Friendly competition encourages health, fitness

  • Published
  • By Debbie Aragon
  • AFCEC Public Affairs
JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND, Texas --  The Air Force Civil Engineer Center held its inaugural AFCEC Fitness Competition and Health Fair Aug. 29 with competitors showing their athletic skills.

The disco-themed event, sponsored by AFCEC's Green Machine-Unit Activities Council, was held in Bldg. 171 and focused on personal fitness and well-being, and encouraged teamwork among Airmen - active duty, civilian and contractor.

The five events -- sit-ups, pushups, cycling, walking and running -- challenged participants in friendly competition against coworkers as well as encouraged them to incorporate fitness in their daily lives.

"We wanted to encourage people to eat better, to feel better, to get better nutrition into their system and exercise more," said Deborah Mills, fitness event lead for the GM-UAC. "We're just trying to better the overall person as far as their health is concerned."

"During the morning run and bike ride, I saw fast people. At the sit-up and pushup competition, I saw strong people," said AFCEC Director Joe Sciabica. "As I enjoyed the fun walk with many of your teammates, I saw fit people.

"To sum it up, today I saw people who are Battle Ready and Built Right!" Sciabica said, echoing the organization's motto.

"I was delighted to see so many people dedicated to their health and fitness - and was more than impressed by the ups competitors who were cranking out upward of 100 sit-ups and pushups in less than a minute," he added.

The fitness competition, began by the legacy Air Force Center for Engineering and the Environment, featured several past winners, including Capt. Clemente Berrios, AFCEC's executive officer.

"I thought the fitness competition was an outstanding way for (our organization) to take a break from work and learn about fitness," Berrios said. "I thought I was a lock to win it all this year and I didn't even come in second place! I was really happy to see so many smiling faces out there participating or just cheering their folks on. It was extremely fun and I was impressed at the caliber of competition we had this year."

As the athletic events took place, a variety of organizations also manned booths at the health fair. While enjoying a healthy snack of fresh fruit, attendees were able to get information on fitness, healthy eating, blood pressure and cholesterol. The Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland Information, Tickets and Tours staff also set up a booth to encourage people to get out and enjoy the many fun activities offered in San Antonio and the local area.

"In the end, I hope this experience encourages our workforce to go out and live a healthy lifestyle," Berrios said. "Your loved ones will thank you for it!"