Promoting the best: Tech sgts. may have to impress a board to advanceAirmen and family members use the 'Fitness on Request' kiosk at the Rambler Fitness Center on Joint Base San Antonio–Randolph. (Staff Sgt. Ian Hoachlander/Air Force)
Have you not had a good workout since your base lost funding for its aerobics instructor? Soon, some airmen will no longer have that excuse for not exercising.
The Air Force will have placed its virtual “Fitness on Request” kiosks at 66 locations by the end of this month, the Air Force Personnel Center announced Tuesday. Instead of an in-person instructor — which some installations can no longer afford — the kiosks play exercise videos on large screens. The videos show a virtual instructor and two assistants, who perform the exercises at different skill levels, which allows people to follow at their own pace.
“With many Air Force fitness facilities losing all or part of their local group exercise instructor contract funding, this program will help supplement or replace the group exercise programming,” said fitness program specialist Anthony Alcala. “We want to provide customers an alternative at bases that lost these funds to ensure fitness and sports centers continue to provide a variety of programs.”
The workout routines will include kinetics, kickboxing, cycling and step aerobics, and will run between 20 and 60 minutes. Some routines, such as cycling and step, will require equipment. Attendees should check to see what equipment is available in their fitness center’s kiosk area, the AFPC said.
The kiosks, which are part of the service’s Operational Fitness Program, will come preloaded with 30 workout videos and will be updated quarterly. They are open to airmen, retirees and family members. Installations will decide on their own how to schedule their kiosks, but customers also may be able to schedule group exercise classes.
“The goal of this program is to encourage airmen to live healthy lifestyles and provide alternative avenues to staying fit,” said AFPC fitness program manager Scott Nunnelly.
The Air Force began rolling the kiosks out in April. Hanscom Air Force Base in Massachusetts and Shaw Air Force Base in South Carolina already have kiosks.
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