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US Troops - Too Fat to
Fight?? I am not sure if the StewSmith.com or the Military.com readers read the most recent article written by the Associated Press describing the overweight soldiers in our military titled “ Are U.S. Troops Too Fat to Fight?”
The story not only discusses the overweight trends of the active duty and reserve military, but also the recruits who are too heavy to enter into the military. The military community has always been a cross section of society – good or bad. These days, as our country increases in size, it is only a matter of time before the military shares the traits of obesity and associated illnesses such as diabetes, heart disease, and some forms of cancer to name a few.
A shocking 20% of all male recruits and 40% of female recruits are too heavy to enter into the military ranks. Basically, the new recruits have to lose weight so they can barely pass the minimum standards in both the height / weight measurements as well as the physical fitness tests. See PFT for all military branches article for PFT standards the recruits cannot reach: www.stewsmith.com/linkpages/pftstandards.htm
The problem with having recruits barely passing the minimum standards upon entering military boot camps or services academies is the unneeded stress on the joints of out of shape people, unneeded mental stress of constantly receiving extra attention for being below average, and the unneeded loss of focus the new recruits have when actually learning their military jobs.
Being out of shape is a huge distraction for our recruits and soldiers. Many of the active duty and reverse soldiers do not make advancement to higher ranks, therefore losing extra pay, benefits, future selection to jobs needed for career advancement. And, on a far worse level, if the overweight and obesity of our troops is not fixed, we are dealing with a national strategic problem making it difficult to defend America from our enemies.
There are simple answers – eat better and exercise more. Read the Stew Smith Archives for more ideas on fitting fitness into your life and read the most recent articles on the Summer Lean Down Diet. This is a healthy way to burn the fat and keep the muscle so your fitness does not suffer while dieting.
Keep the emails coming and let me know how the workouts are going. You can email me at stew@stewsmith.com.
__________________________________________________________________________________________ Stew Smith is a former Navy SEAL and Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) by the National Strength and Conditioning Association. He specializes in military and law enforcement fitness, particularly Special Operations units. Please feel free to email him at Stew@stewsmith.com with any comments or questions. |
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