.  It's the best bet, really, for me anyway.


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## Stewart1990

I'm not really well off financially, so this sort of isnt an option. Gym membership will run me dry as it is


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## fit4duty

Stewart1990 said:


> I'm a soon to be 19 yo EMT student, who honestly needs to drop alot of weight and work on upper body strength. I have asthma, which causes me some grief, because it is exercise-induced. I want to be as good or better than the boys, but honestly dont know where do begin. Any workout regiment I have found for EMTs is for men trying to bulk up. I'm 5'2, and I can't do that much bulking up. Lol. I'm basically starting from scratch.:blush:



Alrighty sunshine lets start with the basics:

define "a lot of weight"
whats the trigger for the asthma -- allergen v. exercise
up to this moment in time whats been the extent of your activity
The good news is 99% of the EMT programs out there don't care about your fitness level. So lets focus on getting you prepared to do the job after you get your cert. When does your program start and how long does it last?


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## Stewart1990

fit4duty said:


> Alrighty sunshine lets start with the basics:
> 
> define "a lot of weight"
> whats the trigger for the asthma -- allergen v. exercise
> up to this moment in time whats been the extent of your activity
> The good news is 99% of the EMT programs out there don't care about your fitness level. So lets focus on getting you prepared to do the job after you get your cert. When does your program start and how long does it last?



i could stand to loose about 50-75 pounds. alot, i know. But i have a bigger frame, 'built for fire service' as i have been called. 

I have been told by my doctor that it's exercise induced. All I can explain it as is that whenever I do anything strenuous, my lungs seem to panic and don't know what to do. I use albuterol. I can control it when absolutely neccesary, but it can be the only thing i think about, all my brain can seem to do is scream "1,2,3, BREATHE, 1,2,3....." No allergic stimuli.

Because of the massive amount of fat I want to lose, I want to start early, and do it right. Low-impact to start, then on to high-impact. 

My program starts in August, in the peak of bad-for-asthmatics season, so I want to start conditioning myself now.


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## fit4duty

How long does it go for?


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## fit4duty

*You will have to walk*

Walk. 
Everyday. Multiple times a day if you wish.
Start with 15 minutes at a comfortable pace that does not significantly elevate your heart rate. 
Record your heart rate during each trek out.
WE ARE NOT INTERESTED IN RAISING YOUR HEART RATE INTO A TRAINING ZONE.
Go easy
Then progress forward in 5minute increments until you reach 60 minutes.
Don’t worry that the pace may not seem very strenuous, combined the lengthened duration and increased frequency of activity it will be effective.
Once you can go comfortably for 60minutes THEN lets speed it up a bit. 
**********************************************
Important Things To Remember:

don't extend the time of activity until you are comfortable
Monitor and record your heart rate
Be aware of new aches, pains and how your body is adapting to the work, including tracking/recording your peak flow


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## medic417

Talk with your doctor.  

A couple of things that can make a big difference is walking in place while watching your tv.  When using the computer stand up rather than sitting.  In other words do something rather than nothing.  

If you usually eat two hamburgers eat one and a half then eventually just one.  In other words slowly cut portions.


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## Stewart1990

*thanks*

alot of good advice here. i think i will definatly speak to my doctor, at least about my asthma. I will update when i get info, so maybe it will help some other females here.


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## LucidResq

Swim. As long as the pool chemicals don't aggravate your asthma, it will help you build lung capacity and lose weight without straining your joints (which can be an issue if you're overweight). I understand that if you're carrying some extra weight, going out for a run is not the easiest thing to do. If you start off swimming, you can get in some sort of shape and then start getting into some weight-bearing cardio. 

Make sure you're lifting weights too. It will increase your basal metabolism, help prevent osteoporosis, and I don't think I have to tell you that EMS involves plenty of heavy lifting.


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## BossyCow

Stewart1990 said:


> alot of good advice here. i think i will definatly speak to my doctor, at least about my asthma. I will update when i get info, so maybe it will help some other females here.



I found that the breathing exercises in a good yoga class are very helpful for my asthma.


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## Stewart1990

BossyCow said:


> I found that the breathing exercises in a good yoga class are very helpful for my asthma.



was looking into it. good for flexibility too, although not neccesarily for EMS purposes *cough* sorry......


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## exodus

Stewart1990 said:


> was looking into it. good for flexibility too, although not neccesarily for EMS purposes *cough* sorry......



HAH! Hah! I'll shut up now and retreat over here ------------------------------------------------------------>

Biggest thing is make your legs strong. Do that, and it will come together


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## Stewart1990

exodus said:


> HAH! Hah! I'll shut up now and retreat over here ------------------------------------------------------------>
> 
> Biggest thing is make your legs strong. Do that, and it will come together



I HEARD THAT! 
lol j/k

but yoga is a good start.
looks like im buying a mat and dvds.


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## LucidResq

Try pilates? Personally, yoga doesn't really do it for me. I know a lot of people love it, but I LOVE pilates. Great for building core strength. I had a noticeable, significant improvement in my posture and core after a few weeks of pilates.


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## Stewart1990

All of you have good ideas. I have no idea how i didnt figure these thing out in the beginning!


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## fit4duty

Hey Stewart1990 how are things progressing?


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## emt1994

Hey have you tried accupuncture for your asthma I had it really bad attacks all the time went for accupuncture it really helped me a lot dont laugh everyone but it does help along with working out at the gym


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## Wee-EMT

I agree with lucid....SWIM!
Swimming is a full body cardio work out. It helps you lose the fat and gain body strength. It's probably one of the best things you can do it you have asthma. If your not into doing laps for an hour, most pools offer classes. Aquasize and Deep water work out would be my suggestions. It’s extremely low impact, helps your posture and depending on your instructor, killer for cardio. 
Swimming for 1 hour:  550-800 calories
Walking for 1 hour: 150-300 calories
Running for 1 hour: 500-1000 calories
1 pound of fat =3500 calories


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## Melclin

++++ a million on the swimming. No better exercise I reckon, esp for people with asthma. Easy on your body, good for just about all your muscles including your heart, great way to loose weight, good for your posture....I gotta start swimming again.


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## ChargerGirl

-get into cooking your own food = portion control/healthier choices/fun to have friends over to help cook meals
-walk and explore your city, hide the car keys if your close to stores etc
-own a dog=workout buddy/motivator/ good for the soul
-if you dont own weights use books or soup cans to tone arms
-taking the stairs and skipping a stair is the equivalent of lunges
-keep a food/exercise diary
-swimming is fun too and burns a lot of calories
-try out new sports like tennis or badmitton, my friend and i look for fun/free things around our city to try out
-there are women on craigslist that post in the friends section that are looking for workout buddies who are at the same level/weight range (just be cautious)
-no more soda, switch to water or flavor your water with lemon/strawberries/ or cucumbers if plain water is boring
-most importantly though take a few days off and dont burn yourself out
and dont get too skinny cuz guys prefer curves anyways


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## Medic744

Talk to your doc about referring you to a nutritionist/dietician to help with the actual food part of it and as fas as exercise goes not everybody can afford a trainer (I can't) but local YMCAs offer a wide range of classes that you can join plus access to their gyms and pools for not alot of money.


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## highvelocity84

I'm currently in a strength training program with a gal who trains those for the fire fighter academy.

I also have asthma.

If you'd like to PM me, I could tell you what I do.

But for starters, if you're lookin' to strength train...you have to know how much protein you need in you A DAY!  There's a formula.  Once you know that, you need to eat every couple of hours.  A protein shake or two a day would be good.  GNC has some really good 100% Whey Protein in Cookies 'n' Cream and other flavors.  Don't recommend the Strawberry.

If you're getting in 2 days a week on your arms, and 2 days a week on your legs...as far as training...that's fabulous.  Just make sure that you take a day to work your CORE.

I'm actually quite thin and I needed to get more upper body strength...Somewhat of an opposite, but as you see, I have my own weak areas.

Let me know your thoughts.



Stewart1990 said:


> I'm a soon to be 19 yo EMT student, who honestly needs to drop alot of weight and work on upper body strength. I have asthma, which causes me some grief, because it is exercise-induced. I want to be as good or better than the boys, but honestly dont know where do begin. Any workout regiment I have found for EMTs is for men trying to bulk up. I'm 5'2, and I can't do that much bulking up. Lol. I'm basically starting from scratch.:blush:


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