About me. More about me than you likely cared to know.

Name: Rebecca (Formerly known as Sergeant Mutha F*ckin Fontes)
DOB: 80s baby
Height: Almost average
Weight: Look there's a bird!
Credentials: 12 year Army vet (got out on family care plan), pregnancy PT instructor, profile PT instructor, trained 10-15 Soldiers for the Army ten-miler, helped many MANY Soldiers pass PT tests and height and weight standards. Ghost writer of two books about running. Currently pursuing my Bachelor's in Business Admin. If things go well I'll graduate early next year, then I hope to get into a graduate program through UNC Chapel Hill. If not UNC then the American Military University will be just fine. Highly skilled in the areas of human resources, physical fitness, nutrition and general bad-assness.
Hobbies:  Reading, making jewelry, writing, drinking (yeah. I said it)

More:
I joined the Army waaaaaaaayyyyyyyy back in 1999, when the world was a quiet place. I stayed in when things started to get rowdy and did the requesite tour in Iraq. Then I went to Bragg and wished I was back in Iraq. Iraq had better food and fewer shootings.

I've been stationed in Germany, Washington State and of course the "Center of the Universe" Fort Bragg, NC. I loved the Army but raising a disabled child as a single parent while doing "Army stuff" was getting to be impossible, so I took my honorable discharge and separation pay moved on. I miss some things about it, but I wouldn't go back. I prefer having my work-life balance and peace of mind.

Now I live with my soon-to-husband (yay! no more single parent) in North Carolina, work part time for an environmental consulting firm and babysit. I have one son and two step daughters. When all the kids are here at once it can get chaotic. To tire them out we do grass drills. Don't worry, they have PT belts and plenty of water ;). If those fail, I keep an emergency supply of Motrin on hand at all times. Safety first!

I still get up and do PT most days, but I love being able to do it on my own terms. I actually do it earlier than I did in the Army, just so I can have it done before my son wakes up or before the boy I babysit shows up. It's best to knock out PT before the house is littered with toys that hurt like hell when you step on them. Ever step on a Leggo during an Insanity or P90X session? I wouldn't with that anyone, except maybe members of Westboro Baptist Church.

The one thing about getting up and working out every morning though, is that I catch myself wishing I was in front of formation leading my Soldiers. It's one of the few things I truly miss. I used to love to hear them tell me how sore they were from my workout the day prior. That makes me sound somewhat sadistic. I'm not. I'm just effective. I miss Soldiers thanking me for helping them pass a PT test or getting their weight down. I miss them asking me for advice on how to achieve a fitness goal. My favorite part of the day during my 12 years was that hour of PT.

This is my new way of getting in front of my Soldiers every morning. Since I miss doing PT with my Soldiers enough to mention it, but not enough to join the Army again, I figured I could launch a blog geared toward active duty troops and veterans (and anyone else) who are interested in fitness. Whether you're interested because you have a tape test coming up, or whether you genuinely enjoy the active lifestyle, I hope you'll follow me in my struggles to maintain my fitness when no one forces me to do so and I hope I can offer some good advice to anyone looking to get, or stay fit.