In the spring of 2001, I joined the Massachusetts Military Reserve, now known as the
Massachusetts Volunteer Militia. Two months later I found myself in the middle of a combat field training exercise as OPFOR, wearing a full LBE and carrying an M249 and two spare drums. I realized rather quickly that I was out of shape, so I put my foot down and started weight training and bumped up my cardio.
In the summer of 2003, I weighed 235 pounds. My buddy took a picture of myself at the peak of Smuggler's Notch, VT, which we'd just hiked. While I had no problem on the hike itself, the picture made me put my foot down and decide that exercise was not enough. I started counting calories, and with the help of this
excellent web site, I got down to 170 within nine months.
At the beginning of last summer, I got serious about running. I walked alot, but nothing's a substitute for running. My best advice to you is to run three times a week; if you do nothing else go running with regularity. Run in the morning when you're tired and hungry. Run in the evening after work before you get your dinner and beer. Run when every part of you is screaming to park your butt in front of the tube and eat Doritos. Start slow, but make sure that each run is faster than the last, even if only by one second.
In March of this year I joined the New Hampshire National Guard. At the end of May I have a fourteen week play-date with the gentle souls down at Fort Benning, GA. My goal before I get down there is to score a perfect 300 on the Physical Fitness Test. Right now my score is 282, so I have some work to do (pushups and situps are lagging a little; my two mile run is perfect). I'm 28 years old, so you bet I'm not going to let those 17 year-olds show me up!
I have an unrivaled motivator to keep improving right now, so in that regard I have it easy. You've got to find something of your own to motivate yourself, whether it's pure vanity, the desire to live longer and healthier, or to simply test your own character limits and come out on top.
My advice is to get yourself to or past the best score on those police tests. Don't be satisfied with meeting the minimum. My motto is "pay now or pay later." The choice is yours.