Eric Tung on Holistic Wellness for First Responders

Beyond the Buzzword

"Wellness is so many things," explains, Eric Tung the founder of Blue Grit Wellness and career Police Officer & leader. Since establishing the organization in 2020, Tung has been on a mission to redefine what wellness means for first responders.

For Tung, wellness extends far beyond physical fitness into a comprehensive approach that sustains careers and saves lives. It's about "offering insight for first responders and community... the importance of fitness, nutrition, peer support and having your buddy checks and mental health."

Tung acknowledges that "wellness" has become a buzzword in many departments, often resulting in superficial programs that aren't integrated into the culture. "A lot of departments... they're checking boxes. They're bringing in this program or this outlet, but no one's using it or it's not part of the culture," he observes.

The Redline Warning

Drawing from his extensive experience, Tung warns about the dangers of operating at maximum capacity without proper recovery. "We all know what redlining is like," he says, explaining how first responders can push themselves beyond sustainable limits. "We're pretty resilient folks, so we can actually redline a long time, but it's going to break sometime."

Tung speaks candidly about his personal stress indicators. "For me, I noticed my physiological symptoms... Sleep I can pass up because I'm exhausted from work... I can still get to the gym, I can still caffeinate and lift my weights, but I'm going to crash out early. But I'm going to be up really early, up in the middle of the night... wired but tired."

Despite moving into command positions, Tung still experiences the hypervigilance common to first responders: "I still get tense when they're going to a thing and things sound a little dicey."

Small Steps, Big Impact

Tung emphasizes that wellness doesn't require dramatic lifestyle overhauls. "I love the example of just walking," he says, countering the objection that minor changes won't make a difference. "Someone might be like that's dumb, it's not gonna make a difference... No, it will, because it snowballs. You start there."

His practical suggestions include using small moments throughout the day: "You're waiting for your coffee in the morning... you do like five push-ups... get that blood going, and that would usually correlate into something else."

Regarding nutrition challenges for shift workers, Tung acknowledges but refuses to accept excuses: "Working graveyard so often. That's the excuse. Let's be real... Only fast foods available. But just about every town has a 24-hour grocery store."

Know Thyself

Self-awareness is central to Tung's wellness philosophy. "Know thyself," he emphasizes when discussing stress eating habits. "I'll destroy the bag of whatever it is—plantain chips, jar of macadamia nuts... Jar of peanut butter, I've been that guy."

His solution involves creating personal rules: "I don't take the peanut butter to the couch... I stand there, have a scoop, put it away." This self-knowledge extends to identifying how certain foods affect performance: "You notice less bloat... your joints are less inflamed."

Leadership as Ownership

For Tung, leadership and wellness are inseparable. "Everyone's a leader," he asserts, defining leadership as "ownership... taking control of yourself and running your life and running your career."

He emphasizes that wellness directly impacts leadership effectiveness: "Your brain is part of your body. It requires oxygen, it requires blood... there are other things, inputs that will help it optimally—sleep, exercise, nutrition... it'll make your brain make better, quicker decisions."

The Mission Perspective

Tung frames wellness as essential to fulfilling first responders' core mission. "What about the person you're sworn to protect? What about that victim or that bystander?" he asks, challenging those who might dismiss wellness initiatives.

He poses a practical scenario: "If you are the one running backup... do you want to come out like out of breath just because you run code and you're worried about your buddy, or do you want to be ready to perform?"

Through his work with Blue Grit Wellness and his command position, Tung continues to advocate for a culture where wellness isn't just permitted—it's expected. His message is clear: wellness isn't separate from the job; it's what makes the job possible.

For more about this conversation, check out The Protectors? Podcast Episode #527 on every major podcast platform and YouTube.