Max points

  • Published
  • By Chief Master Sgt. Daniel Michener
  • 4th Airlift Squadron superintendent
JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. --  "I strive to reach the maximum points. I don't know the minimum score, only the max."

This statement about our current Air Force physical fitness testing program may not be how you currently view your fitness test.

Our fitness culture has changed greatly from the near past. The progressive ergo-cycle testing transitioned to the mile and a half run or walk in 2004 and then more significant changes were made in 2010.

I believe the new direction was badly needed, but has come as a shock to many Airmen and their families.

Making the required beneficial changes to increase your fitness score requires changing lifelong habits in both fitness and diet. Involving your family members in this change will increase your chance of success. Fad diets and get fit fast schemes usually fail. Committing yourself to lifestyle changes in daily eating and exercise habits leads to the path of success.

Many of us were not raised in a healthy and fit-conscious atmosphere, yet we can't let that be our excuse for not educating ourselves and loved ones to make a positive change for our healthy future.

There are resources on-line and on-base to assist with getting started on the right track. Visit http://www.usaffitfamily.com and http://www.triwest.com/en/beneficiary/healthy-living for information, stories and fun ways to engage and interest your family members in exercise and healthy eating.

You may also benefit from on-base classes in nutrition, fitness and tobacco cessation for active duty, family members, retirees and Department of Defense civilians right here at the Health and Wellness Center (HAWC), located next to McChord Field Fitness Center in the Fitness Annex.

The quote at the beginning of this article was mine. I did not always have this mindset, but I was tired of the constant roller coaster ride of weight gain and loss.

I was tired of feeling poorly about myself and after ten years, I finally put the effort into making the required lifelong lifestyle changes.

I found the more I exercised, the more I needed to continue to exercise. Three days of no running felt like an eternity. Keeping fit and eating healthy becomes easier the longer you commit to sustained lifestyle changes. You and your family can succeed with a little persistence and a lot of perseverance.