Forget being fit to fight, it’s time we get fit for life

  • Published
  • By Lt. Col. Charlie Velino
  • 3rd Airlift Squadron commander
DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. --  I'll start with an apology for daring to offer yet another opinion on the topic of fitness. But those that know me well know there is no topic I'd rather discuss. For years I've struggled with the idea we need to get fit to fight.

Our association with the military is not the driving force behind good fitness and a healthy lifestyle. Granted, the military of today may remove people from service for not being what they consider "fit enough", but the motivation that propels me to work out each day has nothing to do with the uniform I wear.

We have been blessed with an opportunity to spend a lifetime on this earth. Each moment that quickly passes will never return, and I want to absolutely squeeze the most out of each and every one of them. Fitness is not the answer to life's hard questions, but it is a tremendous enabler as we fight through the daily grind.

You will be healthier. You will feel better. You will have more energy. Your attitude will improve.

You may live longer - you may not, but odds are in your favor. Volumes of data and research have confirmed the extreme benefits of a healthy lifestyle and daily exercise program. Don't get fit because the Air Force tells you to; get fit to improve your quality of life.

For the naysayers out there who are inches away from tuning me out: Why not give it a try?

Embrace fitness as a life priority; not a job to do for the Air Force. Stick with it. Utilize the FREE fitness and health services offered through the fitness center if you need support or advice, call me! The first step in committing yourself to a lifetime of fitness is making the decision to give it a try.

I wish I had the miracle answer on how to get and stay motivated; but I don't. What works for me? It absolutely has to be a daily priority. Go early, go late, go during lunch - just go. It doesn't have to be a gym workout.

Get out and run, walk, skip, play with kids, dance, mow your yard, clean your house; you get the point. The goal is to do something. The more in shape you get, the more rewarding it becomes.

Next is moderation in diet. I'm not an expert, but plenty of resources are out there will help to establish a better, healthier diet. I can't think of anything I've given up throughout my life in order to be more fit, but I certainly know when I'm exceeding what's OK.

And finally, set a goal. Not a goal to pass a test every six months, but a goal that challenges and inspires you to try harder and do better. How about that half marathon a couple of years from now, the fifty-mile bike ride, the ten-mile hike; make it exciting and unique to you. Commit yourself to a lifestyle of fitness, and I promise the PT test will become nothing more than another day's workout.