Buckley Fitness Center, HAWC offer numerous classes, equipment to promote healthy lifestyle

Published May 9, 2012
By Senior Airman Christopher Gross
460th Space Wing Public Affair

BUCKLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. -- Since 1983, May has been designated as National Fitness Month and Buckley is playing its part by ensuring there's plenty of activities and classes for service members and their dependents to partake in and encourage a positive fitness lifestyle.

According to Alan Muriera, Health and Wellness Center health promotion manager and health educator, The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends 150 minutes a week of intense exercise.

Muriera, said the HAWC and fitness center are teaming up to provide plenty of options to promote a healthy life style.

Some of those options include, lunch-time bike rides beginning at 11:30 a.m., and typically lasting an hour, every Monday, Wednesday and Friday and are usually between eight to 15 mile rides. Another option is boxing workouts from 4:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. every Monday, Wednesday and Friday in the gym. There are also a number of various running programs, spinning classes, aerobic classes, yoga classes and more.

"There's something for everybody, not everyone is cut out to go out there and run two or three miles," said, Bobby Padia, Buckley Fitness Center fitness and sports chief.

According to Padia, the fitness center has approximately 140 pieces of equipment ranging from strength training, cardio, free motion and spin equipment. There are also four racquet ball courts, one with the capability to be converted into a wallyball court, a one-twelfth mile indoor track, and a synthetic-turf field; these are only some of the amenities offered by the fitness center.

The HAWC also offers a cooking demonstration class at noon every third Friday of the month. The class has become so popular that an advanced registration is required, to do so, visit the front desk at the fitness center.

Muriera said they're promoting healthy eating by showing attendees how to make quick simple meals that are less than 500 calories.

"If you're healthy, stress doesn't take such a toll on you. Your coping methods are better and you're more resilient," Muriera said.

He added that by being more resilient, it will help in bouncing back from physical, mental and emotional issues.

To get started in the right direction for those that want to start a good positive fitness routine, Muriera shared some other programs offered by the HAWC.

VO2 max and BOD POD testing along with a designed workout schedule and diet plan is another service being offered.

The VO2 max stands for maximal oxygen consumption and is the maximum capacity of an individual's body to transport and utilize oxygen during incremental exercise, which reflects the physical fitness of the individual. The BOD POD is body fat composition test. After these two test are done, a HAWC representative will sit down and design a tailored workout plan, and will continue to help monitor the plan for a few remaining weeks.

Appointments for test can be made through the HAWC.

For more information or questions visit the HAWC Facebook page by clicking here or call 720-847-5699, or call the fitness center at 720-847-6679.

May is National Fitness Month