FORT SILL, Okla. Jan. 28, 2016 -- With many people making fitness goals as part of their New Year's resolutions, they may want to take advantage of the free health screenings and wellness education offered by the Fort Sill Army Wellness Center (AWC).
The center is to open active-duty service members, family members, DoD civilians and military retirees. Family members younger than 18, must be referred to the facility by Reynolds Army Community Hospital (RACH).
"We're here to help people achieve their goals, and motivate them to create healthy lifestyles," said Rebecca Langford, AWC project lead. None of the AWC services are replicated by other resources on post.
The AWC's six core programs emphasize promoting behavior change for a positive lifestyle transformation. The programs are:
1. A health assessment review determines the level of a person's health and identifies changes needed to reduce risk factors for disease prevention.
"Everyone fills out a questionnaire and we go over their goals, where they're at, where they want to be, what kind of equipment they have access to, what they like to do," Langford said. "It's a starting point."
2. Physical fitness exercise testing establishes a baseline for clients' fitness and prescribes a workout program to increase levels of fitness based on their goals.
"The health educators will tailor an exercise program just for you," Langford said.
3. Healthy nutrition uses metabolic testing to determine a person's resting metabolic rate and develop tailored strategies for weight loss or maintenance, or gain through muscle mass.
4. Stress management identifies people with high stress levels and provides stress management services including biofeedback and stress relief education, and referral to other resources, if necessary. "We've had a lot of Soldiers who have been deployed and it helps them with the stresses in their lives," Langford said.
5. General wellness education increases a person's positive healthy behaviors to sustain their good health and to prevent diseases through education and coaching. Class offerings include Upping Your Metabolism, Introduction to Biofeedback and Healthy Sleep Habits.
"We have requests for classes so we can go out to units, Family Readiness Group meetings and we have tables so we can be at functions," Langford said.
6. Tobacco education determines a user's readiness to quit, options for becoming tobacco-free and referral to tobacco cessation programs. "We're on the preventive side of it, so we talk about not using tobacco," she said.
The center encompasses everything in the Army's Performance Triad which emphasizes proper nutrition, appropriate amounts of sleep and physical activity, Langford said.
In addition to Langford, the AWC is staffed by four health educators and one health promotion technician. All the health educators are certified as AWC coaches and mentors, and personal trainers.
The center opened in April 2013, and it operates under RACH's Preventive Medicine Division. In Fiscal 2015, AWC staff served nearly 5,000 customers, Langford said.
All of the AWC testing services use modern equipment. One of the most popular services is the BOD POD, which measures a person's body composition of lean mass and fat. The BOD POD session does not require an appointment. Walk-in hours are Mondays through Fridays from 8-11:30 a.m.; and Mondays through Thursdays from 1:30-3:30 p.m.
The AWC also performs assessments for entire military units, Langford said. Units should contact the center to coordinate this.
The Army has 27 wellness centers worldwide and their programs are standardized. If a client transfers to another post with an AWC, their electronic Health and Wellness Tracker is accessible by their new health coach, Langford said.
The AWC is located in Bldg. 2868 Craig Road. Hours are weekdays from 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Most services are by appointment because of fasting or clothing requirements. For more information, call the center at 580-442-0680.
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