Please tell me I am wrong!
I have now been with the VA’s MOVE program for about 4 months, and I am ready to quit! When I signed up for this, it sounded really good, and the name, MOVE, implies action, but, so far, all I have seen or heard, are discussions on portion size, and hearing questions and answers that are just so absolutely basic, I feel like I have stepped into an elementary school classroom! I am sorry, common sense will tell you, fried chicken is worse than boiled chicken, fresh green beans are better than canned, and steaming them in water, is better than sauteing them in butter, simple stuff, right?
When I signed up, I had some sort of fantasy that the group really wanted to MOVE and get results, that we could go to the gym, even a fitness center, something, but no, the big MOVE event for next month is a walk in the park, literally, well, ok, that is some sort of action, but, unfortunately for me, the ROI is not worth it. What I mean is, I can only walk a very short distance, like maybe 100 yards, before the pain is so intense I have to sit. However, if it is to walk into the gym, then sit on a bench, do an exercise that actually does something besides get your shoes dirty, it would be worth it. Walking or standing are the two things I have to limit, I only can walk so far, total in one day, or I am stuck on the sofa for a day or two! If we were going to the gym, the benefits of that type of exercise, would make up for the pain, I would be getting a Return On my Investment, just walking, all I get is the pain and zero benefit.
I know that most of the folks in my MOVE group are much older than I, but, weight training is good for everyone, walking is about the least valuable of all exercises, if the same amount of effort is applied to weight training, the benefits will far exceed what one gets from a walk, as far as I am concerned, walking is only good for getting from the car to the free weights in the gym. Yes, there is a bit of cardio involved with walking FAST, but your heart gets a workout with weights too.
What is the whole point? Gaining lean weight (muscle), will increase your body’s ability to burn fat, even when you sleep, walking is only good for burning a few calories at that given time, and the muscles used for walking, will get used to that stress very quickly, and unless you start carrying weight, while you walk, you will peek in just a couple of days. If that is all that the MOVE program is about, it is not worth the gas money to get there.
Over Weight or Over Fat? Running vs Weight Training?
If you served in the military, before 1983, you may not have experienced the first changes that I know of, about weight restrictions. I joined the Army in 1982, and for my height, 5′ 7″, the limit was 205 pounds, I know this, because that is what I weighed and was told that I was at the limit for my height. This was of course after basic, and AIT, was after passing my PT test at my unit in Germany, and was just part of their physical requirement check-up. I was not fat, not even close, but, I was at the max for my height. Within 6 months, when the next evaluation came along, I of course passed my PT test again, but this time, 205 pounds was over weight! The chart used at that time said I was to be no more than 176 pounds, that is now, 29 pounds over weight! I hadn’t changed, the chart did!
From what I have read, the Army is using body fat along with the height/weight/age chart now, that is good news, because I would not wish what I have been through on anybody! (Read This, Click Here)
After being told that I was now fat (over-weight), I was shocked, but that was just the beginning of the embarrassment, they put me in an extra-PT group and we had to do PT twice a day! This by itself was fine, it got me out of the boring, motor pool and do maintainance routine, but there I was, with a bunch of fatties from the head shed, like clerks, secretaries, and such. The spec-5 that was in charge of our PT was so fat he breathed hard just standing there! All of my fellow platoon members, were rolling on the ground laughing, it was awful! We went on a run, around the block, not even a mile, and I was one of maybe four or five that made it all the way, and, it was my first time to be the one calling cadence, because the spec-5 was the firt to fall out, he didn’t make it out of the gate!
The next day, Top called me into his office and put me in charge of the Fat Platoon, that is what they called us, made up of the over weight and failed PT test group, and I was instructed to get everybody in the group Fit! I said, “Yes!, First Sargent” and walked out to the group. I was an E3, but now, I was in charge of getting about 20 tubbies in shape, so, I marched everybody to the gym! Now, I am loving this extra PT, I get to go to the gym on Army time, not mine! I started the group off with a sort of circuit training, using the limited equipment we had, an old Universal Machine, a stationary bike, a jump-rope or two, and of course Free Weights and a basketball court. We were a bit disorganized at first, but, it worked out pretty good.
After about 2 weeks, my CO, an arrogant, skinny, pencil-neck, geek, was mad, because he never saw us do anything, he wanted to see us running, so, I got called into Top’s office again, where he informed me what the CO wanted, again, I said, “Yes, First Sargent” and walked out to my “trainees” and told them we had to go for a run at least once a week, and I fibbed a bit, and told them that we had to do at least two miles or I was getting replaced, and that the extra PT was going to just be running from now on, when we marched out the gate, I have never heard such a loud group of but maybe 20 soldiers, something was different about them, and me, I was actually proud, not embarrassed!
Once we were about 5 minutes underway, we still had a tight formation, no one was lagging or falling out, we were actually picking up speed! Here we are, the “Fat Platoon”, and we are running! Where we ran, there were only a few options, places where the sidewalk was wide enough, or a street that was not too busy, even to just turn around and go back the way we had come, without stopping, which kills momentum. Since around the block was not allowed this time, we had to do at least a mile, according to Top. Our options on this road were, around the block, one mile, two miles, or the next was just over three. As we got close to the cut-off for one mile, the squad was going strong, and something strange happened, the whole squad wanted to do 2 miles! So, we passed that first turn, there was no turning back, it was either two miles or failure!
As we ran, all the way through the gate, it was now time for the afternoon formation, and everybody, every platoon, every battery, every single soldier at Bismark Kaserne was outside, watching us, all of us, not even one had fallen out, so, instead of just stopping, we make a victory lap, all around the inside of the Kaserne, about a quarter mile rectangle, past every single formation, and all the way back to our unit, which is right at the front gate. As we stopped, I didn’t have to tell them that they had done a great job, they knew it, you could see the look on every single face. I dismissed the squad to their platoons, we were about 5 minutes late to formation.
The next morning was our “Brigade Run”, which meant that everyone from the Kaserne went on one big group run, before formation, Top called me aside and told me to go the Headquarters building and get the Brigade colors, which is a big flag, I was thinking that I was just supposed to bring the flag back to Top, but,as I get there, the harness to help support the thing, was strapped on me, I knew what that meant, I had to run 7 miles with about a 50 pound flag! Whats worse, is that it meant I was running in front of the entire brigade!
The next day, the “Fat Platoon” was given 6 weeks to train as we pleased, then those that had not passed the previous PT test were to take it over, everyone passed! Then came the weigh in, guess what, each one of us had gained weight! Now I am guessing, but I would say that the average for the group, we had lost at least 3-5 inches in the waist, some were a lot more, some were less, but, everyone was in better shape.
After all of this, those of us that were the “over weight” group, had to get a fat test, if we passed great, but, if we failed, we would be barred from re-enlistment, awards, or anything positive, then, would be given another 2 months to lose the rest of the “weight” or get kicked out of the Army, NO ONE FAILED! All of us had room to spare, we were over weight, but not over fat!
By using weight training, we had all gotten stronger, this had made it easier for us to run, do push-ups, and the fat loss had made sit-ups a breeze, so, get in the gym, push some iron, ignore the scale, and get fit!