Rashad Evans coaches Airmen

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Joseph Raatz
  • 2nd Bomb Wing Public Affairs
BARKSDALE AIR FORCE BASE, La. --  Ultimate Fighting Championship fighter Rashad Evans and former fighter Mike Dolce spoke to Airmen about health and fitness here, May 8.

Evans, winner of The Ultimate Fighter television show and former UFC light-heavyweight champion, gave Team Barksdale pointers on how to stay motivated and mentally fit.

"The biggest mistake you can make is to let the obstacles in your way decide how you live your life," he said. "Instead, use those obstacles and the hardships in your life as inspiration. Let them become your motivation to get better, to excel and exceed expectations. There's power in that."

Dolce, a former UFC fighter-turned nutritionist, offered advice regarding diet and physical fitness.

"Your body, like the rest of your life, follows that old adage 'you get out of it what you put into it,'" he said. "If you feed it garbage, it will look and perform like garbage. If you decide to give up on fitness, your body may just decide to give up on you in return. Health and fitness should be your number one goal, because everything else stems from it."

Healthy eating doesn't have to be out of Airmen's price range, Dolce argued. He plans his meals ahead of time and knows exactly how much of everything he needs to buy, making budgeting easier and helping him avoid buying things he doesn't need.

"If I can do it, so can you. There's really no excuse," he said.

In addition to delivering inspirational speeches, the duo fielded questions from audience members, signed autographs and posed for photos.

"It was a really cool experience," said Chris Jefferson, a Barksdale resident who attended the event. "How many people can say they got personal workout tips from a UFC champion?"

"Our military members do so much for us," Evans said. "This is just our way of giving back to them."