The Director of the U.S. Army CECOM Software Engineering Center challenges his workforce to live a healthy lifestyle and wellness through an innovative program called the SEC DirectorAca,!a,,cs Challenge Aca,!" Wellness Miles.
Aca,!A"We hoped this challenge would be a fun way to promote teamwork and the importance of exercise as a key element to healthy lifestyle while at the same time calling attention to our new SEC Headquarter's home at APG,Aca,!A? said Ned Keeler, SEC director.
CECOM, SEC and CECOMAca,!a,,cs Logistics and Readiness Center are set to move into the new Army Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance, or C4ISR, Center of Excellence campus beginning this fall.
Participants are challenged to work as a team to acquire 5,646 virtual miles from exercise. Individual team members track their exercise miles via an online SharePoint database, the Army's new standard, allowing a simultaneous training opportunity. Entries are based on the honor system. Route maps are updated frequently to track each teamAca,!a,,cs progress.
The challenge began May 15th, and teams must complete the route by October when CECOM Commander, Maj. Gen. Randolph P. Strong, uncases the flag, officially signifying CECOMAca,!a,,cs new headquarters location at Aberdeen Proving Ground in October.
The SEC DirectorAca,!a,,cs Wellness Challenge qualifying activities include any form of exercise that can be tracked in miles.
Aca,!A"Running, swimming, cycling, and even stand-up paddling, the type of exercise is totally up to the individual,Aca,!A? explains Keeler. Aca,!A"It does not matter what they do as long as it adds up to miles.Aca,!A?
Aca,!A"I have been using the SEC DirectorAca,!a,,cs Challenge as a tool to keep me Aca,!Eoeon trackAca,!a,,c for physical exercise. Watching the miles add-up over time via the online tool has provided me a goal,Aca,!A? explains Lori Hardysimo who works for CECOM SEC at Fort Monmouth, N.J.
Teams are organized by SEC mission areas and include the Warfighter Mission Area; Business Mission Area; Enterprise Services Mission Area; and Headquarters.
Aca,!A"Whoever finishes first, WINS! But EVERYONE must get there,Aca,!A? said Keeler.
The SEC DirectorAca,!a,,cs Wellness Challenge follows a route going to all the SEC offices in the U.S. which started at Fort Lewis, Wash. continued to Fort Huachuca, Ariz., Fort Hood, Texas, Fort Sill, Okla., St. Louis, Mo., Fort Campbell, Ky., Eglin Air Force Base, Fl., Fort Gordon, Ga., Fort Bragg, N.C., Fort Lee, Va., Fort Belvoir, Md., Fort Detrick, Md., Chambersburg, Pa., Marlton, N.J., and Fort Monmouth, N.J., before the finish at APG.
And the miles are adding up.
Aca,!A"I find that a short bike ride on my lunch hour at work energizes me and refreshes me mentally and physically for the afternoon. It gets me out of my windowless office and out into the fresh air. As a result I feel happier and more productive,Aca,!A? said challenge participant Liza Weissler from CECOM SEC in Fort Huachuca, Ariz.
Heinz Mueller, also from Fort Huachuca, Ariz., noted, Aca,!A"Since I started running again, my weight went back down to what it was while I was in the military and both my blood pressure and blood sugar are back in the normal rangeAca,!"these are pretty tangible benefits. Also, I have come to view my morning runs as my Aca,!A"meditationAca,!A? time.Aca,!A? Mueller leads SEC with the most miles obtained from running.
With the total miles set so high the Mission Area teams have plenty of exercise ahead of them. That said, SEC leadership has already planned the next DirectorAca,!a,,cs ChallengeAca,!A|Combat Volleyball!
SECAca,!a,,cs mission is to provide software products and services to support and protect AmericaAca,!a,,cs Warfighters. From the business office to the battlespace, SEC delivers life cycle software solutions that enable warfighting superiority and information dominance across the enterprise.
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