Health
Promotion Columns
 April 2002
Attitude
Adjustment
Positive Outlook: Key to Staying Fit
with Command Sgt. Maj. Gerald
Abbott
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Command Sgt.
Maj.
Gerald Abbott, Master Fitness Trainer, Delaware
Army National Guard.
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When soldiers want to start a health promotion program that will ultimately help them stay
fit, building a positive attitude is the
key, according to Command Sgt. Maj.
Gerald Abbott, Master Fitness Trainer, Delaware Army
National Guard.
"The idea is to build a positive attitude toward fitness and health.
Then, you'll enjoy it and feel better about yourself,"
said Abbott, a full-time Personnel Staffing Specialist and
Command Sergeant Major for the 261st Signal Brigade. "The
chances are better that you're going to do it and stick with
it."
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Here are
some pointers for developing a positive fitness
attitude:
Be mentally and
physically focused on getting fit.
It's always easiest to do nothing.
The first mindset to overcome is the inclination toward
inertia. Getting started is the first major step toward
a positive fitness attitude. Become resolved mentally
that exercise and a healthy lifestyle will help you reap
huge benefits. Start by taking one hour per day or at a
minimum every other day for your mental and physical
well being. In addition to helping you look better and
feel better, getting fit will reduce the chance of
disease and other risks.
Choose
exercises you enjoy.
An
effective program, designed
to help you stay fit and stay
healthy, should always include an aerobic event. "This doesn't have
to be running or jogging. Running all of
the time is not for everyone," said Abbott.
Because of body mechanics and other factors, you
should participate in sports or
exercises that you enjoy and will help you
stay fit. "Kickboxing, rollerblading, mountain
biking, ice skating are all good aerobic
events," said Abbott.
Work from low to
high and then maintain.
Don't hurt yourself
starting out by working too hard. If you injure
yourself, human nature usually sets in, and it will be
hard to not associate exercise with negative results. It
will be more difficult mentally to get back into your
program. Also, starting slow and working up to a higher
performance will allow a more definite
lifestyle change. Some researchers have found that
it takes at least 4-6 weeks before old habits can be
broken and the new ones take root.
Don't let a
negative take over.
If you do injure yourself, over exert
yourself, or just find that you have a
negative impression about fitness, don't let it
win you over, according to Abbott. Talk to a
Master Fitness Trainer or someone else
who is motivated and get some positive ideas
from him or her. Chances are you've focused on one
aspect too much and need some variation.
Always
Balance
Whether dealing with nutrition or exercise, you
will want to make sure you cover all the
bases. You've got to eat right. You can't have
a straight diet of junk food and expect to build
strength and endurance. Try to follow the Army's
Nutrition Guidelines for Health found in AR40-25. And in terms of
exercise, remember the FITT factors from FM21-20:
Frequency, Intensity, Time and Type. The different
types include Cariorespiratory and Muscular Endurance. Make
sure you include them in your
program.
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Command Sgt. Maj. Gerald Abbott became a
Master Fitness Trainer in 1985. As an MFT, he
strives to help soldiers pass the Army Physical Fitness
Test (APFT). He knows the standards and has watched the
test evolve to where it is today, transitioning from a
time when the one standard for every soldier was to march four
miles in an hour.
"The four-mile march had turned
into the four-mile run," said Abbott. "Over time,
it became more of a race."
Then, the Army adapted the current APFT standard for all soldiers based on
age and gender ranges. The latest proposal for an updated physical
fitness test will help focus units on developing Physical Training (PT)
programs tailored to their unique unit missions requirements.
That proposal is still being discussed by Department of
the Army officials.
"Ultimately the individual has to make the
change in themselves when it comes to
fitness," said Abbott. "If you don't like what you see - that person in
the mirror - only you can change it."
And Master Fitness Trainers and leaders
in the Delaware Army National Guard, such as CSM
Abbott are more than willing to assist any aspiring soldier.
Previous
Articles:
• Maj. Scott finishes in division top 10 of
Marine Corps Marathon 2001
• 287th Army Band places 2nd in Ruck Race
• New Air Guard fitness testing program to begin in
May 2002
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