Fittest fighter challenge betters Airmen

Published April 1, 2011
By Senior Airman Tong Duong
332nd Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs

JOINT BASE BALAD, Iraq -- In what began as an individual journey, members from the 332nd Expeditionary Medical Group will culminate 10 weeks of fitness challenge as a team during the Fittest Fighter finale, April 9 at the hospital.

The Fittest Fighter finale begins at 7 a.m., in the Dragon's Den of the hospital, with an Amazing Race-style format throughout JBB. Broken into teams, participants will run or jog to each checkpoint. A different physical challenge is set up at each stop which all members must complete before moving on to the next obstacle. In all, each person will have run or jogged six miles.

The Fittest Fighter competition started on January 28, with a group of 40 hospital members looking to make the most of their time here, with fitness at the forefront.

"Many of the hospital personnel wanted some type of weight loss, get fit program, so I modified an existing one to better suited their needs, wants and goals," said Staff Sgt. John Seay, 332nd Expeditionary Medical Support Squadron, diet therapy craftsman deployed from Lackland Air Force Base, Texas.

With a week to go until the finale, the group has lost a cumulative total of 326.5 pounds, trimmed 82.05 percent body fat and shaved 53 inches from the waist.

As a testament, 20 participants took the Air Force physical training test, with 16 members scoring an excellent. The other four scored in the 80 to 89 percent range, with 80.2 being the lowest score, Sergeant Seay a native of Killeen, Texas, said.

Airman 1st Class Anastacia Barela, 332nd Expeditionary Medical Operation Squadron aerospace medicine technician who is deployed from Patrick Air Force Base, Fla., took the PT test and scored a 96 percent. The eight point increase compared to her test in September 2010, can be attributed to 13.6 pounds lost and the 1.5 inches Airman Barela has trimmed off her waist.

"I cut 1:16 minutes off my run time and I changed my fitness level from satisfactory to excellent," Airman Barela, a Clovis, N.M., native said.

Sergeant Seay, who is also an optimal performance nutrition trainer through the Cooper's Institute for Aerobic Research, said nutrition was the foundation and key to successful weight loss.

"Each member went to the nutrition 101 course that I taught," he said. "The course helped members understand where they need to be calorically to lose weight without starving themselves."

While the workout plan was up to each individual, Sergeant Seay wanted them to focus on areas they needed to improve on versus what they were good at. He also advocated variance in the routines to create muscle confusion.

"All of the participants set their own nutritional and fitness goals," Sergeant Seay said. "I can safely say that all 40 members have lost weight and body fat, and have increased their overall physical fitness level."

Airman Barela said she teamed up with fellow coworkers who've recently deployed to JBB to form the "new crew."

"I figured it would be a good way to bond with my new coworkers, learn how to have a healthier lifestyle and have a steady workout routine," she said.

With the competition a week away, Airman Barela is optimistic about her fitness level.

"The competition isn't over so my numbers will most definitely change from now to next week," she said. "I feel amazing and through this competition I've pushed myself physically more than I ever thought I could."

Having recently completed a 14k and more physically fit than ever, Airman Barela said she has signed up for the Air Force half marathon in September.

"I'm so excited because I know I can do it," she said. "Before I would simply laugh at the thought, but I'm in the best shape of my life thanks to my amazing teammates and Sergeant Seay."

Fittest Fighter Challenge