Braving Fire and Mud, to Serve You Better

Last month we posted a few thoughts on the importance of fitness and nutrition for private investigators. Let's face it: this job can be physically demanding at times, especially as the heat of summer sets in and we face hours upon hours of sweltering surveillance in hundred-plus-degree vehicles.

Meanwhile, we at [FIND] Investigations decided we'd best put our money where our blogposts are. Earlier this spring, we (somewhat sheepishly) ordered the Insanity® DVD workout program and began Shaun T's intensive training program in late March.

In a word: PAIN. The sixty-day program begins with an ego-shattering fitness test, then dives right into the most intense daily forty-minute workouts we've ever been smacked with--a series of increasingly challenging intervals of cardio and strength moves, from fast-paced squats and high jumps to suicide pushup drills, all punctuated by brief rests and cool-down stretches to prevent injury.

After a month, the workouts ramp up to an hour each, increasing in intensity and decreasing rest time. Meanwhile, the Insanity® nutrition guide steered us through a major diet modification, suggesting five smallish meals of 3-500 calories (depending on age, weight, gender, etc.), each a healthful mix of proteins, carbs, fiber, and fats designed for weight control (or loss) and also for fueling the workouts' incredible energy demands. The results, after only sixty days, have been pretty staggering, from weight loss to increased energy. And most importantly, we achieved our goal: to survive and complete the Warrior Dash.

Last weekend, lead investigator Thomas Humphreys and investigatrix Kim Green journeyed to Mountain City, GA to face (in the words of the event planners) "extreme obstacles" and "the nation's most demanding and unique terrain." Yes, folks, we slogged through mud, leapt flames, and scaled great heights under a hot Georgia sun, in the company of thousands of hard-body adventurers dressed in all manner of warrior gear. We sprinted, dove, and slid with Spartans, Highlanders, Maori warriors, superheroes, Crusaders, and, most perplexingly of all, a guy in a rabbit suit.

And with that, we give you the new and improved [FIND] team, consisting not only of mere investigators , but warriors to the core, in your humble service.