How fitness helps your finances Published Nov. 17, 2006 By Lt. Col. Joel Hanson 90th Maintenance Operations Squadron commander F.E. Warren AFB, Wyo. -- What would you say to making an extra couple hundred thousand dollars? Well, the Air Force is doing its very best to put that check in the mail, but to get it, you also have a big role in earning this money--here's how. Almost three years ago, the Air Force implemented its new fitness program designed to promote a "Fit to Fight" mentality. The Air Force understands that a fit force is much more capable in the expeditionary environment we now operate in to fight the Global War on Terror. The Air Force also understands that a fit force is a much more ready force meaning less people experience health problems; that reduces health care costs and makes more of the force available to deploy. To promote a fit force, the Air Force encourages, check that, makes it mandatory for supervisors to allow their subordinates 90 minutes, three times per week of duty time to exercise. With the Air Force upholding their end of a commitment to a fit force, its up to each Air Force member to not only comply with the established fitness standards but to make exercise a key part of their daily lives. But how does that translate into more money in your pocket? The rationale is really quite simple. Assuming you plan to retire from the Air Force, you will draw a monthly paycheck for the rest of your life. Note, the key is "the rest of your life," which means the moment you pass away, the paychecks stop. Study after study show that exercise is absolutely key to extending one's life by dramatically lowering the risk of premature death from heart disease, cancer and other health-related causes. In fact, leading an inactive lifestyle accounts for at least 300,000 deaths among U.S. adults, second only to tobacco related deaths. Leading an active lifestyle will add an average of seven years to your life, a conservative estimate by most studies, and thus will "earn" you a couple hundred thousand dollars in extra paychecks from the government during your retirement. Not only will you have more money, a healthy lifestyle will greatly contribute to your ability to enjoy your money more. Studies show that good health is one of the key drivers of happiness in retirement. Exercise helps maintain our weight, improve cardiovascular health, strengthen bones and increase endorphins in the body. These hormones give us energy, make us happier and help ward off stress and disease. Our bodies were made to be active and naturally thrive on activity. Expending energy through exercise actually increases the amount of energy we have and in turn makes us happier and extends our lives. If you're not taking fitness as seriously as you'd like or should, there are steps you can take to improve your physical fitness. The first step is to establish goals. Whether your goal is to stop smoking, lose weight or lower your cholesterol, it is proven that people who set goals will greatly increase their chances of achieving their objective. Another key step is to operationalize activity in your daily lives. Besides daily structured exercise, look for ways to keep the body active such as taking the stairs instead of the elevator or parking your vehicle farther away than normal, forcing you to walk farther. A third step is to take advantage of the fitness education classes offered at all Air Force bases. These classes help you understand how the body works in relation to diet and exercise as well as developing fitness and healthy eating programs to assist in meeting your fitness goals. Kick starting your fitness program into what hopefully is a lifelong endeavor will pay huge dividends, both physically and financially. The bottom line is the Air Force is serious about your physical fitness. Hopefully, you are just as serious. So the next time you're taking part in unit physical fitness or taking the fitness test, don't think of it as just another program draining your valuable time; think of it as an investment in your future retirement. After all, being physically fit during your Air Force career translates into financial fitness during your retirement--and I can think of a couple hundred thousand reasons why that is a good deal.