Pillar of strength: Airman's dedication to fitness impacts life

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Jovan D. Banks
  • 509th Bomb Wing Public Affairs
WHITEMAN AIR FORCE BASE, Mo. --  (Editor's note: This is part one of a four-part series on Comprehensive Airman Fitness. Part three will focus on the social pillar of CAF.)

Working long hours in the heat, sweating bullets and hearing large amounts of iron crash to the ground might sound like uncomfortable working conditions, but for one member of Team Whiteman, they are ideal conditions.

Senior Airman Maurice Cooper, a knowledge operations administrator of the 509th Bomb Wing, uses physical training as a way to surpass military fitness expectations.
This dedication to the physical aspect of Comprehensive Airman Fitness has helped Cooper win multiple fitness competitions.

After placing fifth in his first competition in April of last year, he went on to win first place in two categories and second in another during his most recent competition.
He said he enjoys participating in these competitions and that winning first place is a confidence boost for him.

"Just being able to go to the show and everything is so much fun," Cooper said. "To come back a year and a half later having learned and improved so much feels great."

Senior Airman Francisco Balderas, a fitness center specialist of the 509th Force Support Squadron, said that physical training is just as important to Airmen as the mental, social and spiritual pillars of Comprehensive Airmen Fitness.

"Everything has an effect on you when you get older, so it benefits being fit," said Balderas. "As you age, your body still endures physical tasks every day."

Though Cooper uses his workout routines to improve the physical aspect of his life, he also uses it to keep his stress at bay. Cooper said after a while, working out began to affect other aspects of his life.

"After working out, I feel much better about things," Cooper said. "I'll work out for about an hour to an hour and a half and forget why I was even mad."

According to Cooper, everyone has to start somewhere. Whether it is going to the gym or working out at home, everyone can and should work out. The self-conscious fears about one's ability to work out as well as others should not deter people from bettering themselves.

"When it is all said and done, no one is going to care about how much weight you lifted," Cooper said. "Weight is only relevant to you."

Dedication is a word Cooper used frequently when talking about physical fitness and being devoted to working out has shown Cooper he can apply that same effort to other things in his life.

"It is something you have to be dedicated to," Cooper said. "The dedication you put into working out shows that you can put that effort into other things. You just have to apply yourself."