Fitness challenge motivates 916th Airmen Published March 18, 2011 By Staff Sgt. Terrica Jones 916th Public Affairs Office SEYMOUR JOHNSON AIR FORCE BASE, N.C. -- With a hectic deployment schedule, demands of monthly unit trainings and balancing careers, family and military life, ensuring that you are physically fit is not just a requirement, it's a necessity. Under Air Force Instructions, service members must be physically ready to accomplish the mission, attain and maintain excellent physical conditioning and always meet Air Force fitness standards, in addition to actively participating in the Air Force fitness program. It's no easy task, but for two members of the 916th Air Refueling Wing taking a fitness challenge was one way to help them achieve their goals. The Fit to Fight Challenge is a Health and Wellness Center program sponsored by the 4th Medical Squadron. The Fit to Fight Challenge lasted nine weeks and was designed to assist and motivate members by providing them valuable education and instruction to improve their overall health and fitness standards. Participants started the program with an initial weigh in, height check and taping of the abdominal circumference. There were rules to the program such as participants must weigh in each week, turn in weekly fitness sheets, attend at least two mock physical fitness test and participate in individual or squadron physical fitness at least three times a week. Participants received points for weekly weight loss, keeping food records, class attendance and improvement of their physical fitness score. When the program ended Senior Master Sgt. Matthew Turcotte, 916th Maintenance Squadron, came in first place and Staff Sgt. Demetrius Ward, 911th Air Refueling Squadron, came in second. There was an accumulated weight loss of 78 pounds, an abdominal loss of 27 inches and participants increased overall fitness scores by 32 percent. Learn more about the 916th Air Refueling Wing by joining us as a Fan on Facebook. Learn more about fitness on our blog, Four for Fitness.