Hello and welcome to Becoming Badass, I'm your host Carly Box and this is my podcast series where I talk to ADF applicants about physically preparing themselves for the military. Now traditionally I interview ADF applicants from my gym in Brisbane called the Barracks Gym, but I recently decided that I might add in what I'd like to call a little bit of a quick chat every now and then, where I offer up some tips and guidance about questions that I often get asked and guidance that I give to people in the gym that I think that my listeners could really benefit from. So it won't be an interview, it'll just be me talking to giving you some tips, having a little bit of a quick chat about a topic that I think is really important and I figure if someone is asking me a question, then you probably will want to know the answer to that question too, so why not share the love. Now in the show notes I'm always going to put a link to a blog or a page where you can go and get some notes about what I've spoken about.
So if you're listening to this on the bus, the train and the car, you don't need to stop and try and write things down, you can just listen, enjoy, take what you want from it and then you'll be able to go back when you've got some time, click on the link and it'll take you to a spot where you can copy things down, copy, paste, whatever you need to do. So I hope that you enjoy these additional episodes, they won't ever go for very long, five, maybe ten minutes and it's just some quick tips, a quick chat about some topics that people are bringing up and I figure you are going to benefit from them too. So enjoy. You are not the first.
Newsflash, you're not the first person to go through basic training and you certainly won't be the last. Today I'm going to go a little off track from my interview style podcast and it's only because this is something that I do get asked about all the time. Here's a fun fact, the first recruit training battalion, or one RTB, was established at Kapuka in 1951. Yep, 68 years ago.
Without knowing accurate numbers, I'm just going to guesstimate that thousands of recruits have gone through Kapuka over that time. If those buildings could talk, I'm sure there will be some epic stories to be told. People from all walks of life transitioning into their careers as soldiers. Recruit instructors from all cores being posted into Kapuka to lead the future generations of Australian soldiers.
So guess what? You're not the first to walk through the gates of Blamey Barracks, home of the soldier and you won't be the last. Now I'm referencing Army here, this is my personal background, however the same principles in this are going to apply for one RTB and servers and all officer training academies across Australia. It's just easier to only write about one location rather than three locations and services per sentence.
So many people come to us after having issues of passing their fitness test. After six goes at their beat test, they still can't improve. Never mind that they didn't do any training, eight Macos on the way to the PFA and gave up after a half-hour's attempt at getting to 2.3 on the beat test. A lot of the time there is a victim mentality associated with this failed PFA.
A little bit of, oh but poor me, I'm really hard done by, it's not fair, they were so mean to me. You are not a victim. Everyone in the ADF has had to do the same test as you. This isn't a new concept and you're certainly not the first person to go through this testing in the last 68 years.
You are not the first person to do a beat test and you certainly will not be the last. Another issue that we hear about all the time is BMI or body mass index. Guys, whether you agree with this method or not, it's there. It's the method of measurement chosen by the ADF to determine if you are fit for service or not.
If you're over the BMI, then you're not fit for service. If you're under the BMI, then the same goes. It's black and white and it's not something to be argued. If you do not meet the requirements, then you need to get yourself to a point where you do meet the requirements and can be determined as someone who will be able to provide effective service.
It's black and white. When I first decided to join, I was under the BMI. There wasn't anything wrong with me. I liked food, a lot.
I exercised and I lived a fairly balanced and standard life. I was just lean and athletic and I always had been. Being a bit taller meant that it put me under the BMI, a tiny bit, but there was no way around it. I didn't chant, oh, but this isn't fair and there was certainly no.
I'm being hard done by. It was a case of getting myself up over the BMI so that I was deemed as fit to serve. So I did that and I came in at the very minimum BMI requirement and had no issues. I could have given them a million reasons as to why it was unfair and why it wasn't accurate and why I needed to be treated differently, but I didn't.
I accepted it and I did what I had to do. I wasn't the first person to apply for the ADF and measure outside the required BMI standard. I certainly wasn't the last. If you're over the BMI, whether it's due to muscle mass or fat, it doesn't matter.
You're over. Do something about it because you are not the only person and you are not being treated unfairly. Now wait for it. Here it is.
The main issue and the most popular question that I have ever been asked in my entire time as a military mentor. What happens when you get your period at Kapuga? Well, obviously you get put in a cage and kept away from the other recruits for a week just in case they too catch the period and the disease takes down the entire barracks and in turn destroys the entire army for the rest of time. Not really.
You know what will happen? You will just get on with your life. You'll just get your period and keep living. Sounds crazy, right?
The recruit instructors are actually very much used to dealing with this sort of thing. Yup, even the dudes. Because you know what? They've all got partners, sisters, daughters, mothers and it's not a new concept.
You want to know why? Because you are not the first person to go through Kapuga and get your period. There is plenty of time to use the toilets. You'll be able to buy tampons at the little shop on base and when you're outfield you'll be able to take bulk baby wipes and keep yourself nice and fresh.
It is 100% achievable to get on with your training when you have your period. And you know why? Because you're not the first person to get at basic training. Why am I even talking about this?
Because people ask me all the time. Whether it's fitness, medical issues, female specific issues, family issues, personal stuff, you're not the first to go through it. There would have been hundreds of people in the same situation before you who have gone through the same thing. Remember I'm talking about 68 years worth of people.
You're not the first person to do a PFA, so train hard, work hard and give it 100% on the day. You've got no one to get frustrated with by yourself if it doesn't go your way. No one is treating you unfairly, you just didn't meet the standard. You're not the first person to be under or over or be am I.
It's a black and white assessment, guys. Whether you agree or not is irrelevant. If you're over, then you need to do the work to get yourself under and the same goes if you're under to get yourself over. If you've got your period, then please just have your period and get on with your training.
It's not a warstopper and it's not the end of the universe and you're not the first woman to have a period at Kapuga. I can promise you that. And I know this because I had mine when I was there and I've survived to tell the tale. You're not the first person to go through the Defence Force application process.
No one is treating you unfairly. There are systems and standards in place for a reason. If you don't meet those standards, then you're simply just not suitable for Defence Life. Please remember that by representing your country as an Australian soldier, sailor, airman or woman, that you are essentially on a world stage.
The second you put that uniform on, you are representing your country. And I am relying on you to keep me and my family safe at night. So please remember, guys, you're not the first person to go through this application process. There have been thousands and thousands of people who have come before you.
So step it up, understand that it's a really big deal to represent your country, and that if you want that bad enough, you're going to have to do whatever it takes. Whether it's dealing with BMI's, dealing with periods, dealing with PFA's, it doesn't matter. Give it everything you've got. Good luck, guys, and I'll speak to you next time.
Well, thank you for listening to today's installment of Quick Chat, and I hope that you've taken something from that topic that you can apply to your training, your upcoming PFA, basic training if it's coming up for you, and that it's going to make life a little bit easier. Not all of this stuff is going to apply to everybody, and that's okay. Just take what you need, use it, apply it, enjoy. I hope that you found this useful, and if you have, I'd love if you could flick me a review on iTunes.
I want you to remember that it all comes down to one simple thing. How bad do you want it? I know you guys want it bad, so let's make it happen. Thanks for listening to another episode of Becoming Bad Us, and I'll speak to you guys next time.