THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, July 20, 1994 TAG: 9407200442
SECTION: MILITARY NEWS PAGE: A10 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY DALE EISMAN, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: WASHINGTON LENGTH: Medium: 81 lines
For thousands of sailors and naval airmen, all the talk about a leaner Navy is about to take on an uncomfortable new meaning.
Adm. Jeremy M. ``Mike'' Boorda, the chief of naval operations, put commanders down the line on notice last week that they and everyone serving under them must begin participating in thrice-weekly aerobic exercise programs.
``I would like people to meet physical standards because they are concerned about physical fitness, not because we have a punitive hammer over them,'' said Boorda, who works out regularly at home on a stationary bicycle and rowing machine.
The CNO left it to individual commanders to decide whether to organize formal workout sessions or let members get their exercise individually. But ``full support and compliance . . . is expected from all levels,'' he said.
Along with the exercise program, the Navy is issuing new weight standards intended to quell criticism of its current twice-a-year measurements of body fat.
Each member's height and weight will be compared to a table showing ranges of acceptable weights for men and women. A 5-foot-6 man, like Boorda for example, could weigh up to 174 lbs, while a woman of that height could weigh up to 148. Boorda weighs 151, a spokesman said.
Those members found too heavy according to the table will have an appeal of sorts to the now-standard tape measurement of body fat. The body fat limits, 22 percent for men and 30 percent for women, will be unchanged.
The Navy will continue to give each member twice-yearly physical readiness tests and has not changed their requirements. Members must be able to touch their toes from a sitting position, do proscribed numbers of pushups and situps, and complete a 1.5 mile run or 500-yard swim within a specified time. The standards are adjusted based on gender and age.
Because Boorda is trusting commanders to implement the exercise regimen, compliance probably will be measured mainly in statistics on the health of service members, said Cmdr. Mike John, a Navy personnel spokesman. Boorda is trying to stay away from imposing additional inspection requirements, John said.
The idea behind the exercise requirement is ``to put fitness into the Navy as part of our lifestyle,'' John said. The hope is that after a period of adjustment, ``people are going to say: `I've always wanted to do this.' ''
While a fitness craze of sorts has swept the civilian world in recent years, Navy statistics suggest that the service has been getting increasingly out of shape.
In 1989, for example, only one officer and 897 enlisted personnel were discharged for obesity. In 1993, the corresponding totals were 26 officers and 1,502 enlisted. The standards for judging obesity did not change during that period; the Navy discharges personnel who fail its body-fat or physical-readiness tests three times within any four-year period.
The new weight tables and exercise requirement will take effect in about six weeks, the Navy said, after personnel officials develop a procedure to allow members who don't measure up to apply for waivers.
A special board headed by a flag officer will be created to handle waiver requests, John said, and members seeking waivers will need a medical recommendation and the approval of their commanding officers. ILLUSTRATION: Photo
CARL CASON
Complying with orders to exercise, Lt. j.g. Steven Werve, left,
Chief Petty Officer Cheryl Young and Petty Officer 2nd Class Nancy
De Loria take a 1 1/2-mile run at Norfolk Naval Station.
Graphic
NAVY DISCHARGES FOR OBESITY
Officers Enlisted
1989 1 man, 0 women 798 men, 99 women
1990 0 men, 1 woman 733 men, 87 women
1991 3 men, 2 women 575 men, 80 women
1992 7 men, 1 woman 869 men, 157 women
1993 12 men, 14 women 1,296 men, 206 women
by CNB