Keep fitness a top priority, life depends on it Published May 18, 2007 By Col. Jerry Martinez 62nd Airlift Wing commander MCCHORD AIR FORCE BASE, Wash. -- There's a lot of talk within the Air Force these days about reinvigorating a warrior ethos among Airmen. Simply put, our senior leaders need us to remain vigilant, agile and combat-ready. With the pace and length of deployments continuing to rise, a big part of remaining war-ready is keeping ourselves in top physical condition. In the past few years we've seen a culture shift in the Air Force to embrace fitness-readiness. With so many Airmen deploying, and with many filling traditional Army taskings, we must ensure that everyone is ready for the challenge. Wearing a Kevlar helmet, level-four body armor and carrying an M-16 rifle in 100+ degree temperatures will quickly convince anyone that being in top physical condition is essential to performing our mission. If starting a physical fitness regime seems too complicated or you feel like you don't have the time, consider this: You can make big changes in your health by making simple adjustments in your daily routine. For instance, incorporate more walking, take the stairs and ensure that you eat plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables throughout the day. Making these simple changes might not only improve your health, but they might also help with your promotion. The Air Force is now finalizing plans to place an individual's fitness-readiness score on his or her annual performance report as a measure of the overall evaluation. Don't wait to begin a physical fitness routine. Your career might depend on it. To help inspire everyone to get active and stay fit, we're celebrating National Sports and Fitness month in May by hosting several base-wide events. I encourage everyone to join us today for our monthly 3K run beginning at 3 p.m. at the fitness center. This isn't a race. Rather, it's an opportunity for us to come together after a long week and exercise as a team. We're also planning our huge sports day festivities for Thursday, where Airmen can compete in dozens of events across the base. It promises to be a fun day designed to promote everyone getting out and getting active. My goal is for every Airman to be able to go forward and successfully execute our air expeditionary mission regardless of location or conditions. More importantly, I want everyone to be in good physical condition so they can complete the mission and return home safely to their families.