An integral part of military life is the annual physical fitness test. Every service takes its own assessment of the Department of Defense’s once-a-year evaluation.
However, the new military branch of the country is abandoning this model.
Guardians of the Space Force won’t be required to take an annual test. Instead, they will be given smart rings or other fitness devices that track their activity throughout the year. They will also be programmed with feedback to help them manage their mental health and get better sleep.
The U.S. Space Force leadership claims that the approach will not only focus on one annual physical, but also prioritize general wellness for service members. Some military personnel have developed eating disorders and other unhealthy behavior as a result of the annual physical exams.
Patricia Mulcahy (Space Force deputy chief of operations for personnel), wrote in a memo that “this program will not only promote physical fitness; it’ll pair fitness with robust education about diet, sleep hygiene, and other physiological factors to promote socio, mental, and spiritual health.”
Although the change is in process, it won’t be complete until 2023. Guardians will still need to pass one more Air Force fitness exam — a 1.5-mile run, one minute of pushups and one minute of situps.
Chief Master Sergeant. James Seballes is the senior enlisted leader of the Force’s Space Training and Readiness Command.
“We still use the Air Force PT standards. He said that the difference lies in how we approach it.
Space Force has been testing Garmin watches, Oura rings and other devices for its program. It plans to create a digital community that allows Guardians to view data from their fitness trackers and share it with their peers.
FitRankings, a company based in Austin, is creating the online platform that will allow Guardians credit for activities they do regularly, instead of being assessed on exercises during the annual test.
Patrick Hitchins, CEO of FitRankings, said that “Maybe your not good at running or maybe your not good at pulling ups.” These tests have a certain amount of dimensionality that favors one form of activity over another.
Hitchins stated that this was the main frustration Hitchins heard about military personnel regarding fitness tests. FitRankings aims to eliminate it by converting all physical activity into a minute of energy expenditure.
Hitchins stated that guardians could engage in any type of activity. We could turn it into this metric, and then create a community-building challenge around that data.”
According to Maj. Gen. Shawn Bratton of Space Training and Readiness Command who has been using fitness tracking rings to test their accuracy, some in the Space Force believe Guardians will use the data to have more control over their overall health.
Bratton stated, “There is increased responsibility on my part, not only once a year to pass a fitness test but also to exercise for 90 minutes per week.” The ring helps me track my fitness and sleep patterns.
Bratton stated that leaders desire to stress health and not just physical activity, so Guardians can be ready to perform the tasks required by their duty.
Seballes stated that fitness can be seen as a “go, no-go” thing. I know people who can do all the PT and run a mile and a quarter, but their eating habits and sleeping habits are terrible. They are not healthy.”
Some military personnel have made dangerous decisions due to the traditional method of fitness testing. Research has shown that some military personnel engage in eating disorders months before they undergo fitness assessments. Studies have shown that military personnel are at greater risk for eating disorders than their civilian counterparts.
Lindsay Bodell, an assistant psychologist at Western University in Ontario, said that a greater focus on fitness or weight may lead to increased body dissatisfaction. “People might be more conscious of their bodies and performance at this time.”
Bodell, who focuses her research on eating disorders and the causes thereof, stressed that more research is needed before she and other researchers can conclusively link the two. She said that passing an annual fitness exam can lead to advancement in your career and other military opportunities.
She said that people may be tempted to do extreme things to meet the standards if they don’t meet them.
Bodell said that fitness monitors will not solve the problem. Each military service must still measure their body composition using body fat calculations, waist to height ratios, and other methods.
Bodell stated that if the focus is on weight regulation or specific weight standards, it could still have similar consequences. He also noted that there has been a lot of research linking fitness tracker use to eating disorders symptoms.
She said that these types of continuous monitoring and tracking fitness could lead to pressures to conform to unrealistic goals.
Elizabeth Eikey’s research touches upon this topic. She is an assistant professor at University of California, San Diego’s Herbert Wertheim school of Public Health. Her research focuses on how technology like apps and fitness trackers affect mental health and well being.
Eikey stated that for a long time, the idea was to engage more with these tools — the more consistent and longer you use them, the better your health will be.” But we are finding that this is not always true.”
Eikey stated that having more data about your fitness or health can make it harder to self-reflect and lead to healthier lifestyles. This is especially true for those with higher-stakes goals.
However, she isn’t against the Space Force’s reevaluating its fitness measurement system.
Eikey stated, “Questioning what standards are around fitness is very important.” It’s admirable. These technologies are they really the best way to go?
