Some jobs require that you sustain a certain fitness level, if your job required that of you, would you be in better shape or would you be unemployed?
I just read an interesting article regarding fitness testing policies for police officers here in my city. Currently there are no required testing programs, so there are no specific weight or specific fitness level requirements. I believe it’s a good idea to require policemen to maintain a certain fitness level, after all, theirs is physical job that requires physical prowess.
I would liken a police officer's job to that of a professional athlete from a conditioning standpoint, (don’t get me wrong, being a police officer is a serious occupation) in order to perform the job at a high level one must be conditioned to a high level.
It is unfortunate that we would need to require our police officers to stay in shape, but if we are to require police officers to pass a fitness exam, shouldn’t we require all employees to pass fitness exams? Yeah, I know it is indeed our prerogative to get as fat and unhealthy as we choose, but do we really want to spend our lives fighting weight issues and the conditions associated with being overweight?
It may be that the only way some of us will ever begin a fitness regime is if it’s required by our employer. I for one would be in favor of required fitness programs simply because, in the end, if implemented properly one would gain better health and a better quality of life!
