Photo By Senior Airman Faith Iris Macilvaine | Service members run during the physical training test on July 3, 2021, at F.E. Warren...... read more read more
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Air Force members take their official Physical Training test on July 5, 2021, at Independence Hall, on F.E. Warren Air Force Base.
Physical fitness testing resumed across the Air Force, July 1, 2021. For many service members, the test is an opportunity to reprioritize their health and wellness in advance.
The Air Force has decided to resume testing due to COVID-19 cases across the United States decreases. The lower risk allows for more availability of gyms and a greater variety of places to exercise, helping to produce a physically fit force.
“When we talk about physical readiness, physical activity is so important from a mission capabilities or a deployment standpoint; from controllers to contracting, it doesn't matter where you fall on the spectrum of jobs, “ said Alison Morrell, health promotion coordinator and exercise psychologist by trade. “We need physical activity, proper nutrition, and sleep for the fit and fighting warrior to do their job.”
Individuals who prioritize their overall health are proven to miss fewer days at work due to illnesses. The Air Force’s goal is to have the fittest and productive workforce possible, and if service members do not take care of health, the force could suffer.
Recognizing that some service members have struggled through COVID-19, Morrell offers advice for those getting back into fitness and encourages them to not do too much, too soon.
“A great place to start is moderate cardiovascular exercise three to four times a week along with weight lifting, and about two days of running," Morrell explains. “Once we have that baseline and slowly start to add, individuals will start to see improvement.”
Morrell also adds a good rule is to not increase workouts by more than 10% each week.
Steven Taylor, fitness and sports manager, is also excited about testing resuming, along with the new changes and guidelines that are currently in effect.
“The Air Force is making strides to make fitness testing less stressful by adding diagnostics, I believe the new changes to the age categories are great and we think we’ll see a lot fewer failures,” said Taylor.
Both Morrell and Taylor stress the Air Force has always been focused on health rather than performance, and would rather see service members slowly build up their fitness rather than risk possible injury.
Wearing improper shoes and doing too much exercise too quickly all increases the overall risk of musculoskeletal injury, which is the most common injury Morrell sees.
“The goal is for Airmen to establish a routine that allows them to stay mission ready year-round, ” said Morrell.
The testing serves as a way to motivate Air Force members to keep up with their physical fitness, nutrition, and sleep, three components that are crucial for overall health.
“I love the idea that testing is coming back, it gets people in the mindset that they need to be physically active and thinking about their overall health on a year-round basis," said Morell. “Once people start getting active, they’ll see how much better they feel; don’t do it because you have to, do it because you want to perform better, feel better, live longer, look better, members need to find their “why”.
| Date Taken: | 07.03.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 07.12.2021 09:18 |
| Story ID: | 400659 |
| Location: | CHEYENNE, WY, US |
| Web Views: | 543 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Physical Training Tests for the Air Force Resume, by SrA Faith Iris Macilvaine, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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