August is Performance Triad Month

ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md.- The Performance Triad (P3) is the Army’s commitment to strengthen individual readiness, and optimize performance of the Total Army Family through the synergy of health behaviors to include sleep, activity and nutrition.

In August, the Army focuses on raising awareness of the Performance Triad.

“The Performance Triad, P3, synergizes the healthy behaviors of sleep, physical activity and nutrition to support optimal individual performance,” said Sean Green, Community Ready and Resilient Integrator. “The Performance Triad is an integral measure in bolstering holistic readiness and resiliency for Team APG.”

According to the Army Medical Department’s P3 website, https://p3.amedd.army.mil, sleep, activity and nutrition are critical for achieving optimal physical, mental and emotional health and wellbeing.

Providing education, inspiration

Public Health Nutritionist Joanna Reagan, with the U.S. Army Public Health Center, said P3 originally started out as the Army Surgeon General’s initiative in 2013 to tackle the problem of obesity in the military, while also optimizing performance.

According to Reagan, P3 has evolved over time.

“It is really a venue to keep a conversation going and to provide education and inspiration to the different populations [Soldiers, leaders, retirees, civilians] and get them to do their very best,” she said.

APHC has established several P3 targets for Soldiers. They are:

• Get seven or more hours of sleep per 24-hour period
• Take short tactical naps when possible
• Supplement unit physical training with individual exercise for a total of 300+ minutes of aerobic activity and three strength sessions each week. 
• Mix the types and intensity of exercises to keep muscles challenged
• Include recovery days after hard workouts 
• Eat at least eight servings of fruits and vegetables a day 
• Re-fuel 30-60 minutes after strenuous exercise
• Drink plenty of water every day. 

“Most of us can do some of these targets but for all of us to do all of these targets consistently, it really takes behavioral change and habits,” Reagan said. “It involves incorporating those things into your daily life.”

Reagan said in order to reach all these targets consistently, you have to be thoughtful about it “particularly in a COVID world.”

“It’s always good to have a goal on the horizon,” she said about meeting those targets.

AWC

Reagan said Army Wellness Centers are the “operational arm of working with individuals and leaders so they can personalize their own health habits and goals.” There are 35 Army Wellness Centers located on military installations, including APG.

Army Wellness Centers provide free services to active duty service members, adult family members, retirees and Department of the Army civilians seeking to improve their health.

When a client goes into an AWC they will work with a health educator to achieve their individual goals, she said. AWC health educators also conduct briefings to military units about different aspects of the P3.

Continuing education 

Reagan added that P3 is also integrated with Integrate with Holistic Health and Fitness, or H2F, a Department of Defense Total Force Fitness program and the Army Campaign Plan.

She said APHC uploads new articles every month on different health topics and an active social media campaign, on platforms like Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

“It’s about keeping the conversation going every single month,” she said.

Health Promotion Outcomes Researcher Wendy Laroche, APHC, said the Commander’s Ready and Resilient Council, or CR2C, provides information on P3 and other health initiatives to senior leaders.

Laroche added that APHC releases the Health of the Force Report every year. This report focuses on Active Component Soldiers and presents Army-wide and installation-level data for more than 20 medical, wellness and environmental indicators.

About APG Army Wellness Center 

The APG AWC, located at the Kirk U.S. Army Health Clinic, provides sleep education, weight management and metabolic testing, stress management and body composition analysis. Exercise testing is currently not being offered due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We all, even Olympians, have something we can focus on to make ourselves better in some way,” said Army Wellness Center health promotion tech Christina Bollino.

The AWC uses state-of-the-art equipment like the Bod Pod. The Bod Pod is a large egg-shaped, seated device for fast, accurate and safe body composition analysis. It uses air displacement plethysmography, or ADP, to determine fat mass and lean mass. The Bod Pod is the cornerstone of the AWC assessment and the gold standard measurement for body composition.

Bollino said new classes are being offered by the AWC to focus on optimizing performance and exercise planning strategies to prepare Soldiers for passing the Army Combat Fitness Test.

Bollino said some clients have said the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted their health and wellness routines. Receiving services at the AWC can help a client get back on track, she said.

“For a lot of us this past year has been so challenging, and people are working from home more and are getting out of that normal routine and schedule,” she said.
Health Promotion Technician Chelsea George, who came to AWC last month, said she looks forward to getting into the community to let people know about AWC services. The main focus of AWC is the Soldier and Soldier readiness, she said.

“I strongly believe the holistic perspective of looking at things is the best,” she said. “It is not just the physical activity and nutrition, but how sleep and stress and overall health is important, so I would like to continue to promote that and get more Soldiers aware of all the services that we offer.” 
For more information about the Army Wellness Center, visit www.facebook.com/ArmyWellnessCenter, or call 410-306-1024. To view an educational video about P3, visit the CECOM APG Facebook page, www.facebook.com/communications-electronicscommandCECOM.