Active-duty and civilian runners take turns circling the track for a 10-hour squadron run at RAF Lakenheath last May to mark National Fitness Month. This year, among the events, Outdoor Recreation will be on hand to offer information on what it has on tap this summer, such as fitness classes and special lectures on topics such as sports nutrition and supplements. (Charlie Reed / S&S file photo)
First, it was the long nights. Long, long nights. Nights that began at around 3:45 p.m. last November. Then came the snow and the cold. And more wind. And gray.
But guess what? Oh ye gods, spring appears to have properly sprung here in the United Kingdom. Maybe spring and summer will last more than six weeks this year. Maybe they’ll last 96 hours. Maybe it will have snowed a foot since I wrote this.
Still, a safe bet would be that there’s going to be a bit of sunshine in the coming months. That means no more hiding our flab beneath layers of clothes. Time to show some skin. Time to get fit.
The Health and Wellness Centers at RAFs Lakenheath and Mildenhall have you covered in May, as they launch a special fitness month.
It all kicks off Friday at the Lakenheath gym, where a fitness fair, of sorts, will be held.
The day’s events include seminars, fitness classes and a ton of information to make you the fittest you can be, according to Tech. Sgt. Michael DeCarmo, the noncommissioned officer in charge of the Lakenheath wellness center. And while there are some other special events scheduled during the month, the fair is the place to get started.
Outdoor Recreation will be on hand to let you know what it has to offer this summer. There will be volleyball, fitness classes and special lectures on topics such as sports nutrition and supplements.
Some of the classes offered Friday, such as cardio kick-boxing and Latin-style aerobics, will run roughly an hour, DeCarmo said. If they prove to be popular, they could be added to the regular rotation of gym classes.
In addition to all this fitness stuff, there will be a health fair Friday featuring different players from around the base.
For example, the Lakenheath hospital’s pharmacy will be doing an expired-drug turn-in.
"A lot of people have medicines just sitting on their shelf," DeCarmo said. "You don’t want to take something by accident."
The health fair is an event that’s tailored for everyone.
"Because everybody is unique, you can pick and choose your own interests," DeCarmo said.
The nice weather will hopefully bring people to the event, so they can best learn how to enjoy these precious days.
"Now that everything is blooming and the sun is out, people want to get out instead of always working out indoors," DeCarmo said. "It just does it for people. You want the light and sun on your skin."
For more information on Friday’s fitness fair and the events surrounding May’s fitness month, call DSN 226-3607, or log on to www.48fss.com
