Being committed

Photo By Senior Master Sgt. Jonathan Duplain | Air Force Master Sgt. Heather Johnson performs pushups during her morning workout at the 101st Air Refueling Wing Bangor, Maine, May 5, 2013.  

BANGOR, ME, UNITED STATES

05.10.2013

Story by Staff Sgt. Kati Walsh 

101st Air Refueling Wing

BANGOR, Maine—“I really didn’t like who I was looking at in the mirror; I was tired and I lacked motivation,” said Master Sgt. Heather Johnson, dining facility shift supervisor of the 101st Air Refueling Wing. “At 34-years-of-age it was time to make the change.”

“I had a connection with a friend who had transformed herself after having children, and I thought, ‘if she can do it, so can I’,” Johnson said with determination. “At that moment I made a commitment to myself to make the change.”

“I had my second child in 2005 and shortly after I began Power 90. I would start a program, start to see results and then fall off the wagon. I had done that program three times, and fell short of my goal all three times. Finally, in November of 2012, after having my third child, I decided that I was done yo-yoing,” she confessed.

Johnson kick started her journey with the Beachbody program, Turbofire. She loved it. She completed the entire 90 days and then purchased the advanced program. “It was a total of five months. I completed that program two weeks ago. This time I made the commitment and I stuck with it. I have lost a total
of 44lbs since beginning my journey on Feb. 2, 2012.”

“I had taken my PT test last fall and earned an 84,” Johnson said. “As a SNCO [senior noncommissioned officer] and being female, I felt that I had a certain standard that I had set for everyone below me, and I needed to maintain that same standard. I took my PT test again this past drill, [April] and I increased my score by 13 points. I received a 97.”

“I believe that fitness is about small goals,” she stated. “Setting goals is very important to success. For example, I increased my water intake, I eliminated drinking soda and I increased my fruit and veggie intake,” said Johnson. “Each week I pull in a positive and eliminate something negative. Recently, I stopped putting sugar in my coffee. I made a lifestyle commitment. These are long-term changes.” According to Johnson, “people need to understand, it’s taken 34 years for me to get here and the changes are not going to happen overnight.”

Using this program allowed Johnson to exercise at home with her 12-year-old son, 8-year-old daughter, and 20-month-old daughter. “I chose to do an at home program, because if I wanted to do it at 0600 or 2100 I could, and it was more conducive to my lifestyle,” Johnson explained.

As a guardsman, we have so many different obligations; our careers, our military responsibilities, our families, education etc. “It’s hard to keep track of each other on the other 28 days when we aren’t drilling,” she said, “but social media also helps to keep me on track. I am able to keep myself accountable through networking with other friends who are focused on fitness. Having a network of support is so important, and rewarding yourself for your accomplishments is important too.”

“I want to pay it forward. Being a part of the military, it is obviously important to focus on our fitness and physical health, but it is also critical to focus on our mental health and spiritual health as well. They all go together,” said Johnson.

“I hope that when I am here on a drill weekend that I’m giving as much information to my troops as possible, and that I’m setting an example for each of them,” Johnson stated with sincerity in her voice. “I hope they feel comfortable reaching out to me for support.”

• Date Taken: 05.10.2013
• Date Posted: 05.10.2013 08:47
• Story ID: 106710
• Location: BANGOR, ME, US