America wants Rob Wilkins now greater than ever. It’s late 2023 and we’re nonetheless feeling the aftereffects of Covid-19. We’re deeply divided down political get together strains with a presidential election lower than a yr away that guarantees to be much more contentious than the earlier two. We’re hooked on digital gadgets and more and more in search of digital connection over precise human contact, which is destroying our psychological and emotional wellbeing. We’re nonetheless preventing and dropping the battle towards sedentarism and weight problems.
Our society’s issues vary from bodily to psychological to political, so any potential repair must be each productive and nonpartisan. How about health? We suppose that’s an amazing place to start out, and the perfect man to spearhead the trouble is Muscle & Fitness Senior Military Editor MSgt. Rob Wilkins, USAF, Ret.
We’ve instructed Wilkins’ story earlier than: a distinguished member of the United States Air Force for 26 years; a army liaison for the IFBB beginning in 1990, working intently with Ben and Joe Weider; a member of the esteemed President’s Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition (PCSFN); editor of Muscle & Fitness’ in style Fit to Serve sequence; and, in fact, a lifetime fitness center rat and advocate for the bodybuilding way of life.
That final bit of data is essential. Wilkins’ profession begins and ends with health, which he believes can deliver folks collectively and heal our our bodies, minds, and even political strife.
“I think we’re fatigued from bad news from Ukraine to Israel to our border problems to still getting over Covid with the passing of family members and friends,” says Wilkins. “We need to do things that unite us and bring us hope and inspiration again. Maybe we can use fitness to bring back nonpartisanship, where people are for America as opposed to just ‘what’s good for me.’”
Deploying Fitness to Gen Z
First and foremost, the army wants Rob Wilkins. Now an emeritus member of the PCSFN, he stays a chief liaison between the Council and the Armed Forces. He’s a connector, if you’ll, serving to the present administration by “bringing military organizations and political leaders together to talk about how important fitness is to our national security,” he says.
The United States Military has lengthy been one of many fittest teams of women and men on the planet, so Wilkins important focus isn’t on these at present serving. He’s extra involved with future troopers.
“We’re at the worst recruiting we’ve been in since 1973,” he says, “and most of it is because of physical inactivity and obesity. Only 23% of the population is eligible to serve in the military right now — meaning, 77% of youths between the ages of 17 and 24 cannot serve [due to not meeting military standards for physical fitness]. If they can’t serve in the military, more than likely they can’t be police officers, firefighters or first responders either.”
This is a big drawback for apparent causes. The key to fixing it, Wilkins believes, is elevating consciousness and educating younger folks on the significance of bodily exercise. Ideally, this could assist produce a fitter crop of potential troopers, however health will assist children in some other endeavor they pursue.
“Whatever you’re doing, physical activity will make you better at it,” says Wilkins, who’s been an avid fitness center goer since he was a child and maintains a daily health routine right now as he approaches 60. “Your grades will improve, you’ll feel better, your stress levels will go down. You’ll meet people and start forming new communities at the gym and at school. If you’re a swimmer, you’ll become a better swimmer. If you’re a skateboarder, you’ll be a better skateboarder. There’s even research showing that those who exercise are better gamers because they have more stamina and better blood flow to their brains.”
In this context, recruiting is extra of a comfortable promote. The greater objective is to plant the seeds of dwelling a match, wholesome way of life for youngsters — significantly these in underserved communities. “You try to find those groups and figure out what they need by asking them questions like, ‘Why don’t you exercise?’’” Wilkins says. “And the answers vary. It could be, ‘I live in the inner city and there aren’t parks or sidewalks to ride a bike.’ Then you try and help them come up with things to do. ‘Can you jump rope, can you do push-ups, can you walk stairs where you live? Wherever you live, there’s probably something you can do to make yourself more fit.’”
Getting younger folks by the lots to train extra shouldn’t be simple, in fact, nevertheless it’s a worthwhile endeavor. Fortunately, Wilkins is properly related and has assistance on the frontlines. Army Veteran, motivational speaker, and former White House Executive Chef Andre Rush, for instance, chips in by talking to youngsters from troubled backgrounds. In one other occasion, a gaggle of veterans lately hosted 3,500 children in Washington, DC, educating them on the advantages of health and taking them by means of a sequence of workout routines and athletic drills.
“At the end of the event, one kid said to me, ‘This is the best day of my life,’” Wilkins says. “That brings tears to my eyes. This is an inner city kid that, because we provided a safe space for him, he wasn’t worried about being accosted or having his sneakers stolen. This was the best day of his life, and all we did was throw a ball.”
Politically Correct
Wilkins lives full time in Washington, DC, within the coronary heart of what cynics would name “the swamp,” however he’s remarkably unjaded and non-polarizing. Case in level: He was first appointed to the PCSFN when President Trump was in workplace, then re-appointed beneath President Biden. In most political arenas, such bipartisan acceptance is extraordinary.
Neutrality is inherent to his mission. We’re not speaking about healthcare, border coverage, or tax codes right here. Fitness is a non-partisan concern, the place either side of the aisle agree on the urgency of preventing the nationwide and world weight problems epidemic.
“I’m not here to preach at anyone,” says Wilkins. “I don’t want to talk about politics. Music, art, food, sports, and fitness are the things that no matter what your political persuasion, you can have a great conversation with somebody without offending them or them offending you.”
When he was lively within the Air Force, Wilkins served as a legislative liaison, touring around the globe with each Republicans and Democrats. In this position, he discovered that, “for the most part, the two sides get along,” he says. “It’s the hot button issues that get people’s attention, but I would say about 85% of the time they agree on things.”
Bridging the political hole with well being and health was Wilkins’ goal earlier this yr when he invited 4 members of Congress — two Republicans and two Democrats — to affix him in a neighborhood run/stroll in D.C. to debate a veteran’s initiative. The assembly was productive, with the 2 sides complementary to one another.
“Rob has a profound way of finding people that go together,” says Chef Rush, who’s recognized and labored with Wilkins in varied capacities for the previous 5 years. “It’s like a needle and thread. You have a needle and you have to find the right thread that fits it, and everybody else tries to get a different type of thread and make it fit, but it doesn’t fit. Rob’s the person that connects givers with givers, not givers with takers. If you have givers and givers, you’ll never go wrong. You’ll never go broke, never go hungry, and most importantly, you’ll never have to watch your back.”
Dan Solomon, president of the celebrated Olympia, provides, “Rob embodies everything we all aspire to be. He’s devoted to his family, his country and fitness. And he cares deeply about bringing people together. I have watched closely as he’s inspired countless kids and adults to tap into the power of physical fitness.”
A Life of Service
Everything Wilkins stands for each personally and professionally is summed up within the title of his M&F column: Fit to Serve. The articles within the sequence usually spotlight present army members to make serving within the Armed Forces look extra interesting, and Wilkins makes a compelling pitch, significantly to younger athletes: “If you’re a football player, a basketball player, or a baseball player, think about joining the greatest team of all — America’s team, the military,” he says.
As a recruiter, his message is agency however by no means pushy. “I’m not here to tell you to join the military, because it’s not for everybody,” he says. “I’m just trying to give you options.”
“Rob is military to the core,” says Chef Rush. “People ask the question, ‘What do you do after service?’ There is no ‘after service.’ There’s just service. Rob’s been serving for 30, 40-plus years and has never wavered. Every military member should strive to be on that same level, especially after retiring. In a world of hidden agendas, Rob has no hidden agenda. He just does his job diligently. It’s who he is as a person.”
No agenda, only a clear mission that will get him off the bed on a regular basis. “My goal is to help propel the positivity of America,” Wilkins says. “No disrespect to other countries, but this is the greatest place on earth. Let’s take advantage of it because there’s enough bringing us down. Let’s find things we can do to build us up. Maybe through sport and fitness we can come together and figure out how we can all do better.”