Fitness: Your ticket to a happy life and a military career

  • Published
  • By Brig. Gen. Eric S. Overturf
  • 442nd Fighter Wing commander
WHITEMAN AIR FORCE BASE, Mo. --  As I left the Shoppette yesterday, I noticed the "New PT Rules" cover story on the current Air Force Times. The Air Force has had fitness standards and testing for my entire career, so it made me chuckle to think we're still making changes to the program after all these years even though the intent has not changed: To support mission accomplishment with the increased productivity and higher level of readiness that come from people who are in good physical condition.

Everyone has their own pet peeves with the fitness program - as a tall guy, my gripe is that the waist measurement should be tied to height - but I think we can all agree that being in good physical condition is a great thing! I had my own PT "awakening" when I went to my flight physical the year I turned 35, and the flight doc said "you've gained five pounds per year over the last five years, and that's not a good trend!"

I hadn't noticed the weight gain while it was happening, but when I looked back I realized I'd been exercising a lot less and eating a lot more fried food and desserts. I also realized the doc was right - at that rate I was on track to weigh 290 pounds on my 50th birthday, so I needed to make a change in my lifestyle!

Sticking to a healthy diet without the high-fat food was the first step. Putting exercise back into my schedule was more difficult because it required time that I didn't think I had, but I made time by waking up a little earlier to exercise and adding sit-ups during TV commercials and evening walks or bike rides with my family. The weight came off the way it went on - a little bit at a time. More importantly, I relearned the side benefits of fitness - more energy and an overall improved outlook on life.

Now that I'm almost a senior citizen, fitness is even more important - not to pass the PT test, but because it makes it more likely that I'll be around to enjoy a long retirement with my family. One of my daughters will be a sophomore in high school this fall, and the other, a junior in college. Eventually I'd like to see them get married and have families of their own, and I want to be there to enjoy it (not anytime soon though!)

If you haven't exercised in a while, you're not alone. A recent USA Today study found that only five percent of American adults do some type of rigorous physical activity on a regular basis. I'm proud to say the 442nd Fighter Wing statistics show that we are in much better shape than the average American! As of last month, three-fourths of you were passing your fitness tests, and a third of you were in the "excellent" range! Unfortunately, that means one-fourth of you are still struggling to meet the fitness requirements. That one-fourth includes some of our most talented Airmen who may know their jobs better than anyone in the field, and it includes people in every career field and rank from new enlistees to senior NCOs and officers. When it comes to the PT test, however, rank and career knowledge won't help you because we are all held to the same standard - not my personal standard, the Reserve standard, or the 442nd Fighter Wing standard, but the Air Force standard that we will be evaluated against in our upcoming combined unit inspection.

The bottom line is that we all have to get it together when it comes to fitness, and I expect those of you in leadership and supervisory positions to lead the charge. If you exercise best with a partner or as part of a team, let your first sergeant know, because squadron PT is a great option as long as we can accomplish the mission. I'm working to make it as easy as possible for us to meet the standards by getting a waiver to allow testing regardless of the weather and by augmenting the host base testing cadre. I also take the PT test on as many drill weekends as possible to set the example and make sure the testing is fair. Our medical squadron has a nutritionist who can help you with healthy diet recommendations, and they will process profiles for those of you with medical conditions that prevent you from testing.

What I can't do is change or ignore the Air Force policies that require a discharge recommendation and/or waiver request if you fail the fitness test four times or are on profiles for two years.

In the end, it's not about passing the PT test - although as your commander I hope you do because I want to keep you in the Air Force Reserve! It's about feeling better today, and enjoying a long, healthy, happy retirement in the future.

Thanks for your help in making health and fitness a part of your daily lifestyle - you'll be glad you did!