I am staggered by the number of fat recruits we are getting, both Officer and troops. The training machine seems to have gone soft, lots of Powerpoint presentations on healthy eating etc but very little sweat. A significant number of our LACs have never passed a fitness test at all and yet still graduate.
When I went through Cranwell I was given hell for being about half a stone overweight.
It has taken me 25 years of hard slog to become a plump weazy git
I still pass my fitness test with ease though (beep not bike
) but am amazed at the number of teenagers and those in their early 20's who drop out, some at the very early stages. The PTI said that the current stats show a 65% failure rate in that age group.
I agree with earlier posters who say we need a grown up approach. PT etc should be part of the working routine. If not, then things will remain the same. I remember, as a Flight Commander, trying to introduce Wednesday afternoon sports a few years back. I was called in by my boss who said I obviously had too much manpower and invited me to submit an amendment to my LUE so that we could get rid of the excess. Either that, he said, or you are all not working hard enough. With attitudes like that, we are on a hiding to nothing.