Is your fitness regimen running out of time? Published June 3, 2010 By Lt Col. Michael Grismer 375th Operations Support Squadron commander SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. -- I've never met anyone who regrets committing to fitness. Making fitness a priority will only deprive someone of poor health and added inches to their waistline. For those of us in blue, we are fortunate our service cares enough to measure healthy lifestyles with fitness. We should be thankful the Air Force provides us great facilities, programs and duty time for fitness. If you're not sold on these benefits alone, consider the following: Physical Fitness is an Air Force core competency: Just like having the proper training, proficiency and skill levels, maintaining fitness standards is an equally important part of our job performance. Failure to meet the new PT standard or any other job performance standard can have negative career consequences. High levels of fitness equals increased combat capability: Research shows that healthy living programs, which include regular workouts, smoking cessation and proper diets, can increase work productivity, reduce stress and reduce time missed from work. We will continue to be an expeditionary Air Force that emphasizes mobility readiness. As our taskings continue to rise, everyone must be world-wide ready to perform in the deployed environment. In combat, survival and success could depend on the highest level of fitness. Rising health care costs: DoD spending on health care soared from $19 billion in 2001 to a projected $50.7 billion in 2011. While much of this increase is attributed to the surge in physical and mental health problems experienced by deployed military members and their families, there are other factors as well. Civilian sector healthcare costs are also rising and employers are taking aggressive action. Several Fortune 500 companies are struggling with healthcare costs and related medical quality issues linked to employee lifestyle. The civilian sector has shown that preventative healthcare, which champions physical fitness, is the most inexpensive and effective treatment. Increased life expectancy for you and your family: One of the common traits shared by centenarians is emphasis on an active lifestyle, which includes regular exercise and a healthy diet. With fast food readily available, and since many of us prefer the taste of fat, salt and sugar, a change to a healthy diet can be difficult for members and their families. Childhood obesity has more than tripled in the past 30 years. Obese children and adolescents are at greater risk for bone and joint problems, sleep apnea and psychological problems to name a few. Obese youth are more likely to become overweight or obese adults and, therefore, more at risk of heart disease, diabetes, stroke, cancer and osteoarthritis as adults. We have no excuse to fail: With the delayed implementation, we've all seen this PT train coming for more than a year. Commanders at every level have sounded the warning loud and clear. Most squadrons use baseline testing as a no-threat assessment to identify those who need help. At Scott the Fitness Assessment Cell has conducted trial testing of pushups and sit-ups to educate those who have concerns about proper form. If you're on the fence, or have not embraced the new PT standard, consider the negative career consequences as a motivator. The new PT test provides another objective criterion to evaluate for performance reports. If you're not on the PT bandwagon, you're running out of time. After all, if you don't take care of your body, you're the one who'll come up short in the end. You're also guaranteed to make no progress if you only workout on days when you feel like it. The late coach Vince Lombardi said it best "The good Lord gave you a body that can stand most anything. It's your mind you have to convince." I'll see you in the gym!