Several months ago, I wrote about fitness and its countless benefits to you and your family.  The Navy has embraced a culture of fitness and I hope that you—Sailor, Marine, family member, civil servant, or contractor—have also embraced that culture of fitness.

It’s often said that half the battle is in the mind, frequently expressed as mind over matter. I recognize that starting (or maintaining) a culture of fitness in your life and that of your family can be a challenge. That’s why I’m thrilled to write about two fantastic programs that our fitness centers have implemented.

The first program includes family friendly zones. The Regional Fitness Centers designed family friendly zones for parents wanting to work out while watching their children. A family fitness room, situated inside each fitness center, is offered as a convenience to patrons, so parents can have the opportunity to receive a quality workout, while keeping an eye on their child. 

Family Fitness Rooms will be broken into three separate entities: an adult section with workout equipment; a crawler section, for kids 6 weeks to 11 months with cribs; and a toddler section, for kids from 1-7 years with toys. 

Parents/legal guardian must remain in the Family Fitness Room, with direct line of sight supervision with their children. The maximum time per visit is one hour, and parents must sign themselves and their children in and out.

The second program was created by Commander, Navy Installations Command and implemented by each region including Navy Region Northwest. The program concerns fees, and the great news is that many things are now free! 

Beginning this past October, there are no group exercise fees or facility usage fees for active duty family members, military retirees or their family members at Navy Fitness centers. On Nov. 1, free facility usage was extended to include current and retired DoD civilians. 

Free facility usage includes free weights, resistance machines, stretching areas, aerobic machines, basketball and other courts, swimming pools for lap swimming, tracks, and locker rooms and sanitation facilities. 

Services that still have fees attached include but may not be limited to recreational swimming; locker rental; intramural sports; and participation in special classes such as aerobics, yoga, kickboxing, etc.  However, active duty family members, military retirees, and retiree family members no longer pay a fee to participate in group fitness classes; current and retired DoD civilians are still required to pay for group fitness classes.

Get to know the folks at your local fitness centers. They’re not only there to maintain the facilities and provide services, they’re also there to help you get the most out of your body and workout. For more information on these two enhancements to an already great fitness program, contact the center nearest you: Bangor: (360) 315-2134; Bangor Waterfront: (360) 396-5406; Bremerton: (360) 476-2231; Keyport:  (360) 396-2863; Everett:  (425) 304-3336; Whidbey Island: (360) 257-2420.

It’s been said that there’s no such thing as a free lunch, and although I can’t take away the willpower and mental challenge to fitness we can now say that there is such a thing as free fitness. I hope that these changes and additions to the region’s fitness programs help energize you to start (or continue) your own fitness program. 

Take care and be safe.