An official website of the United States government
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Be physically fit, not physically fat

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Carolyn Viss
  • 15th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
HICKAM AIR FORCE BASE, Hawaii --  We've all seen it - Airmen squeezed into blues, rolling over shorts, or popping out of ABUs. Very likely, you've even seen it in the mirror at some point, because according to the Air Force Audit Agency's December 2008 audit report, 60 percent of active-duty Airmen were overweight in 2001 and the physical training program implemented in 2004 "did not effectively promote a healthy lifestyle." 

But the Human Performance and Rehabilitation Center here has implemented a one-of-a-kind, benchmark model for sports medicine that focuses not only on rehabilitation for injured or out-of-shape Airmen but also prevention - to get Airmen fit for life and keep them from failing the fitness test in the first place. 

"If you wait until the eleventh hour to prepare for a fitness test, it's too late," said Jason Ham, the HPARC flight commander who also holds a degree in exercise physiology from Georgia College and State University. 

The "one-stop" shop at Hickam AFB borrowed concepts from the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo., and came up with a hands-on evaluation, treatment and coaching approach that tailors fitness goals to each Airman's needs. 

"What Airmen need to realize is, fitness is a condition of employment," Ham said. "Fitness is a choice and a mindset. It starts on the individual level, and it's something Airmen must choose to embrace as a culture shift." 

This annual performance fitness test is something that will have a major impact on any Airman's career, regardless of rank, if you fail it, Ham said. The highest fail rate has consistently been among the E-1 to E-4 tier, he said. 

The audit showed the current PT testing system was failing, not because of integrity issues on the part of the physical training leaders but because of inconsistencies in the way the tests were being conducted. 

"There are, on average, about 700 PTLs on every base, but they aren't fitness professionals," Ham said. So, the HPARC stood up fitness testing cells run by civilians who are highly trained and objective in order to standardize the fitness testing system. This system is something the entire Air Force will soon imitate, because it's the best way to truly determine how fit the population is, said the 15-year Defense Department employee who's been working here for two and a half years. The program here has drawn so much attention that Ham represents the Pacific Air Forces as part of the fitness improvement process team for Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz. 

But Airmen don't have to wait for the test to tell them if they need improvement. Any TriCare beneficiary, regardless of branch, can come in to the HPARC and take advantage of the new technology by getting gait analysis, body fat assessment, an individualized diet and workout programs. 

One Air Force chief master sergeant decided to be proactive about his health in October 2008, and has now lost 47 pounds and 16 percent of his body fat because he realized he had been dedicating so much time to his career and educational goals that he had neglected his fitness goals. 

"Even though I had just passed the PT test, I looked at myself in the mirror when I was wearing blues and knew I had to lose weight and get fit," said Chief Master Sergeant Eddie Compton, 324th Intelligence Squadron first sergeant. "At 5 feet, 11 inches, I weighed 217 pounds and when I got in the 'bod pod' I was shocked to realize I was 33 percent body fat." 

With the help of a nutritionist at the HPARC, he got on a good schedule and in five months dropped the weight, lost 5 inches around his waist, and shaved a minute and a half off his run time. 

"It sucked initially," said Chief Compton, who has been in the Air Force for 25 years now and a first sergeant for 11. "Lifestyle change is hard, but [the HPARC] helps you. You just have to treat their advice as though it was military orders, and you have to want to do it for yourself because no one else is going to motivate you enough to actually do what it takes." 

"Fitness is an integral part of our service," Ham said. "Every year that goes by, we become more joint-military, especially in the [deployed environment], and we need to start sizing ourselves up with our sister services. We need to present the same warrior image, and we need to be prepared to meet the same standards they have." 

For gait analysis referrals, call a primary care physician, or for more information on the preventive or rehabilitative services the HPARC offers, call 448-6169.