Yokota builds fitness warriors Published Oct. 7, 2014 By Staff Sgt. Cody H. Ramirez 374th Airlift Wing Public Affairs YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan -- Every day people offer their lives for their country, volunteering years of service to protect and defend their homeland and prevent worldly oppression. And, every day, as people join the service, others leave, sometimes voluntarily ... other times, because they were not maintaining military fitness standards. The Yokota Health and Wellness Center continues to fight for those struggling with physical fitness and offers a solution to those who simply want to improve their condition, by hosting a Healthy Base Initiative twice a year -- the Warrior Run Program. Tech. Sgt. Carlo Salilican, WRP coach, said the program is perfect for community members who are looking for a structured program that will steadily improve their fitness and cardiovascular fitness. "The program is what they are looking for because after nine weeks, as long as they have given 100 percent of their efforts, they will run faster, longer and smarter," said Salilican, who is confidently backed by program results. The program reports an average improvement of a 2.2 minute decrease in the participant's run time, a two-inch decrease in waist size and a score increase of 20 percent on the overall Air Force physical fitness test. According to Salilican, the program also improves the participant's overall health and wellness. Salilican added that an increase in health throughout the base ensures "a fit-to-fight population who will be able to accomplish missions here and overseas during contingency operations." Building physical fitness is a trend throughout Salilican's career. He spent five years as a physical training leader, a year and a half as a unit functional physical manager and is currently pursuing a degree in Sports and Health Science. The current warrior course is the third iteration Salilican has coached. It is this dedication that is attached to Salilican and the other coaches with the program. "We have a dynamic team of coaches motivated to teach and lead fitness events, and we are inspired to help others reach their fitness goals," said Tech. Sgt. Christian Martinez, one of the four warrior coaches. "I know a lot of great Airmen who have separated because of their fitness and as a NCO, I want to do my part to ensure that we do not lose any other Airmen," Salilicon said, adding that he doesn't want to see someone leave the military because they cannot meet the basic military standards for physical fitness. As one of the original coaches, Salilican said the program means a lot to him. "I start feeling a sense of accomplishment when participants come up to me to thank me for pushing them during the nine-week program," Salilican said. "I also love hearing the stories about the personnel who failed their fitness test prior to the course and after the Warrior Run Program they did not just pass the test, but also received an excellent rating." The program is held twice a year during the spring and fall. The current course is halfway done, but members can join now. The courses are free and open to anyone with access to Yokota Air Base, including military members, retirees, dependents, civilian employees and Japanese Air Self-Defense Force members. The current course has 84 registered participants with an average of 63 attending each session. Martinez said he hopes more will come out to benefit from the program. "Come out and have fun," Martinez said. "You will be encouraged to push yourself harder than ever before."