FORT SILL, Okla.-- Operation Live Well is coming to Fort Sill July 29 to Aug. 1. The program is part of the Healthy Base Initiative launched by the Department of Defense this past spring. Thirteen military installations were selected across the United States, with Fort Sill chosen as one of two Army installations to launch the program.
The week's events culminate in a daylong Health Expo Aug. 1 at Graham Resiliency Training Center and Rinehart Fitness Center on post.
The Operation Live Well program is a yearlong initiative in response to health concerns regarding military service members, their dependents, retirees and civilians. The primary goal is to promote healthy living among these groups at Fort Sill, and the surrounding community, while making healthy living and eating the easy choices.
Recent studies have raised awareness of the devastating effects of poor nutritional choices and an inactive lifestyle. Military leaders view these conditions as particularly serious with regard to recruiting and maintaining a healthy, fit fighting force. With these health concerns in mind, the DoD launched Healthy Base Initiative.
The HBI program emphasizes four major health areas for military personnel and civilians to address:
Make better nutritional food choices.
Increase physical activity.
Decrease/eliminate all tobacco use.
Lose weight to reduce the risks of diseases due to obesity (high blood pressure, diabetes, etc.)
As part of HBI, Fort Sill has developed the Operation Live Well plan to address these heath concerns. These efforts are not new programs, but a coordinated, yearlong plan to use the facilities and resources the post already has to combat to these health issues. By focusing efforts under one umbrella, everyone can work to make Fort Sill a healthy place.
Fort Sill and the Army are also partnering with NBA Cares/Hoops for Troops to stage an NBA FIT Boot Camp Clinic for youth ages 6 to 18 years at the Health Expo Aug. 1. Check the information listed at the end of this article.
Here is a list of events for Operation Live Well Health Week:
July 30: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Nicotine Stand-Down Day at Fort Sill Main Exchange and Commissary.
This event will focus on ways to quit using tobacco, which is the No. 1 cause of preventable deaths in the United States.
July 30: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Unit Blood Drive at Rinehart Fitness Center.
All Fort Sill units and directorates are challenged to see who can donate the most units of blood.
Aug. 1: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Operation Live Well Health Expo, at Graham Resiliency Training Center (GRTC) and Rinehart Fitness Center. The following events will kick off the yearlong Operation Live Well campaign:
9-9:15 a.m. Opening ceremonies and grand opening of Army Wellness Center, GRTC's main stage.
Maj. Gen. Mark McDonald, Fires Center of Excellence and Fort Sill commanding general, will preside over the Health Expo opening ceremony and officially open the Fort Sill Army Wellness Center on the GRTC campus.
9:15 a.m. to 4 p.m. Health Monitoring Stations open, Army Wellness Center, GRTC campus.
9:15 a.m. to 4 p.m. Healthy Living vendor booths open, GRTC campus.
These booths include healthy food vendors, as well as:
A "Smoke House" and fire truck display for kids provided by the Fort Sill Fire Department.
A "Drunk Driving" demonstration provided by Army Substance Abuse Program.
Blood pressure screening, nutritional eating displays, tobacco cessation counseling and other health information provided by Reynolds Army Community Hospital.
A climbing wall and bounce house for children and youth.
9:15 to 10 a.m. Zumbafest! Latin dance demonstration, GRTC main stage.
9:30 a.m. Cooking Demonstration #1, GRTC kitchen
10 a.m. Strength of Character class, GRTC classroom.
10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Farmers Market opens, Fort Sill Commissary.
10:15 a.m. NBA FIT Boot Camp Clinic, Rinehart Fitness Center (Registration is at 9:15 a.m. at Rinehart. More information below.)
11:30 a.m. Meet and Greet with NBA Players & Legends, GRTC.
11:30 a.m. Cooking Demonstration #2, GRTC kitchen.
Noon Strengths in Leadership and Challenge class, GRTC classroom.
12:30 p.m. Cooking Demonstration #3, GRTC kitchen.
1 p.m. Assertive Communi-cation class, GRTC classroom.
1 p.m. Toddler Functional Fitness Challenge, GRTC gymnasium.
1 p.m. Fitness Challenge, GRTC gymnasium.
1-4 p.m. Blood Drive, Rinehart Fitness Center.
2 p.m. Adult Functional Fitness Challenge, GRTC gymnasium.
You can also "Like" the new "Fort Sill Operation Live Well" Facebook page for more information.
NBA FIT Boot Camp
Registration for the NBA FIT Boot Camp Clinic Aug. 1 opens at 9:15 a.m. in Rinehart Fitness Center's lobby and is open to the first 100 youth who register. For youth ages 6-12, a parent or guardian must sign a release waiver and remain onsite throughout the clinic, which begins at 10:15 a.m. For ages 13-18, a parent or guardian must sign a release waiver and pick up their child after the clinic ends at 11:10 a.m.
Youth should wear proper basketball attire to include athletic shoes. A T-shirt is provided at registration.
The clinic is open to youth of authorized Family and MWR members.
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