Personal fitness benefits all

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Stephanie Englar
  • 14th Flying Training Wing Public Affairs
COLUMBUS AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. --  Personal fitness is defined by eating a well-balanced healthy diet and maintaining a proper level of aerobic and anaerobic exercise. This article will go over the benefits of aerobic and anaerobic exercise, with a follow on article about proper nutrition.

Former president John F. Kennedy said, "Physical fitness is not only one of the most important keys to a healthy body, and it is the basis of dynamic and creative intellectual activity."

There are many benefits to maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Moderate to vigorous activity can provide many health related benefits such as improved blood circulation, lowered risk of heart disease and stroke, and weight control.

All exercises fall under one of two categories, aerobic or anaerobic. The difference between the two is based on the intensity and duration of the exercise. To maintain a healthy fitness level, the Center for Disease Control recommends a mixture of the two types of exercise.

Aerobic exercise raises your heart rate for an extended period of time. The muscles in the body require oxygen to keep them in motion. The American College of Sports Medicine defines aerobic exercise as any activity that uses large muscle groups, can be maintained continuously, and is rhythmic in nature. Running, swimming, and playing sports such as basketball all are examples of aerobic activities.

The Columbus Air Force Base Health and Wellness Center recommends a minimum of 150 minutes a week of aerobic exercise to maintain proper fitness levels.

The opposite of aerobic exercise is anaerobic exercise, which consists of short exertion, high-intensity movements. Weightlifting, sprinting, and push-ups are all examples of anaerobic exercises. During these types of exercises lactic acid is created from muscles burning glycogen, and is the main cause for muscle fatigue.

The Columbus AFB Fitness Center offers classes Monday through Friday to help individuals maintain proper fitness. Classes include Zumba on Mondays and Thursdays at 6 p.m., Spin Class on Wednesday and Thursday at 5 p.m., Circuit Class on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays at 5:30 a.m., and Yoga class on Wednesday at 8 a.m.

Along with fitness classes, the Fitness Center often hosts a 5k run. These runs are generally created to raise awareness for specific social issues. However, sometimes they are created for entertainment, such as the Zombie Run which is scheduled for May 11.

Airmen are encouraged to maintain proper fitness levels and are tested either annually or biannually depending on their test results. The fitness test is designed to test for four fitness components: waist circumference, push-ups, sit-ups, and a 1.5 mile run.

The HAWC runs the Blaze Fit program for active duty Airmen who need to improve their PT test results. The group does a mixture of aerobic and anaerobic exercises four days a week and also covers nutrition on Thursdays.

There are many ways and opportunities to get in shape and maintain proper fitness on Columbus AFB. Whether it is by working out in the gym, participating in a 5k fun run on base, or by going for a swim in the pool, proper fitness is attainable by all.