22nd MDG member discovers 'joy of fitness'

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Abigail Klein
  • 22nd Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
MCCONNELL AIR FORCE BASE, Kan. --  Before becoming McConnell's Air Force Smart Operations for the 21st Century NCOIC, one McConnell Airmen was already doing more with less--he raised his physical fitness score from 78 to a 98.75.

Unlike most Airmen, Tech. Sgt. Shayne Miller, decided to improve his fitness score not because he was failing already; he wanted to improve his fitness before he failed.

The turning point for Sergeant Miller occurred while he was still assigned to the 22nd Medical Group and performed a "mock" PT test with his flight in August 2010.

"With the new PT standards I would have received a 77, which isn't a failing score. However, I would have failed the situps portion," Sergeant Miller said. "After 16 ½ years [in the Air Force] I didn't want to face the drama of failing a PT test."

To ensure that he would pass his PT test in December 2010, Sergeant Miller eliminated all the junk food and carbonated beverages from his diet, began drinking more water and consulted a doctor for a fitness plan.

Sergeant Miller also helped form a Boot Camp-style program for his squadron with the help of its physical training leader, Senior Airman Kayla McVietty, 22nd MDG Bioenvironmental Engineering Flight journeyman.

"When he saw he was going to fail, he came up with a Boot Camp program for our squadron, and included more pushups, situps and running in the workouts," Airman McVietty said. "His contributions helped him and the flight as well."

Though the first couple of weeks were difficult, Sergeant Miller soon discovered that he enjoyed working out. He liked working out so much that he began working out six to seven days a week.

This pace slowed only after Sergeant Miller suffered a stress fracture in his right leg.

Though he couldn't run, Sergeant Miller could still do pushups and situps. To help build lean muscle, he also began weight lifting. Sergeant Miller also used any free time he had in the office to workout, performing pushups, situps and using resistance bands.

Sergeant Miller's efforts were rewarded when he received a 98.75 on his PT test.

Along with improving his PT score, Sergeant Miller was able to drop more than 30 pounds, and decrease his waist measurement from 38 to 33 inches. His overall health has improved too.

"I have acid reflux and use to have a lot of issues with it," Sergeant Miller said. "Since I began working out and eating healthy, I barely need to take my medication for it."

The only complaint Sergeant Miller has had about increasing his fitness is the amount of money he has had to spend on new clothes to fit his smaller frame, he said.

Though he couldn't run for this test, Sergeant Miller will be able to run in his test scheduled in March.

"I'm really looking forward to running, just so I can get that 'legitimate' score," he said.