Fit to fight -- exercise physiologist manages wing program

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Rachel Martinez
  • 35th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
MISAWA AIR BASE, Japan --  The Air Force has adopted a new "Fit for Life" motto and servicemembers have seen dramatic changes to the fitness program. These changes don't come without some guidance and oversight. Each base has an assigned exercise physiologist who is responsible for managing the wing commander's fitness program. This position was recently filled here by Mr. E. Lindsay Buckalew.

As part of the Health and Wellness Center on base, an exercise physiologist is responsible for determining profile restrictions, overseeing the unit fitness program managers, training for UFPMs and physical training leaders, and educating the entire base populace on exercise and fitness.

"One of the biggest pieces to the HAWC is education," described Mr. Buckalew. "We educate folks that don't meet the standards as well as those who do."

The job of an exercise physiologist can be very personality driven. One's personality can have a direct effect on the success of the program.

"You have to be able to communicate well and connect with people. You also have to learn how to motivate people by helping them to think about health and fitness," said Mr. Buckalew. "I teach from the viewpoint that only one or two of the people are actually going to change. Any lifestyle change is hard and people have to say that they are ready to change. People have to want to change themselves; the HAWC can only help people to help themselves."

Mr. Buckalew describes his job as two fold - one part spent at a computer managing the program and profiles, and the other part spent in the field, assessing fitness needs.

"I feel like my job is to spend half the time at the computer, less if possible, and the rest of the time out and about," explained Mr. Buckalew. "People are not going to come to us. We need to get out and see what people do and how they work so we can figure out how best to help them. You have to get to know your population and it takes a little time to do that."

The exercise physiologist position sat empty for a good part of a year until Mr. Buckalew's arrival in March. In addition to getting to know the population, Mr. Buckalew is focusing on evaluating the programs already in place.

"What we already have here is good, but eventually I want to expand," said Mr. Buckalew. "I have my sights set on making things even better here."

One change Mr. Buckalew is working on is consolidating all fitness aspects into one area of the HAWC. With an upcoming Unit Compliance Inspection, he will also be conducting quality control checks on individual unit's PT programs and sessions. He said he would also like to add body fat skin fold testing and a running clinic with gait analysis.

"Past experience tells me that the running clinic will be one of the most popular classes," he added.

Mr. Buckalew's experience includes eight years as an exercise physiologist. Previously, he worked as an exercise physiologist at McGuire Air Force Base and Vandenberg Air Force Base. He has a bachelor's degree in health promotions and a master's in exercise physiology. He is also certified by the American College of Sports Medicine.

After college, Mr. Buckalew saw civil service as an option to work in a corporate wellness setting.

"In a civil service job you're not in the military, but you work with something that gives you a purpose and sense of belonging to a bigger cause," he said. "My job is to help people be ready to accomplish the bigger mission. I see changes in people when they come back from deployments. They come back and know first-hand that you really need to ready for the mission-- both physically, mentally and spiritually. The bigger picture of my job is that we are preparing people for war. Whether they deploy or not, they directly support someone who does and they need to be ready when the need arises. I definitely feel like that is one of the underlining purposes of my job."

A benefit of this civil service job is that it allows people to take their own programs and focus on where their strengths are, according to Mr. Buckalew. His strengths include education, presentations, exercise testing, injury prevention and exercise prescriptions.

"An exercise prescription gives someone the basic framework for exercise - from what shoes they should wear to what strength training moves to do," said Mr. Buckalew. "I give people what they should be doing and the fitness center shows them how to do it - in a sense, I write the prescription and the fitness center fills it."

Mr. Buckalew commented on the noticeable change in the fitness attitude in the Air Force.

"The Air Force is sending a message - fitness is part of your duty, and it should be part of your life."

As part of this fitness transformation, Mr. Buckalew has seen units enroll people in programs based on their appearance, even if they have a passing test on their PT assessment. The intent is not just to get people to pass a PT assessment, but to live a healthier lifestyle.

Mr. Buckalew adds that there are changes happening on Misawa in regards to the fitness program.

"One thing people ought to know is that the base is going to track those people with multiple PT failures," he said. "Those people who are failing need to seek help - soon."

The fitness program goal at Misawa is to have 30 percent of the Airmen in the excellent category with a 98 percent currency rate. Additionally, the wing would like to reduce the number of poor scores by half, according to Mr. Buckalew. While some are embracing the new fitness program, there are still challenges.

"The biggest challenge in my job now is getting a base and/or unit to experience what the fitness program is designed to be -- a lifestyle," explained Mr. Buckalew. "If you have a strong unit leadership that makes fitness a priority then work and productivity doesn't fall off - it actually increases. And by the way, so does morale, unit cohesiveness, and probably most importantly, attitude. Why do you think all the Fortune 500 Companies have health promotion programs -- because it works."

Fitness priority doesn't just lie with leadership; it is also an individual responsibility.

"People ought to know that every person on this base is a leader," said Mr. Buckalew. "Lead by example and take responsibility in your own life. Take pride in your job, appearance and health."