I’m never running again.

That’s what I’ve heard from so many Cadets at the end of their time training at Depot. They’ve been forced to run consistently for the last six and a half months. They didn’t want to run but it was a training requirement. Despite their best efforts, they became better runners. Whether you enjoy it or not, consistency will make you better. They could run 5k with a decent time, they could run 8-1ok at a time as well. But they still didn’t see themselves as runners and therefore hated every step. Then at the end of training after completing the benchmark 5k so many Cadets would say some form of “I’m never running again.” Because they were only running out of obligation, of course they would stop as soon as they could. You would think police officers would want to be able to run pretty well to be ready for foot pursuits, but unfortunately fitness is tragically undervalued on the frontline. For a lot of Mounties, their fitness is at its peak when they leave Depot.

I had a conversation about this on a training course recently. Why don’t Members keep on top of their fitness throughout their career? Aside from the obvious things people mention like being too busy or too tired, I think there is one glaring issue. For a lot of Members the only formalized fitness training they have is from when they were at Depot and were forced to follow instructions and do whatever workouts they were told to do. In my opinion, Depot doesn’t spend enough teaching the fundamentals of fitness and nutrition that explain why certain exercises or training styles are important. You’re given the workouts, brief demonstrations, and told to do them. And then once or twice a week you have PT during your workday where you just follow the plan for the day. That sure doesn’t sound all that fun, nor does it sound like a good way to build long term habits.

While there are certainly fitness standards that all members need to meet, there are many ways to prepare yourself to achieve those standards. Fitness training is not a “one size fits all” activity. There is no one type of exercise that is “right.” But there is a “right” type for each individual. All police officers need to train, it’s part of their job. But they don’t all need to train the same way.

The key to success in anything when it comes to fitness is consistency. Consistency is found by doing something you enjoy and are willing to do repeatedly for a long time. Instead of picking a workout plan you dread doing, think of what exercises you do enjoy and find a way to build around that. You still must work hard, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be fun.

Who is an athlete?

“If you have a body, you are an athlete.” A quote from the legendary track and field coach, and co-founder of Nike, Bill Bowerman. Pretty simple right? No gatekeeping, no restrictions, no weird rules or requirements. Anybody can be an athlete.

Contrast that with the definition of an athlete from the Merriam-Webster dictionary. “a person who is trained or skilled in exercises, sports, or games requiring physical strength, agility, or stamina” Suddenly there are requirements or goalposts to achieve before you can be considered an athlete. You have to be skilled enough.

I think I prefer Bill Bowerman’s theory. In my mind, as soon as you start to move your body with intention, you are an athlete. It doesn’t matter if the intent is to run a marathon, play a sport, or simply to improve your physical health. From day 1 you are an athlete. In the world where we’re all constantly exposed to the top 1% of athletes all over social media, starting from square 0 can feel hopeless. How can we ever be as good as they are?

But that’s a false measure to look at. If you’re brand new to a sport and starting comparing yourself to the best in the world, of course you’ll feel overwhelmed. You’re not meant to be comparing yourself to others in that way. You are your own baseline. Today is day 1, tomorrow is day 2, a month from now will be day 31. How much progress can you make in that time? What about in 2 months, 3? How about in 1 year? You could be sitting here 365 days from now looking back at your skill level on day 1 and realizing what used to be your baseline is so far beneath where you are now. You’ve been stacking bricks for 365 days and have set a new baseline, let’s see what 365 more bricks can do. Worry about you’re own progress, you can only control your own efforts. What other people are doing is irrelevant.

So, how do you become an athlete? Just start moving your body with intent. Get fast, get strong, get big, or get small. Play a sport. Whatever you want, just move your body.

If you have a body, you are an athlete. Don’t let anyone take that from you. Everyone starts from Day 0, to get to day 1 all you have to do is start. Once you get started just keep stacking those bricks.

-Devin