The health and wellness of Army families and civilians is just as important as fitness and resilience is to active duty military personnel. That was one of the messages delivered during the family forums at the Association of the U.S. Army annual meeting that was held on Oct. 12 to 14 in Washington, D.C.
A family forum panel stressed the importance of the healthy and resilient family as a key part of the readiness of the entire Army. The panel consisted of Capt. Kimberly Elenberg (U.S. Public Health Service), Col. Deydre Teyhen (Office of the Army Surgeon General), Maj. (P) Derek Mydlarz (Army National Guard), and Amy Cowell (Army Public Health Center, Provisional).
The panel emphasized the importance of health and wellness and pointed to a number of programs aimed at promoting health. Programs or initiatives discussed included the DoD's "Operation Livewell", the Army's "Performance Triad", and National Guard's "Guard Your Health".
DoD's Operation Live Well program supports the National Prevention Strategy of the Surgeon General of the Public Health Service for improving health and well-being using a prevention-oriented approach.
The Performance Triad, within the Army's Ready and Resilient Campaign, promotes healthy choices in sleep, activity, and nutrition. These three components, when properly managed, improve health and performance. The Performance Triad is an Army-wide initiative to ensure Soldiers and their Families are provided tools and information to lead a healthier lifestyle and ultimately healthier lives.
Teyhen pointed out that healthy lifestyle changes do not happen all at once and do not require drastic changes. "Little changes can make a big difference," she said. "We have to do the fundamentals right."
The things that matter for health also matter for performance, said Teyhen. Sleep activity and nutrition increase potential and capability.
The Army National Guard maintains the Guard Your Health website that provides health tools and topics for discussion. It also has information on benefits and resources that will help men and women of the Guard find answers and direction when seeking information on health care.
One topic that had extended discussion was obesity. The US Army is not immune to the US obesity epidemic. Demographic characteristics associated with being overweight or obese should be considered when developing military-sponsored weight management programs for new soldiers.
About 70 percent of young people would fail to qualify for military service with weight issues as the chief reason.
We can make the biggest difference in our health when we are young, said Teyhen. This applies not only to physical fitness but also cognitive fitness, she said.
Teyhen emphasized the need for eight servings of fruit and vegetables per day. Data show the average Soldier is getting only one serving about every three days.
Secretary of the Army John McHugh, during his keynote remarks earlier during the conference, stated why health and wellness of families is a readiness issue. "We can't give Soldiers anything else to worry about when they are deployed," he said. "They need to know their families are taken care of, including their health." He called it a "moral obligation."
Smart choices in sleep, activity, and nutrition along with lifestyle changes made in small steps can improve health and improve the fitness of the entire Nation. Total force fitness and well-being, including families, is the goal.
"We want to invest in you," Teyhen said. "We want to invest in you, your Soldier, and your children so you can get the most out of life. You can't get the most out of life unless you do the fundamentals right."
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