First sergeant pushes clients to find their fitness ‘why’

An active-duty entrepreneur is leaning on her fitness acumen to help others be intentional about their 2021 health goals.

Sports and wellness have long been a part of Air Force 1st Sgt. DeBlair Tate’s life, starting in her youth when she played softball and basketball, and ran track. Growing up in Winona, Mississippi, she said she knew early on that she wanted to explore horizons outside of small city life — which is how she ended up enlisting in 2001.

Tate currently works as a military training instructor for the First Sergeant Academy at Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base in Alabama. In her off-duty career, she continues the spirit of the Air Force’s whole airman concept by helping clients consistently better themselves through a focus on mind, body, and soul.

In 2019, Tate launched a startup called 8Figured — something she describes as more than a fitness apparel brand, but instead a “representation of one’s worth.” After working as a personal trainer for more than 16 years, she wanted to pursue a new direction that allowed her to stay attached to her passion for wellness. Her entrepreneurial goals for the company in the new year include the launch of a new line of supplements.

“Being an entrepreneur, just period, is hard. I still do coaching, as far as personal training … I’m still full-time military, so once I’m off work with the military I’m still clocking back in for my brand just trying to get it out there and get people to understand the mission behind it,” Tate said.

Though stay-at-home-orders and gym closures have affected fitness routines, Tate explains key tips for keeping health at the forefront of daily priorities.

1) Be intentional with scheduling workouts.

2) Watch grocery store purchases.

3) Create a healthy environment for yourself, starting in the kitchen.

4) Establish a support system that breeds accountability.

“A lot of us wait until our bodies tell us that it’s time; before we basically say enough is enough,” she said. “There’s so much that technology offers right now. Come up with a plan of action, using anything like YouTube or social media to access workouts like free high-intensity strength training or yoga.

“It starts with a mental you. You can’t just say it’s something you want; you have to put in the actual effort — you can’t just wing it.”

Tate focuses much of her messaging on mindset, encouraging people to adopt lifestyle changes rather than viewing exercise as another task. She also says setting realistic expectations makes it more likely that a goal can be accomplished.

“Don’t say you’re going to workout every day if you know your schedule doesn’t allow for that because you will become discouraged when you can’t meet those goals,” she added.

Read: Peloton instructor leans on military mindset to push riders through pandemic

For service members looking to improve PT scores in 2021, Tate recommends the following:

Goal: Losing weight. Activity: Cardio, like long-distance running or walking.

Goal: Gain muscle. Activity: Calisthenics, like push-ups or purchasing weights for use at home.

Goal: Get faster. Activity: A combination of calisthenics and cardio, like HIIT training.

Tate offers personalized workouts online, every Thursday. It includes an exercise component and a question-and-answer period. For anyone interested in private classes or joining her six-week challenge, follow her for updates on Instagram.

Overall, the certified fitness coach is on a mission to help others find their fitness why — an answer that can only be answered from within, she says.

“What I tell my clients is you have to find that ‘why.’ So, I am big on, what your ‘why’ is. What is the reason why you’re doing this? It has to be something bigger than you, that whenever you don’t feel like getting out of bed when it’s 20 degrees, what is that one thing that you can play in your head that will tell you you have to get up?”