Get Fit Published Sept. 23, 2011 By John Mikula 94th Airlift Wing Force Support Squadron DOBBINS AIR RESERVE BASE, Ga. -- Air Force Airman and Family Services challenges thousands of youth and teens from across the Air Force to 'Get Up, Get Out and Get Fit' as the seventh year of FitFactor kicks off with the Worldwide Day of Play Sept. 24. The event is centered in Washington D.C. and is geared to raise awareness and to elevate participation in physical fitness activities. Raising awareness is necessary as Georgia is documented as the state with the 3rd highest obesity rate (37 percent) amongst American youth age 10-17, said John Mikula, 94th Airlift Wing exercise physiologist. In order to reverse the current trends and promote a more physically active culture, children and youth must first be aware of the current fitness guidelines. "The American College of Sports Medicine recommends children age six and older be physically active for at least 60 minutes each day," said Mikula. Parents must also promote the benefits of their children engaging in regular exercise. From a clinical standpoint, regular exercise increases vitality and resilience to illness, Mikula said. "Regular exercise also promotes self-esteem, social skills in groups as well increases self confidence," Mikula said. "Newest research has also linked increased physical fitness with higher levels of academic achievement amongst children." FitFactor is a reward program that is becoming popular throughout the active duty Air Force and will hopefully become more popular in the reserve component. Since 2005, participants of the more than 60,000-strong program have set goals, tracked their progress through a point system and earned prizes for reaching their goals. This is all done at the FitFactor Web site. "It's a really great program to get kids out and moving or just get them out doing something to get fit," said Regina Mullins, youth center school age coordinator at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev. FitFactor categories include instructional classes, league sports, individual and Air Force-wide activities and healthy eating. A child can perform a wide array of physical tasks like walking the dog or performing household chores and still receive credit, said Ruben Rodriguez, youth center youth sports director and lead for the award-winning program at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas. Activities are worth 25 or 50 points and participants can log up to 100 points per day. The incentives, based on personal achievements, include FitFactor Frisbees, jump ropes, pedometers and a variety of other fitness gear. "Kids see progress as they accumulate points toward their next level and when that is achieved, they feel a sense of accomplishment," Rodriguez said. "This translates to teaching, in a fun way, goal-setting skills they can apply for the rest of their lives." A key component of the overall Air Force Youth Programs fitness and health initiative, FitFactor focuses on long-term successes. It's about encouraging healthy choices and teaching youth of all ages to value their lives, said Kimberly Gilman, Air Force Services Agency youth specialist. To get the fun started, youth centers throughout the Air Force will host various events in support of the nationwide Worldwide Day of Play, an entire day dedicated to active play and healthy living. Like many of the Reserve bases, Dobbins is not directly geared up for this event this year. However, families are encouraged to participate at home with their children by getting active, making healthy food choices and rewarding positive health behavior. "Being physically active together with you family is highly recommended," Mikula said. "Try finding physical activities that you and your family enjoy and get active!" For more information about FitFactor and other youth programs visit www.afyouthprograms.com http://www.afyouthprograms.com or stop by a local installation youth center More information about WWDoP can be found here. (Air Force Personnel, Services and Manpower Public Affairs contributed to this article)
