More than 500 join Fitness Month events Published June 15, 2012 By Staff Sgt. Ricardo Rivera 6th Force Support Squadron MACDILL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- The numbers are in, and with more than 500 participants May Fitness Month was a huge success at the MacDill Short Fitness and Sports Center. Kicking off the month was a walking and running incentive, in which more than 70 people tracked their steps for 31 days. Some participants walked more than half a million steps in just one month. That was followed with the popular 5-K run - with more than 200 runners. The fitness center also hosted a six-hour Aerobathon composed of six different aerobic fitness classes including: spinning, body sculpt, step, boot camp, agility, and Zumba. The next event was the cardio challenge. Participants pushed their cardio to the limit with this three-stage event, taking on the elliptical, treadmill, and spin bike for 20 minutes each. Next was the annual bench press competition. Each competitor performed a bench press lift with as much weight as they could push up. The month of events wrapped up with the Zumba party - a popular event for many. More than 140 people took the challenge of this dynamic aerobic workout. The Zumba party was a six-hour, nonstop event, and some participants burned up to 3,000 calories. In addition, fitness assessments were offered throughout the month, teaching participants how to determine and improve current fitness levels. The fitness center staff members gave their all to stage programs that would motivate and benefit all military, civilians, Department of Defense employees, and their families. The fitness center staff hopes everybody who participated left with more knowledge about fitness and tips for living a longer, healthier life. This year's May Fitness Month was perhaps best summed up by a quote from Edward Stanley: "Those who think they have no time for bodily exercise will sooner or later have to find time for illness."