Resurrecting this ancient post back from the dead…
I’ve found being a CFAV keeps me accountable for my fitness, as I want to set a good example for the cadets under my charge.
Whilst I’ve been away from running for a while after picking up a chronic injury in 2018, that’s only disappeared within the last year, I now have a 100km ultra, a half-marathon and the 2024 London Marathon within the next 9 months and I’m looking for ways to increase my accountability to myself.
Accepting that we don’t have to be at a deployable level of fitness, what do other CFAVs do to keep themselves fit?
I mix up my fitness as much as possible. I find cross training keeps me adaptable and interested.
In the time I have, with a young family, I normally I aim for a swim of 1500m, a 30min spin class, a couple of 5km runs a week plus a general paddlesport session one evening in the summer for a sport specific fitness.
That weekly (ish) routine is supplemented by weekend paddles / mountain biking / hill walking as and when I can fit stuff in. MTB is definitely the best for smashing the calories in a short period of time though, especially on my local evening route.
I’ll never be a long distance runner but I have enjoyed a sprint triathlon or two a few years back so I’d be keen to do a bit more in that arena when I get a bit more time.
My goal is just to pass the RAFFT when my medical exemption expires, and possibly HAT if I want to go anywhere, so I stick to 5k Parkruns (my theory is that if the stats put me in top 50th centile for my age group then I should pass the MSFT with a RR of 1 or below) and practise my push-ups and sit-ups to ensure I don’t get picked up for form and have any not counted.
I don’t do this any more, just ad hoc evening events, which gives me some more time.
Swim and spin are done before work at 0645. Runs I squeeze in by alternating with my wife. Occasionally run at lunch or immediately after work before nursery pickup when I’m working from home.
The time is there. Just depends on priorities; exercise is important to us both so we make the time.
Ladies and gentlemen, don’t give Special K any more ideas, CFAV fitness tests, does that equate to decreasing risks when CFAVs have cadets on the hills etc?? They were fit according to ACP 999 when they left??
It’s interesting this has been resurrected after six or so years. Attitudes society wide have had a pretty good shift in that period, look at RAF[AC] uniform policies etc.
Wouldn’t be considered for a second now, is my guess. Absolute non-starter for a myriad of reasons. Disabled member of staff. Exemption? Well that proves it’s unnecessary, job done goodbye. Look a mess in uniform for being obese? What happened to not judging a book by its cover again, can’t discriminate on physical appearance. Open and shut, not a chance.
I will add to that list a lack of facilities/access to a provider.
Take the MOD they have a requirement that personnel meet a fitness requirement and provide on site gym facilities.
HQAC expect us to complete a (long) list of mandatory training (ACTO 099) and provides training course to tick that box.
The same is true for optional courses be they AT, shooting or otherwise.
Setting a fitness requirement without providing a platform to maintain that standard is setting the team up to fail* and so gym facilities should be provided.
Now i can’t see £5000 worth of gym kit being issued to each Sqn to locate in Classroom 3 (on the assumption Sqns have premises they have sole access to and not shared with the ACF or even 8 other groups from the church and community who also use the building)
The most practical route is gym memberships for all but that would get expensive very quickly…on the basis 40% of Staff are in uniform that is £40 x 4000 CFAVs = £160,000/month
And in addition there needs to be a test facility to confirm continued fitness - i doubt that will be at the CFAVs convenience either (ie outside of office hours) so not only are CFAVs finding an additional 2 hours** a week but are sacrificing time to attend the fitness test…
Its so laughable to suggest it
*WBGT kit as an example - how many of us have seen one let akone know where their nearest one is? I doubt Squadrons actually own any
**on the expectation a gym session is 1 hour long and so allows for post workout shower and perhaps 20 minutes drive each way
The same argument could be used for reservists, but they still have to pass. In the Army Reserves many have gym facilities in their ARCs and attend an additional evening to their drill nights for PT, but in the RAF Reserves we tend to live further away from our normal duty stations and so using the station gyms, even if we are technically entitled to, is not practical.
