May Fitness Month: Why fitness matters

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Bonnie Grantham
  • 319th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
GRAND FORKS AIR FORCE BASE, N.D., --  May is observed throughout the Air Force as a time to set and achieve fitness goals to improve personal health and fitness.

Life for an Airman can be busy, and it can be hard to schedule in time for the gym. It is important to remember, though, that daily physical activity has more benefits than just passing a physical training test.

"Physical activity has a big role in reducing colon and breast cancer," said Denae Grove, 319th Medical Operations Squadron health promotion coordinator. "High blood pressure and cholesterol are also controllable in a positive way with exercise."

According to www.health.gov, the recommended total of activity per week is estimated to be about 150 minutes of moderate intensity aerobic activity in order to lower the risk of premature death, coronary heart disease, stroke, hypertension, type II diabetes and depression. Health benefits increase as the duration of physical activity doubles towards 300 minutes per week, including lower risk of colon and breast cancer and prevention of unhealthy weight gain.

Examples of moderate intensity aerobic activity include walking briskly, water aerobics, ballroom dancing and gardening. It is recommended to perform activities such as these at least three days a week.

"If you think of the 150 minutes a week as just 30 minutes for five days, it doesn't seem too daunting to fit in," said Grove.

However, sessions of strength training and vigorous activity should be incorporated as well in order to improve and successfully pass the PT test.

When performing vigorous activity, a good rule of thumb is two minutes of moderate intensity is equivalent to one minute of vigorous activity, according to www.health.gov.

Some examples of vigorous activity include running, swimming laps, jumping rope and heavy gardening (continuous digging or hoeing).

"To truly be prepared for a fitness test, you should do a variety of training," said Grove. "You should do some high intensity, but you should also do some distance running. As far as the strength training, we need to get a variety in there and we need to not just do pushups, but also the opposite of pushups so we don't get injuries. If we only do the same thing over and over, that's where we get overuse injuries."

The base will be hosting events throughout the month of May including several 5Ks, and the Health Promotion Office will also be holding classes for those interested in attending.

To find out more about the activities on base for May Fitness Month, contact the Fitness Center at 747-3384. For more information regarding the Better Body, Better Life or Technique Tuesday classes or general fitness concerns, contact Denae Grove at 747-6112.