Team: The First Pillar of THRIVE for Health and Wellness

In this episode of The Erik and Matt Show, Dr. Erik Axene and Matt Ball dive into the first pillar of THRIVE—team. They explore how building strong relationships and community among EMS professionals can improve both personal and professional well-being. From the importance of accountability to the unique camaraderie in the EMS field, this episode sheds light on how teamwork drives better health outcomes for first responders.

Transcript

Matt: [00:00:00] I've never played football in my life. If anybody needs to go home, I've already called the BC. You guys are free to go home.

Narrator: You are listening to EMS with your hosts, Eric Axene and Matt Ball. Have 

Erik: you ever read 

a book? 

Matt: Nope. Never read a book in my life. Well, 

Erik: no, have you ever read a book that kind of started off with, [00:00:30] with the best part of the book and then it just never got any better. I, my football career is like that. My very first play was my best play ever in collegiate football.

Very first play, kickoff coverage. I got down there. First one down there just blasted the guy. And it was all 

Matt: downhill from there. 

Erik: Fumbled the ball into the end zone. Touchdown, right? For us. You got 

Matt: the touchdown? No, one of 

Erik: my colleagues, one of my teammates, One of my colleagues did. One of my teammates grabbed the ball, but I, I [00:01:00] delivered the blow.

Matt: Yeah. 

Erik: And I never played football in my life. This is my first game, first play ever. 

Matt: Really? 

Erik: Yeah. This is crazy, right? It's good. But that was the best play I ever had. That's how I feel today we're starting with what like what we talked about in in our previous podcast is The the team aspect of health and wellness and how I think that's the most important thing and we're starting with it So in some ways, let's start with the most important thing T of thrive the T and [00:01:30] thrive.

Matt: That's right So if you want to learn more about health and wellness And EMS information, all kind of things like that. Uh, check out our channel, subscribe to our channel, like this video. Uh, if you are a first responder, paramedic, EMT, EMR, advanced EMT, whatever. Alphabet soup. Alphabet soup, yeah. If you are a first responder in the EMS field and you are looking for CPR.

CE content. Check out the link in our description box. Uh, we provide all [00:02:00] kinds of CE content that I think you guys will really enjoy. Amazing. It's amazing. CE 

Erik: content is that I hate to call it CE because CE is a bad word. This is, this is an experience. It's 

Matt: a CE. It's, it's a continuing experience, not continuing education.

All right. So the T and thrive team. Right. We talked about all the different pillars, but now we're going to dive a little bit deeper into the team aspect. And you said in the last podcast that you thought that the team aspect was [00:02:30] really the most important aspect of overall health. Or a very important one.

They're all very high. 

Erik: It's kind of like saying, uh, you know, what's the most important part of an airplane, right? 

Matt: Yeah, 

Erik: they're all pretty important. Some, somebody might say the The wings. The wings, or the Or whatever, the engines, right? But 

Matt: The pilot. 

Erik: But if one, you know, crucial piece in an engine fails, or in the You know, the Right?

So, so everything is crucial. Yes. Right? It's really important. Yeah. [00:03:00] But to me, when I ask the question, I'll ask the one that's like, if you had someone who's really struggling with, you know, All six pillars. 

Matt: Right. 

Erik: Which one would you wanna do first? I would say, I would start with team. Get into the community of people around you that you can love and that can love you, um, and support and hold you accountable.

Support you, hold you accountable. Yes. There's a lot of aspects to team that we're gonna talk about today. Yes. So let's, let's, let's start with there is no I in team, which, which goes to 

Matt: the isolation. That's right. There is no I in isolation. 

Erik: No, [00:03:30] there's no I in team, you know, you're right. This is, this is a, there's something about community, right?

There's, and I think in, and we mentioned, you know, like in Americana, you know, most movies have that one hero. Yeah. Who by themselves. Rambo or yeah. They take on everyone. Yeah, exactly. And they don't need anybody's help. And, you know, everybody's kind of, you know, left them alone and then they, they succeed.

And, you know, that, that makes a good movie. Um, not real [00:04:00] life. I had the opportunity to work for the rock, you know, in many ways, being an XFL physician. I have one question. Yeah, go ahead. Did you smell 

Matt: what he was 

Erik: cooking? I never did smell what he was cooking. Just curious. Continue. I did stand next to him and I couldn't smell him.

Did 

Matt: you kind of tower over him? Did you puff out the chest a little bit? 

Erik: I'll be honest, he wasn't as tall as I thought he would be. Really? Yeah. Really? Cause he seems like he's like 8 feet tall. 

Matt: Well yeah, I thought he was like 6'5 6'6 No? 

Erik: That might be what he's, no. 

Matt: Yeah, right, no, I get 

Erik: it. When I played football, my numbers were not [00:04:30] quite 

Matt: true.

They're always smidged a little 

Erik: bit. But I was, I was standing there next to him on the sidelines of a Renegades game. 

Matt: Yeah. 

Erik: And, uh, and he just wasn't as tall as I thought. Now, how tall are you? Uh, just a little over six feet tall. Okay, so. I mean, if I'm wearing shoes, maybe six twos. So what would you say he is, realistically?

Totally. Total ballpark. 6'3 maybe? 6'3. I mean, he's still a massive human being. But, but I. Yeah. It's funny, you know. Oh yeah. When you see somebody in Hollywood. That's kind of what we're. Bigger than life. That's kind of like what we're talking about now, right? [00:05:00] Yeah. These Hollywood personas, sometimes we personalize these things.

You know, you, you start watching these movies and you want to be like, fill in the blank. The rock. 

Matt: Yeah. 

Erik: Yeah. Or. I'm 

Matt: going to be more like Kevin Hart. You're the rock in this relationship. You're the rock. I am Kevin Hart. 

Erik: I was thinking Laurel and Hardy, but 

Matt: that's probably more accurate. Yeah. 

Erik: I want to share a couple things with you, Matt.

Um, I'm going to look down here at my computer. Um, but, uh, the data. Yeah, the U. S. Surgeon [00:05:30] General, you know, this past year, um, had issued a, let's see, uh, an, uh, an epidemic of loneliness and isolation. For the first time in American history, we, we have 60 percent of our population saying that they're lonely.

Yeah. 

Matt: That's crazy. 

Erik: It is. Right. And I think this is such an important part of our health, you know, you know, if the first thing I'm going to say to somebody for their health is go find friends or go connect with your friends. Um, I, I [00:06:00] really believe that I really believe that's going to be one of the first things.

And you know, instead of saying, stop, you're smoking or stop eating McDonald's or, or start exercising or whatever, before any of that, I'll say. Build a network a community of people around you. I think that's really important and not just that you may have a lot of friends Maybe quote unquote, but do they really know you find a small group of people that you know and love and [00:06:30] trust and really You know become known and get get deeper, you know, that doesn't happen on Facebook 

Matt: And I was gonna say that's exactly what I was just gonna say because I think to our younger viewers right, they Like we said in the last podcast, they look at it.

Well, I've got a thousand followers on 000 followers on tick tock or whatever. And they think that they have all these friends. And that's not what we're talking about. That is not community. That is not close relationships. You know, nobody has [00:07:00] 10, 000 close friends. 

Erik: No, 

Matt: nobody. 

Erik: No, it's true. 

Matt: You got three or four.

Erik: Well, it's interesting you mention that because there's something else I wanted to share out of the same study. Um, uh, and I've actually read about it with some other stuff, uh, with health and wellness. In, in some societies, when they're asked this question, the answers are so vastly different from the average American.

Um, in Sardinia, Italy or Okinawa, Japan, some of these blue zones they're called. Um, they were asked [00:07:30] questions about how many. How many, um, close friends they have. And I think the studies were done in a way where I think they said like who you could call at 2 30 in the morning for any reason at all. How many people in your life do you have like that?

Um, that, uh, that number was so, so much larger in some of these other communities with, with, better health and wellness, right? They, they had maybe a dozen people in their lives on average or something crazy like that. And then in America, it's about one and a half people, [00:08:00] um, that you could call at any time of the night for any reason.

You can call me 

Matt: at any time of the night for any reason. Ditto. Yeah. 

Erik: Okay. Just to clarify. Seriously. Think about it. Like, you know, like, like that night that I, um, my truck was stolen. Um, at the airport, about two in the morning, my flight was late out of Philadelphia, landed. I called an Uber. Yeah. No. An Uber was there.

I called my wife. Yeah. Right. There you go. Yeah. Well, some people aren't married, right? Right. [00:08:30] But we all have those people in our life that's like, I didn't hesitate. Like, Oh, I wonder if I should call my, no, I know my wife loves me and I know she's wants the best for me. I didn't think about it. She would be mad if you didn't call her.

Right. And then when I call her, it's like, well, it's two in the morning. What's wrong? Right. Yeah. Oh, my truck was stolen. And then she says, well, why are you calling me? There's nothing I can do. Way to go idiot. Uh, I called an Uber. Yeah. Sorry, honey. She 

Matt: told me we'll call an Uber. 

Erik: I'm not getting out of bed.

Well, [00:09:00] actually, truth be told, I think she did say something like that. She's not like that, but she said, 

Matt: do 

Erik: you need me to pick you up? And I'm like, no, no, no. I'll go, you know, send the kids. Um, but the reason I, the reason I bring that up, right. I mean, it's really not that big of a deal. I mean, it really felt like a big deal at the time.

Like my truck was stolen, right. That didn't happen to me before. It was a bummer. And, but some of the, the other life emergencies that we can have there make, you know, you get having your truck stolen, look [00:09:30] like, come on, right. Don't complain. Right, 

Matt: right. 

Erik: You know, listen to this. Yeah. It's just, my wife has a country song.

Matt: Yeah, exactly. 

Erik: Exactly. So. I think, I think that when we have those life emergencies, having that network of people around us, you know, and, and, and kind of setting your life up that way and investing in those relationships. I, I think sometimes we value in America so much achievement and money and, and, and esteem and accolades and power position.

Sometimes we forget how important [00:10:00] this team part is in our life and we lose sight of it. I lost sight of it. And I, and I, I. I undervalued some of the relationships in my life, and I had to change things in my life so I could increase the amount of time I could invest in friends and family. So I think that's, um, again, why team, part of the reason why team is so important.

And again, in that study I mentioned, this was one of those aspects of health and wellness that was associated with, um, Those blue zones with communities [00:10:30] that had a mortality rate is close to 100 years old. I mean, a standard deviation above the average or the global life expectancy. And so these communities are doing things that are.

that are really good somehow, um, they've, they're living a life that promotes longevity. 

Matt: Yeah. 

Erik: And, and that's part of what health and wellness is like, God, we want to live longer. We want to thrive. Sure. And that thrive acronym, uh, those pillars, um, I think the most important one is this team aspect, [00:11:00] a team fit in the acronym, but really what is it?

It's relationships. Yeah. It's community. Yep. That's really, I think, the, I would say the most important piece of our health, um, to really think about. get a major on the majors. Yeah. 

Matt: Start there. That gives you a starting point. Yeah, exactly. Yeah. It doesn't mean that you've got to go and be doing crazy workouts.

Find some community, whether it's a religious organization, whether it's a fitness gym, [00:11:30] you know, whatever it is, find your neighborhood, right? Your neighbors, right? Your family members, right? Some people have bigger families than others, right? Whatever that is, I think that's one of the things I don't think I know that that is one of the things that attracts people to the fire service 

Erik: is 

Matt: that camaraderie, that brotherhood, that, you know, that bond built in battle, so to speak.

You know, I remember when I was a fairly new I remember when I was a fairly new Fireman and, uh, you know, people, you could kind of sense that there was [00:12:00] just kind of guys were getting grumpy and like, not like at me. I'm just saying, like, in general, guys were a little bit more grumpy. You'd go on calls and like, you know, just kind of bickering a little bit more.

And this captain that I had, he told me, he goes, all it'll take is one good fire. One good fire where all of whatever shift it is comes together and battles that battle together and all that other small stuff will just melt away 

Erik: and 

Matt: we'll kind of remember back like oh what are we really here for like we're here [00:12:30] to watch each other's back we're here to serve the community we're here to put this fire out right do all the cool stuff right and we realize we can't like you said at the beginning of this you know in the movies it's that one guy everybody knows it's in the fire service it ain't one dude that puts i can't pump and run command and pull the hose and use the chainsaw or the PPV fan and shut you I can't do all that.

Erik: Arnold can. 

Matt: Arnold can, I cannot. Yeah, Rambo can, I cannot. It [00:13:00] is a crew and it's a coordinated effort, right? It is a coordinated, you can't do ventilation without communicating to the guys that are inside putting the fire out. You do that too fast or not fast enough, You can create issues, right? So it's, and so again, I think that's why so many people are drawn to the military or the fire service or the police department, is that community.

Erik: And speaking of military and movies, I think there is a great series, Band of Brothers, right? I mean, one of my favorites. Yes. And, um, and actually as I [00:13:30] think about it, as I'm talking, all my favorite movies really, that one guy, it's the community of people, whether it's, well, band of brothers is the example I'm thinking of right now.

Obviously, um, you know, it was interesting watching some of the commentary after the different guys, they're still connected to this day through that adversity of, you know, world war two, there is no 

Matt: better bond formed in battle than, 

Erik: yeah. And I felt the same way in the ER. And I'm sure you feel the same way, like you said, with the fire, I, [00:14:00] I know my nurses and my techs and my PAs and when we fight together through these terrible situations trying to save lives and sometimes we can't, when you, when you endure that, that trauma, adversity, the trauma together, um, it, it bonds you together.

And there's a special thing that happened between me and my nurses. I'll never forget them. In fact, we still stay in contact. Um, some of the nurses I've worked with at other hospitals, I mean, there's some interesting that happens. 

Matt: Yep. 

Erik: Um, the other thing I [00:14:30] have, I told you about the Bavarian horses like draft horses.

Matt: I haven't, but can I tell you one story? It's in line with what you're saying is because we had a bad call one day, really bad pediatric call. I won't get into the details of the call, but it was bad. And if I remember correctly, I think everybody that was on that call was a dad. Right. Right. We all came back to the station.

Right. And after a call like that, you know, you're kind of getting the, the adrenaline dump and all this stuff had a really good captain at the time that [00:15:00] recognized, Hey, this was kind of a traumatic call and recognized and came out to us and basically called us all together and said, if anybody needs to go home, I've already called the BC.

You guys are free to go home. If you need to go home and hug your wife, hug your kids. You are free to do that. Go home if you need to. And so we all, but, Here's the part. So we all kind of thought about it. And I was thinking to myself and I thought, I don't really want to go home because my wife and my kids have no idea what I just experienced the [00:15:30] trauma that I just witnessed or the experience that I just had.

They have no way of relating to that. None. I mean, do I want to hug my kids? Do I want to hug? Sure. Right. However, in this moment, I think I would rather be around my brothers at the time, my brothers who experienced the same thing that I just experienced are probably having the same emotions that I'm having, and I think I'd rather be here with them and be here for them, right?

So that we could kind of, and then we kind [00:16:00] of went to the back of the ambulance and we started talking, and then just like firemen do, you know, we just start stuff. And that was more cathartic to me than going home and hugging my wife and kids. Right. 

Erik: Yeah. 

Matt: And just again, there being with people that you've suffered that trauma with.

Erik: Yeah. 

Matt: I mean, you know, you hear people, Oh, I can identify with, no, you can't bro. Unless you've done what I've done or done what other people have done, unless you've been in the military in the war, don't tell me that you can identify with somebody that's been in a [00:16:30] war because you cannot period. So anyway, 

Erik: Well, you know, you reminded me of another story.

Recently we had, uh, A firefighter was killed and, um, one of my friends, our friends, we both know him, um, was on scene, first on scene there, not first, I think part of the team that was on scene. He was. He was 

Matt: the first crew that was on scene. Yeah. 

Erik: Yeah. And, um, and you may know who I'm speaking of. I know exactly 

Matt: who you're speaking of.

Erik: Okay. And, uh, so being a friend of mine and just cause I love him, I called him. And I said, Hey, [00:17:00] how you doing? And he, and, and I could hear in the background other voices. And so it sounded like a group of him and his colleagues all went to the bar. And I think it was bar maybe, or a coffee shop. I don't know where they were, but the hospital.

Matt: Oh, okay. Yeah, because I, because I went to the hospital, they didn't go home. They did not go home. I went, well, he did go home shortly thereafter and changed, but then came right back. 

Erik: Okay. 

Matt: But I went to the hospital because that's where our guy was. 

Erik: Yeah. 

Matt: And my first priority was finding that person that you're [00:17:30] talking about, because I knew, you know, He was on scene, well, not just him, but the whole crew, anybody that was involved, but I specifically knew that he was on that call and know they were in a room talking with a physician friend of ours that we know who worked at a different facility that came to this facility for him and the whole department, you know, kind of gather.

And I remember him coming out of the room and there was a big hug and all that. So when you there, you showed up after CES, so 

Erik: many people that were there, um, because of that. Again, that community, [00:18:00] that's what we're talking about. 

Matt: Yep. There was probably easily 100, 150 firemen that were at the hospital within an hour of 

Erik: that happening.

Matt: So anyway, 

Erik: yeah. So, so we, clearly community is good. You know, clearly community makes us stronger. And the analogy I like to use is the draft horses. 

Matt: Yeah. 

Erik: 8, 000 pounds. 

Matt: Two. 

Erik: Two can, you'd think 16, 000. Right, 

Matt: you'd think doubles. No, 

Erik: no, it pulls 24, 000 pounds. That's right, triple. Actually, I'm sorry. So, you'd [00:18:30] think 16, 000 pounds.

Yeah, you times it by two. Yeah, you'd think that would be, that makes sense mathematically. Right. But when two draft horses pull together, they pull more than that 16, 000 pounds. And I can't remember the exact number, but it's more. But I do remember this, though. It was triple, uh, the amount when they'd been working together for an extended period of time.

You put any two draft horses together, they'll pull more than double. But when you have two that, uh, that know each other and pull together, uh, triple [00:19:00] 24, 000 pounds, which is really, I think a great. analogy for, um, for what we're talking about with, with this team aspect of when you walk through life with the group of people, uh, that's really, I believe how we were designed to, to go through life with that significant other, with those friends, with that community of people you love and that love you.

That's really how we were designed. And I think social is really hurt that COVID certainly hurt [00:19:30] that. Um, and, uh, the, I think American culture, which was really from Epicurus, which is from, you know, centuries ago, uh, where he had said the highest form of wealth is self sufficiency, which was what he was saying was, is that when you don't need anyone else, you Then you have achieved the highest form of wealth you could ever achieve.

Well, what a crock of crap. We are learning now how self-sufficiency is actually almost the epitome of [00:20:00] unhealthy living. 

Matt: Yeah. 

Erik: If, if you think you can live by yourself totally isolated, you're really missing out on what life really means. 

Matt: Yeah. 

Erik: And. There's more to it, obviously, but I think the Bavarian horse analogy fits really well, but I think another one that really, I think, fits better, and I think I've told you this, the redwood trees.

Oh, yes. Yes. Yeah. Tallest trees on the planet. Yep. Shortest root systems. The shallowest root systems. They combine. Yeah. And they don't just interlock with one another. [00:20:30] They actually grow into one another and share nutrients. Feed off each other. Yeah. And not just that, but they, they're supporting each other, giving themselves strength in their community.

Uh, the tallest trees on the planet, shallowest root systems, sharing nutrients. I mean, it's a really a, a plant community that's. I think is, is really, is really powerful. And it's interesting when you study redwood trees, you don't have one redwood tree growing taller than the others. They, they will share their nutrients to help the other trees.

I mean, they, one [00:21:00] tree is close to a water source. That water source gets shared. I mean, it's a, it's a beautiful picture of community. Yeah. Taken too far, obviously, that's not good. Right. Well, anything taken too far, I think, is probably not 

Matt: good. 

Erik: But, but that's, I think, is, is, um, what, part of what. You said, I think the other big part of community, something else that we can leverage isn't just the, the strength we get in community.

Part of the strength we get in community is, is the accountability that we can lean on [00:21:30] when, when we are trying to improve or, or sharpen our skills or, or teach our students. Stop a bad habit. You know, when you're doing those things in isolation, whatever that bad habit 

Matt: is, 

Erik: it is, and it's hard to fix those things or change those things that we know are unhealthy.

When we're living in isolation in community, we, we can, we can, I think we're better positioned to make changes. And I think we talked about that with, this. This is [00:22:00] interesting. So when you have a goal, you said, set a goal for me. What goal? Like run a marathon, run a marathon. Okay. So if you want to run a marathon and that would be success and you just say right now, I want to run a marathon.

Right. Only about 10 percent of people will actually do that. Right. Makes sense, right? 90 percent of people that say it won't ever do it. Right. It's like 90 

Matt: percent of people make fitness goals at the end of every year. And by January 2nd, 100 percent by January 2nd, 90 percent have fallen off. Yeah. [00:22:30] 

Erik: The marathon goal may break down a little bit because that's such a huge goal, but let's just go with it.

So, all right. So you consciously decide to do it now. You said it, but now it's like, you know what? I said I wanted to run a marathon, but 

Matt: I'm going to do it. Well, now you actually sign up for the race. Like, you can convince yourself you're going to do it. Now, I've actually gone on the website, paid the money, and entered to do the race.

Erik: The 25 A conscious decision, so I'm not sure exactly what that means, but a conscious decision may mean [00:23:00] the ticket or whatever. Yeah. Conscious decision then would be about 25 percent of people will be successful and actually do the marathon. Okay. Or whatever the goal is. Right. Now if you assign a timeline, which may be more aligned with what you said, where you actually have the date now and, and you start to, um, you know, plan for it, maybe 40 percent are successful.

You start making a plan. I've never run a marathon. I'm not that dumb. I'm kidding. It's true. I wish I could actually. I love running. I just do big. [00:23:30] My knee would blow up. I have three knee surgeries. Maybe after I lose more weight. There you go. We'll see. Um, but making a plan. So now I've seen the running plan though for a marathon.

Yeah. Um, it's pretty in depth. I mean, it's like there's a 

Matt: billion different ones 

Erik: out there, but yeah, but that's a plan, right? So, so if you actually make a plan, You're 50 percent now likely to go and achieve that goal. Um, and then, uh, if you [00:24:00] commit to someone else now, it's like, Hey, Eric, 

Matt: come run this marathon.

Erik: I've been thinking about this. I decided I signed up for it. I've got a running plan. Go for it. Let's do it together. I'm gonna do it. You gonna do it with me? Yeah, you commit to someone else That's you could be 65 percent successful. But here's the kicker and I think this is what accountability really is Yeah, and this is really only seen if you're in community with other people, right?

I mean, this is a fruit of that Team aspect of life. Yeah, is that when you have a [00:24:30] specific accountability check in, you know, Matt I can't run the marathon because my knee is just blasted but you know what I'll do I'll go to the marathon the day you run and I'll be there at certain checkpoints to hand you water or check on you make Sure, you're okay.

And 

Matt: Or if you have somebody that is sick It's physically capable and wants to do it. Okay, we're going to meet Monday, Wednesday, Friday at 6am here. And you know that that person's going to be there ready to run. So man, it's four o'clock in the morning. I don't want to get up. 

Erik: But you get up, right? [00:25:00] Exactly.

Because Eric's 

Matt: going to be there. I got to be 

Erik: there with him. So that's a, that's a marathon example, but you can, you can, you can plug in anything. Exactly. But that accountability I think huge part of, of the way when we, when we're walking through life, life's ups and downs, uh, those things in life that come up that you, you want to You know, get better at those health emergencies, right?

Oh man, I've been eating sloppy my whole life. I've gained a lot of weight. Yeah. I got to get this under control. Yeah. You know, when you have that arsenal of [00:25:30] friendship on your side, you can use that and leverage that to make some life changes. Absolutely. We're going to talk about this more at the end when we talk about the how, but I think this is a big part of the how in, in being able, um, to, let me back up.

You and I. Anybody watching this podcast, pretty smart. And we know. The what? 

Matt: Yeah. 

Erik: We know, we know what healthy really is. There may be some nuances here of, wow, I didn't know [00:26:00] that 60 percent of Americans felt lonely. And you know what? I only have one and a half friends that I can call at two 30 in the morning.

That illumination is knowledge and that might be something that becomes clear to you listening to this. But I really believe that most of those low hanging fruit of those things that we have in our lives, we know them already. Mm hmm. It's just a matter of knowing how to do it. That's right. And I think that the, that accountability that we have with, with, with team, um, gives us a lot of the [00:26:30] ability to do it.

Matt: Yeah. 

Erik: So I think I, I, and I've told you this before, but the only way I've lost 40 pounds, I've tried to lose weight before and I've done the, You know, the whole 

Matt: different diets, 

Erik: would you pick it? I've done them all trying to lose weight. I have what the doctors call a weight problem. I got up to 300 pounds.

Like that's too heavy for me. If I was six, too heavy for 

Matt: almost 

Erik: anybody. Yeah. And I feel so much. I've only, I'm not quite to my goal yet, but I've lost 40 pounds. [00:27:00] Recently, my friend and I were traveling together and we were both putting our bags up on the scale. Uh huh. And my full size roller bag was less than what I'd lost.

You're like, 

Matt: I was carrying all this weight around? Can you imagine putting that on your back and walking around 

Erik: on that? No, no matter, no wonder my knees were hurting. I had plantar fasciitis, you know. And we talked about this in another podcast too, right? Those patients come to you, it's like, Doug, my knees are hurting, you know.

I mean, well, have you tried losing some weight and, uh, so, and, uh, you know, I, [00:27:30] like I told you before, I've grown up with a family that struggled with weight, you know, and nobody wants to be obese. No, no one does, but it's, if, if it was easy to lose weight, then we wouldn't have anybody with weight problems.

That's right. There's, it's hard to do, but it's, it is achievable though. 

Matt: Yeah. 

Erik: And, and, uh, I think that a lot of it is that team aspect. For sure. For sure. 

Matt: Yeah, it's a, it's a massive part of it. That's what my friend and 

Erik: I did. I would not have been able to lose those 40 pounds. I've lost weight before, but it came right back and I gained more.

Matt: Right. 

Erik: But I think over the last [00:28:00] year, for the first time in my life, I'm like, this is really working. 

Matt: Yeah. Yeah. Well, you're living proof that accountability and team is a huge part of a health and wellness journey. 

Erik: You know, there's another aspect to it too, is that I hit a, uh, a number that really got my attention.

Sometimes people have a health crisis, a heart attack or whatever, and that sometimes Wakes them up. Yeah, wakes them up. It's like, oh my gosh, I have been asleep at the wheel. Yeah. I need to take control of my life here. I'm pre 

Matt: diabetic. My [00:28:30] doctor says my A1C is through the roof. Yeah. 

Erik: And again, I believe that we all know what to do.

We just have a hard time doing it. Absolutely. 

Matt: It's, it's, what's, we always say that it's simple, it's not easy. 

Erik: That's, I love that. Yeah. You've said that before. Yeah. Isn't it true? It's simple. 

Matt: It's so true about almost anything in life. It is. It is simple. It is 

Erik: not easy. Just not easy. That's right. If it was easy to do these things that we all want to achieve, then we'd all do it.

That's right. That is a reason why not a lot of people do it. 

Matt: That's right. 

Erik: Yeah. Um, the other, the other thing I would say, [00:29:00] um, you know, with, with, you know, it's one thing to be the team part, right? Um, it's another thing to have that accountability, but I think a really big part of this, now if you're not married, you may not, you know, understand this yet, um, but, um, And this could be a talk for another time, but marriage, I mean, if things are going rough there, it can have effects on every other pillar.

Matt: Yeah. Well, relationships. Yeah. Right. That's a big one. 

Erik: And that'll be another podcast. But for now, it's good. We [00:29:30] did the tea. Team. Super important. Uh, let's, let's do the next one. 

Matt: All right. On to the next one. See you on the next one. 

Erik: Be safe 

Narrator: out there. Thank you for listening to EMS, the Eric and Matt Show.