Helping employees to hunt healthy’

The following are excerpts from the LifeSteps conditioning program for deer hunters:

Are You Fit to Hunt?

Step 1: Is your body fit to hunt?

• Do you ever have chest pains when you exert yourself?

• Do you become short of breath with mild exertion?

• Do you have pain in your legs when you walk, which disappears when you rest?

• Do you regularly have swelling of the ankles?

• Has a doctor ever told you that you have heart disease?

If you answered YES to any of these questions: Are currently not exercising regularly and are over age 35? If so, you should consult your doctor before taking on a major physical activity such as deer hunting.

Step 2: Dress for success

• Cotton is light but stays wet; wool is warm, doesn’t absorb water, retains heat in the body, can be heavy; down is warm, light, breathes, but is bad if it gets wet; and raincoats stop the wind, keep the wet out.

• Instead of cotton next to your skin, try Thermax or Polypropylene.

•Preventing hypothermia also prevents fatigue.

• Footwear made with Thinsulate or Gore-Tex linings are best.

• Make sure that your pockets are large enough for gloves.

• Carry a plastic sheet or garbage bag to sit in.

• Wear cotton socks first, then a layer of wool socks.

• When using lure, think about hygiene (you don’t know the health of the animal and its urine could be contaminated).

• Wear a safety harness while climbing and hunting in a stand.

Step 3: Food for fuel and first-aid basics

• Eat a good, healthy (low-fat) breakfast.

• Bring fruits for day-long snacking.

• Drink lots of fluids.

• Bring an emergency kit, including diarrhea medication, poison ivy lotion, snake bite and bee sting kit, matches, medical insurance card, lip protection, emergency blanket and flashlight.

Step 4: Stretching and cooling down for improved performance

• Neck stretch, shoulder circles and arm crosses (employees provided diagram).

• Lower-back stretch (employees provided diagram).

• Thigh and calf stretch (diagram provided).

• Gradually warm your body doing stretching exercises.

• Walk slowly into the woods.

Step 5: Walking your way to fitness

• Get out of the house and walk your dog weeks before the season starts (even if you don’t have one).

• Walk during times when you will be hunting (or after dinner).

• Listen to your body; don’t strain.

• Gradually work your walk into a slight "wog" (half walk and half jog, or trot).

Step 6: Developing strength and endurance

• Always warm up and cool down when strength training.

• Choose a resistance (weight, soup can, etc.) that you can move for 8-15 repetitions.

• If you cannot do eight reps, reduce the resistance; if you can do more than 15 reps easily, gradually add more resistance.

• Perform movements slowly.

• Exhale (as in blowing out birthday candles) as you perform the lift.