‘‘You don’t need all of the different [workout] machines in to stay fit,” said Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class (SW⁄FMF) Stephen Albright, leading petty officer of the Physical Fitness Assessment department. ‘‘While I was deployed, we didn’t have [workout] machines and we were able to stay fit.”

Which resources an individual uses to maximize their physical readiness are up to the individual and their surroundings.

‘‘If you’re willing enough and put in the time you can work out with sand bags or anything to stay in shape,” Albright said. ‘‘You have to improvise and think of things to do. Going out to shovel snow is a workout.”

NNMC assistant command fitness leader Hospitalman Tim Ziesel is preparing himself to apply for U.S. Navy Special Forces.

‘‘Along with running and swimming, I do a lot of calisthenics, sit-ups, dips, push-ups and pull-ups - just a lot of body weight exercises,” Ziesel said. ‘‘All you really need is your body weight”

Service members and staff can purchase different types of magazines promoting home and gym workouts for individuals. The Navy has its own physical fitness programs that are run by trained fitness coordinators.

‘‘Other avenues you can pursue are aerobics, pilates, or yoga,” Albright said. ‘‘These are just a few things you can do in a small space.”

Ziesel said even if a person works out, he or she must maintain a low body fat in order to see the best results.

‘‘A lot of people have strong abs you just can’t see them,” Ziesel said ‘‘If your working on your abs, you have to do cardio to get your body fat down so you can see the results of your work.”

Other sources available for reference are the Navy Morale, Welfare and Recreation fitness program and the Navy and Marine Corps Public Health Center Web sites.

Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Sara Lebus said with a little money, there are some items she would like to help keep her fit.

‘‘Dumbbells are very cheap. You can get [a light] set inexpensively and keep those at your house,” Lebus said. ‘‘You could also get the [resistance] Pilates bands. Little things like these can help [you tone muscles]. Running and walking will work for cardio.”

Core building exercises focus on multiple muscles that run the length of the torso.

‘‘A plank maneuver is where you are resting your weight on your elbows for certain time and have your body in a straight line from head to toe,” Albright said. ‘‘This [move] can also be done on your side and are good core strengtheners.”

Twice a year, military personnel are required to have a physical fitness assessment to test their physical abilities, so being fit in the military is necessary.

‘‘With us being in the military, we can be deployed around the world at any time and being in shape depends on [an individual] and how important it is for them to keep in shape,” Albright said.