Ambitions for a better lifestyle

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Stephanie Mancha
  • 48th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
IPSWICH, England -- --  Twenty-four Airmen from the 48th Aerospace Medicine Squadron volunteered to work with Healthy Ambitions at the Suffolk Show, a countywide event featuring agricultural and local business displays, May 29-30.

Healthy Ambitions and the 48th AMDS combined efforts to promote and educate the community on healthy lifestyles.

"Healthy Ambitions is a small independent charity. We work on changing people's behavior with long-term solutions," said Richard Powell, chief executive of Healthy Ambitions. "We work with all age groups on activities and nutrition to generally change their life, to make good decisions about their health."

The charity was founded in 2011 and has been working with the 48th AMDS Public Health Office and Health and Wellness Center since February 2013 to try to make Suffolk County the healthiest county in England by 2028.

"We wanted to be here [Suffolk Show] because agriculture is such a big part in health and well-being. [RAF] Lakenheath Airmen are here to reinforce that they're a big part of Suffolk," said Powell.

Healthy Ambitions, the 48th AMDS Public Health Office and the HAWC were stamping family health trail books to encourage people to walk to each location and answer lifestyle questions.

"It's important to start now with the younger people," said Powell. "They may have kids of their own by 2028 so we need to work on that age group so they are less of a burden on the state once they reach an elderly age."

The HAWC provided a "Kids on the Move" demonstration, where kids had to complete five exercises.

"We were asked by Healthy Ambitions to come out to the Suffolk Show and demonstrate our Kids on the Move program that the HAWC provides for kids 4-12," said Jennifer Herling, HAWC health and fitness specialist. "The kids learn proper exercises like squats, burpees, lunges, planks and pushups. We do a warm-up, 10-minute workout and then end with a game. We try to make it as fun as possible for the kids."

Powell said he looks forward to working with RAF Lakenheath in the future.

"Working with RAF Lakenheath's public health office has been awesome. They're good guys, and they care about the community," said Powell.

The groups are planning future events to get people into a healthy lifestyle.

"Suffolk is trying to be the healthiest county in England, and we are trying to help them achieve that goal since we are such a big part of the community. We can bring Kids on the Move to the British community, and we are willing to do that while working with Healthy Ambitions," said Herling.