Fitness Center helping people get fit the S.M.A.R.T. way Published Jan. 11, 2007 By Capt. Vanessa Hillman 60th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- After the Christmas trees are taken out to the curb and the ball in Times Square drops, next inevitably comes the New Year's resolutions. One of the most common resolutions every year across the U.S. is to become more physically fit and to lose those extra pounds gained over the previous year. Based on years of New Year's resolutions, chances are that within two months the resolutions will, like the tree, fall to the curb. The Fitness Center recently started a program geared to breaking this cycle by setting realistic goals to keep these resolutions. The S.M.A.R.T. Goals program officially kicked off at the fitness center Jan. 8 helping members of the Travis community jump-start their 2007 fitness program. The program is set to be a one-month, non-ridged plan, designed to get members in the habit of coming into the gym and taking the many free classes offered by their staff of certified instructors. S.M.A.R.T. is an acronym, helping participants develop reasonable goals, that stands for: Specific Measurable Action-Oriented Realistic Time-stamped To sign up, members need to go to the gym and ask for the S.M.A.R.T Goals registration card that the staff will keep on file. Next, members set personal goals as to how many classes they want to take by the program's end Feb. 9. Then, as participants attend any of the nine different types of classes offered during the month, the instructor signs off on the card to give them credit. Motivation and just getting to the gym is a major factor in reaching fitness goals for many people, according to Ms. Barbara Hickenbottom, 60th Services Squadron fitness specialist. "The hardest challenge of the program [for a lot of people] is getting dressed, grabbing water and just walking into the aerobics studio," she said. "But if you just get dressed and get to the gym, the instructors, as well of the other members of the class, take care of the motivation." "If it is a group, I'll work out more than doing it myself," said Mrs. Judy Cayabyab S.M.A.R.T. Goals participant. "Plus, it helps me keep fit by coming back and trying new classes." Another aspect of the program to help with motivation is incentives to try a variety of classes. On the cards are "bonus" boxes with stars in them. When participants get to a box with a star in it, if they try a class they haven't tried yet, they earn a ticket. The ticket is good for a drawing at the program's finale during the Valentine's Aerobathon scheduled for Feb. 12. The more classes they take and the more new classes they try, the more entries into the drawing they get. According to Ms. Hickenbottom, this is the fourth time the program has run and the first three helped increase overall participation in the classes. "It breaks the barrier of fear in trying new classes." "In addition," she continued, "the classes have not always been free. All the classes are now free, not just to the active duty Airmen, but to retirees and family members too." The fact that the classes are free is certainly a bonus to all the participants. "I took classes back when I had to pay for them," said Mrs. Cayabyab. "I love the free classes." Classes are offered throughout the day starting at 6:45 a.m. and the last class starts at 6 p.m. For more information, stop by the Fitness Center or call 424-0989.