LOS ANGELES AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – -- Hundreds of people turned out Thursday, May 14, 2026, at the Los Angeles Air Force Base Fitness & Sports Center for the Military Fitness Expo.
The goal of the event, organized by the Fitness & Sports Center and the 61st Force Support Squadron, was to show “the military that we’re behind them,” said Juve Reyes, Fitness & Sports Center director, who estimated about 500 people attended. “We have so many tools for the military that they can use.”
Katherine Villanueva, health promotion coordinator, was on hand to talk about additional health services available to Guardians, including the Bod Pod, an egg-shaped, computerized chamber that measures body composition—specifically fat mass versus lean mass—using air displacement technology.
“When you have a higher body fat percentage, it can lead to things like chronic illnesses,” Villanueva said. “When it comes to the military, we want to make sure we have that number dialed in … and track muscle mass growth over time. That’s a good indicator of overall health, mobility and longevity.”
In addition to gym equipment and fitness classes, the Fitness & Sports Center offers fitness coaching to help Guardians develop workout routines, answer questions and debunk exercise myths, Reyes said. For those wanting to improve their diet, nutritional counseling and cooking classes also are available.
The Fitness & Sports Center was recently renovated, including a newly remodeled indoor basketball court set to reopen around Memorial Day, Reyes said. There’s also MindGym, a self-guided pod that lets Guardians train their minds for resilience and stress relief.
The event began with a five-kilometer race on the fitness track. Miguel Forjan, 57, an engineer with System Delta 88, congratulated U.S. Space Force 2nd Lt. Oscar Pontiff, 22, an operations analysis operator with the Space Systems Integration Office, who passed him and won the race with a time of 18:13.
Both men said they have been running for years; Forjan once averaged 50 miles a week before injuries cut him down to 25 to 30, and Pontiff, who is working up to 60 miles a week in preparation for the Long Beach Marathon.
Forjan is a government civilian, but said exercise is just as important for him as for enlisted members: “It starts off your day,” he said.
Pontiff agreed: “Running in the mornings helps my day be much better. I feel more productive in the office - I feel like I have a clear mind. And I think it helps me feel more positive.”
Inside the fitness center, participants could take aerobics classes in martial arts, yoga, Pilates and core conditioning and enjoy a “sound bath.” Outside, participants could try a 3-point basketball competition, see how long they could jump rope or how many times they could do a 225-pound (for men) or 135-pound (for women) deadlift or bench press in 60 seconds.
U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Jaquaris Tobias, with Space Base Delta 3, managed to do 36 of the 225-pound deadlifts in a minute and was barely out of breath.
“Fitness is the most important part of our job, so if you’re physically fit, then it helps in all aspects of being spiritually fit and keeps you grounded,” Tobias said. “It’s a pillar for us.”
U.S. Air Force Capt. Giovani Pomales with Space Base Delta 3 said he used to train with a boxing team every summer in high school, so he was no stranger to the jump rope, but attempting it in boots and uniform was another matter. He hoped to do 10 minutes but fell short; the longest time anyone managed Thursday was 4 minutes.
For exercise, Pomales said he prefers cardio workouts such as running, biking and walking on an incline on a treadmill.
“I feel ready to take on each day with more energy because of it,” Pomales said. “It keeps me active so keeps my brain engaged and I never slouch because of it.”
Participants also could try the LA Kings booth, which lets people see if they could hit one of four targets with a hockey stick and puck. Sydney Conrad, a member of the LA Kings ice crew, said the thing that would surprise most people unfamiliar with hockey was mathematics.
“When you’re out there on the ice, everything is about angles,” she said. That includes the shooting lane – “the triangle from the blade to where they can hit the net on the ice. It’s all angles. And you can cover a whole lot of ice if you know those angles.”
“People come out here and they’ve golfed but they haven’t played hockey, so they’re holding (the stick) with their hands together, but you want that bottom hand closer to the midway of the stick; the full control of the stick is in that top hand, not the bottom hand,” Conrad added.
“There’s a lot of mechanics that go into hockey, and we haven’t even talked about skating and being on four blades,” she said.
Guardians and Airmen also could learn about new fitness standards and visit other informational booths from sponsors and vendors.
Physical fitness wasn’t the only thing Guardians/Airmen could learn about. Mark Reyes, a personal financial counselor and certified financial planner with Magellan Federal, was on hand to let military members know they could receive assistance with financial education and planning.
“Fitness is also related to financial fitness, so I can help with budgets, paying down debt, understanding your investment options in the TSP (Thrift Savings Plan), how to plan for retirement, how to plan for a family, all of those things,” Reyes said.
Hundreds of people turned out Thursday, May 14, 2026, at the Los Angeles Air Force Base Fitness & Sports Center for the Military Fitness Expo.
The goal of the event, organized by the Fitness & Sports Center and the 61st Force Support Squadron, was to show “the military that we’re behind them,” said Juve Reyes, Fitness & Sports Center director, who estimated about 500 people attended. “We have so many tools for the military that they can use.”
Katherine Villanueva, health promotion coordinator, was on hand to talk about additional health services available to Guardians, including the Bod Pod, an egg-shaped, computerized chamber that measures body composition—specifically fat mass versus lean mass—using air displacement technology.
“When you have a higher body fat percentage, it can lead to things like chronic illnesses,” Villanueva said. “When it comes to the military, we want to make sure we have that number dialed in … and track muscle mass growth over time. That’s a good indicator of overall health, mobility and longevity.”
In addition to gym equipment and fitness classes, the Fitness & Sports Center offers fitness coaching to help Guardians develop workout routines, answer questions and debunk exercise myths, Reyes said. For those wanting to improve their diet, nutritional counseling and cooking classes also are available.
The Fitness & Sports Center was recently renovated, including a newly remodeled indoor basketball court set to reopen around Memorial Day, Reyes said. There’s also MindGym, a self-guided pod that lets Guardians train their minds for resilience and stress relief.
The event began with a five-kilometer race on the fitness track. Miguel Forjan, 57, an engineer with System Delta 88, congratulated U.S. Space Force 2nd Lt. Oscar Pontiff, 22, an operations analysis operator with the Space Systems Integration Office, who passed him and won the race with a time of 18:13.
Both men said they have been running for years; Forjan once averaged 50 miles a week before injuries cut him down to 25 to 30, and Pontiff, who is working up to 60 miles a week in preparation for the Long Beach Marathon.
Forjan is a government civilian, but said exercise is just as important for him as for enlisted members: “It starts off your day,” he said.
Pontiff agreed: “Running in the mornings helps my day be much better. I feel more productive in the office - I feel like I have a clear mind. And I think it helps me feel more positive.”
Inside the fitness center, participants could take aerobics classes in martial arts, yoga, Pilates and core conditioning and enjoy a “sound bath.” Outside, participants could try a 3-point basketball competition, see how long they could jump rope or how many times they could do a 225-pound (for men) or 135-pound (for women) deadlift or bench press in 60 seconds.
U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Jaquaris Tobias, with Space Base Delta 3, managed to do 36 of the 225-pound deadlifts in a minute and was barely out of breath.
“Fitness is the most important part of our job, so if you’re physically fit, then it helps in all aspects of being spiritually fit and keeps you grounded,” Tobias said. “It’s a pillar for us.”
U.S. Air Force Capt. Giovani Pomales with Space Base Delta 3 said he used to train with a boxing team every summer in high school, so he was no stranger to the jump rope, but attempting it in boots and uniform was another matter. He hoped to do 10 minutes but fell short; the longest time anyone managed Thursday was 4 minutes.
For exercise, Pomales said he prefers cardio workouts such as running, biking and walking on an incline on a treadmill.
“I feel ready to take on each day with more energy because of it,” Pomales said. “It keeps me active so keeps my brain engaged and I never slouch because of it.”
Participants also could try the LA Kings booth, which lets people see if they could hit one of four targets with a hockey stick and puck. Sydney Conrad, a member of the LA Kings ice crew, said the thing that would surprise most people unfamiliar with hockey was mathematics.
“When you’re out there on the ice, everything is about angles,” she said. That includes the shooting lane – “the triangle from the blade to where they can hit the net on the ice. It’s all angles. And you can cover a whole lot of ice if you know those angles.”
“People come out here and they’ve golfed but they haven’t played hockey, so they’re holding (the stick) with their hands together, but you want that bottom hand closer to the midway of the stick; the full control of the stick is in that top hand, not the bottom hand,” Conrad added.
“There’s a lot of mechanics that go into hockey, and we haven’t even talked about skating and being on four blades,” she said.
Guardians and Airmen also could learn about new fitness standards and visit other informational booths from sponsors and vendors.
Physical fitness wasn’t the only thing Guardians/Airmen could learn about. Mark Reyes, a personal financial counselor and certified financial planner with Magellan Federal, was on hand to let military members know they could receive assistance with financial education and planning.
“Fitness is also related to financial fitness, so I can help with budgets, paying down debt, understanding your investment options in the TSP (Thrift Savings Plan), how to plan for retirement, how to plan for a family, all of those things,” Reyes said.