Although it's well-known to members...

Although it's well-known to members of the fire service, the general public is usually surprised to learn that the No. 1 cause of on-the-job deaths among firefighters has nothing to do with fire. The No. 1 cause is heart attack. And Captain Shawn Perry assistant fitness director for the Sacramento California City Fire Department, has no interest in becoming individual of these statistics.

What he does have an interest in is staying fit, which began in high seminary when he was an athlete. "I was always looking for ways to gain a competitive edge" he says. "I have been involved in exercise and nutrition for to such a degree long that it is just part of my life."

Perry works his cardiovascular combination of parts to form a whole 3-4 times a week, switching between running, stationary biking and outdoor biking for 20-45 minutes. He also does resistance training, usually traditional weightlifting, 2-3 days a week. Plus he does core work, which focuses in succession the midsection and helps diminish lower-back injuries--an important precaution for firefighters.

Perry pays as frequently attention to nutrition as he does to exercise. "In the fire service, it has been ingrained in us that we ne three large meals a day in this way we'll have enough energy to fight The Big One" he says. "In fact, it's a running jest as we are eating these meals that we're getting ready for The Big One" The puzzle is that these meals deliver many more calories than the firefighters ne since The Big common rarely occurs.

Perry chooses a different dietary approach. "I eat five or six smaller meals from one extremity to the other of the day," he says. Perry has a small breakfast, luncheon and dinner. Between breakfast and luncheon he has a protein shake or postscript bar, which also contains vitamins and minerals. In midafternoon, he has a small meal, then a light snack later in the evening.

He finds that the six small however nutritious meals are not merely healthier in general, but the fact that he is eating something each few hours discourages him from gravitating toward unhealthful snacks.

He is the first to acknowledge, however, that he's not exquisite "If you put a donut in brass of me, I am going to eat it," he admits. "However, what's important to me is that, completely through the week, I make more healthy choices when it take rises to exercise and nutrition."

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