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Security guards need to stay fit and healthy. Long shifts on your feet are the norm, and you may need to patrol a large area or building—and be ready to leap into action when emergencies happen.
Physical things that might be expected of you include restraining someone, giving CPR, or evacuating people from a property. You certainly don’t want to be limited by mobility or other health issues, as these might impede your ability to do the job and put you at risk of injury. Of course, there’s another side to the coin. Some guard jobs entail sitting for long periods, such as monitoring a security system or managing access to a building. Sitting can be as harmful to your health and fitness as smoking. Without a fitness routine to counteract those stationary shifts, you could be at increased risk for high blood pressure, obesity, metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular disease, and more.
The benefits of staying fit can’t be understated. Physical fitness directly correlates to job performance, but it also impacts how you feel in general. Exercise reduces stress and anxiety, improves your sleep, and helps you think more clearly. You’ll also be less vulnerable to illness and injury, which means fewer aches and pains at the end of the day, less time off work, and happier employers.
For today’s article, we’ve compiled a list of fitness tips for security guards to help you stay fit and ready for whatever the job has in store.
Fitness Tips for Security Guards
The benefits of physical fitness can’t be understated. Regular exercise, strength training, and good nutrition improve every area of life. Here are just a few benefits:
- Increased strength and physical capacity to respond to challenging situations
- Greater stamina and endurance for long hours on the job
- Improved flexibility helps you avoid injury
- Better mood to help you deal with challenging people
- Quality sleep so you have the energy to do what’s required of you
- Better overall mental health, less stress, and improved coping mechanisms
With all that in mind, here’s what a security guard fitness program should entail, plus a few tips for integrating fitness into each day.
Cardiovascular Workouts
Guards are often required to walk or even run on the job. Cardiovascular workouts keep you trim, help you maintain a healthy weight, and help you build physical endurance to ensure you’re ready to take charge when needed. Even if you’re not a gym rat, there are plenty of ways to get in a cardio workout that doesn’t involve setting foot on a treadmill. Here are a few ideas:
- Running or jogging is something you can do anytime. A quick 10-minute run is all you need to boost your mood and keep your blood pumping.
- Cycling is not just a great exercise; it can also get you where you’re going. Consider biking to work if it’s practical. That way, you’ll get your cardio out of the way and do your bit to save the planet.
- Stairmasters, elliptical machines, bikes, and treadmills are staple gym equipment. Don’t be afraid to mix it up: doing 10-minute sets on each machine means it’ll never get boring.
- Rowing is an excellent full-body workout. Whether you do it on a machine or the water, your muscles will thank you.
- Swimming is another cardio superpower and a no-impact way to get your blood pumping.
- Tennis or pickleball is a fun and challenging cardio workout with a social component. Workouts are always more fun with others, and they add a competitive element, which might have some appeal if you’re wired that way.
Strength Training
Lifting weights or doing resistance training is an excellent way to tone muscles, lose fat, strengthen your bones, and get a boost of dopamine to carry you through the day. Strength training can help you climb stairs more easily, lift heavy objects (or people) when needed, improve flexion, and reduce the risk of falls, fractures, and osteoarthritis.
If you’re not fond of the gym, there are many other ways to do strength training. You could purchase weights to work out at home or opt for bodyweight exercises that can be done anywhere and require no equipment. For those of you just starting a weight training program, consider doing a session with a trainer to ensure you’re doing the exercises correctly and getting the most benefit from them. It’s easy to injure yourself or overtrain if you aren’t prioritizing proper form.
Stretching
Long shifts behind a desk tend to seize up your joints and muscles. If your guard job assignment requires you to stay put most of the time, set a reminder on your phone to get up, move around, and stretch at least once every hour. Stretching can help you avoid or relieve back, shoulder, and neck pain. It also prevents injury from exertion or exercise, improves circulation, reduces stress, and enables optimal range of motion in your joints.
We recommend building a stretching routine into each day. You can do it anywhere, and it takes no time at all. Stretching should be performed before and after exercise and periodically throughout the day to keep your muscles and joints well-lubricated and ready for action.
Practice Good Nutrition and Healthy Lifestyle Habits
Long work hours in your car or stuck in a remote location often means you’ll have to grab food when and where you can. Eating fast food meals frequently can be harmful to your health and stamina as most ultra-processed foods have little nutritional value.
Bringing your own food to work ensures you have enough to fuel your body. Prioritize a healthy balance of carbohydrates and protein, and don’t forget to treat yourself.
Keeping in mind that a healthy lifestyle is more than just food and exercise, here are a few additional tips:
- Get plenty of quality sleep
- Drink lots of water to stay hydrated
- Avoid sugary or carbonated drinks
- Quit smoking
- Limit alcohol intake
- Take time for yourself
The final point is critical, as prioritizing a good work-life balance ensures you show up refreshed and ready for whatever the job—and life—throws at you. Mental health is just as important as physical fitness, so feed your soul with whatever makes you happy.
Final Thoughts
Security guards need to be fit, energized, and ready to respond at a moment’s notice. We hope these tips inspire you to build a healthy routine that helps you soar through each day and its challenges.
Are you looking to get your guard card? Defencify’s self-paced online guard training is convenient and affordable. Enroll today.
