Exercise is beyond a Job

For the first 20 years of her life, Barbara Press hated exercise. At 250 pounds, she was too big to enjoy anything that required much effort. These days Barbara, otherwise known as Petty Officer Barbara Press, weight 155 pounds, and she loves exercise. What’s more, her active lifestyle landed her new responsibilities as the physical fitness coordination for her employer, the Naval Air Warfare Station in Point Mugu, California.

The only exercise I used to get was walking to the fridge to get more food. I was too big to do much else. When I had finally had it with being overweight, I read everything I could get my hands on to educate myself about diet and exercise. I spent the first year learning to control what I ate and how much—how to measure portion sizes and make healthy choices.

I dropped 60 pounds. Then I began to focus on an exercise program. I started walking three times a week, slowly building myself up until I was five miles every day. Soon I was addicted to walking, and my day wasn’t complete without a good workout.

I was pleased with the progress I was making, and I knew that if I quit, I’d be disappointed with myself. I was so curious to see the final results and what I would look like thin. I had always been told that I had a beautiful face, and I was sick of hearing that… I wanted to be a beautiful, healthy person.

Right now I’m maintaining my weight, so I don’t work out seven days a week anymore; it’s usually five days—or six, tops. When I work out on my own, I do a walk/run routine: I walk a hard 3 ½ miles, and then I run 2 miles. Some days I go for a 4-mile run.

Whether I walk/run or run, I stretch afterward, do abdominal exercises, and finish up with weights. I rotate my weight program so I work my upper body one day and my lower body the next.

To some degree, my job provides a workout. As a physical fitness coordinator in the navy, I have to run the troops three times a week. Their fitness level is different from mine (they only run 1 ½ miles), and when I run with tem, I don’t feel as if I’ve gotten a workout. So after I run the troops, I hop on the Stair-Master for 45 minutes and then the bike for 15 minutes.

Losing weight was a long and difficult battle. It took me 20 years to put the weight on, and I didn’t lose it overnight. But I always knew there was a better world for me. Because on my weight loss and new love of exercise, I’ve found it.