JBM-HH commissary, community advocates healthy lifestyles

Members of the Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall community teamed up recently to champion healthier living for service members, retirees and others who work, live on visit the joint base.

The Fort Myer Commissary hosted a Healthy Lifestyle Festival July 1-2 to promote nutrition and other healthy lifestyle-related components for service members, retirees, civilian employees, families and others.

"The Healthy Lifestyle Festival has to do with healthy eating, [exercising] and supporting a healthier eating habit," explained Emily Thornton, produce manager at the commissary. "There is a difference between eating healthier and living a healthier lifestyle. We're trying to educate not only our Soldiers, but our retirees and anybody who carries an [Department of Defense] ID on healthy eating."

Vendors shared a plethora of information, ranging from physical fitness to the benefits of exercise to making the right food choices. While commissary staff sold fruits and vegetables, other vendors included: members from the Better Opportunities for Single Soldiers, or BOSS, program; staff from the Andrew Rader U.S. Army Health Clinic; librarians from the Fort Myer Library and the Fort Myer Army-Air Force Exchange, among others.

Jennifer Westcott, primary care dietitian at Rader Clinic, was on hand with a "big, multi-disciplinary team" from the clinic to give out information about the Performance Triad program, the Army's "comprehensive plan to improve readiness and increase resilience through public health initiatives and leadership engagement," according to the Army Public Health Command's website.

"The Performance Triad isn't only about nutrition and eating healthy, but also about sleep and activity," she said. "This [initiative] is a part of the Army's program. The way of seeing health care now is less of treating disease and more of a holistic approach to managing people's wellness."

Dozens of people stopped by the festival, many asking questions related to health and fitness.

Rader Clinic's Tom Blahovec, a physical therapist, said many visitors had specific--and varying--questions.

"A lot of times it is specific to the problem areas of the body," Blahovec said. "For instance, if somebody has lower-back problems, they ask: 'What can I do to strengthen my back so this won't come back?' With the older population, they ask: 'What can I do to maintain my mobility?'" A lot of people ask us about weight control. So, [the questions] can vary based on need and what their interests are at the time."

Sean Urban, BOSS advisor, promoted a cookbook at the festival to help show service members living in the barracks to make their own healthy meals and meal choices. He said that giving cookbooks to service members helps them become self-sustaining and even help them develop life-long healthy habits beyond their military service.

"Our cookbook guide is for Soldiers primarily whose schedule doesn't fit with the [dining facility] hours, because it's not a 24-hour service," explained Urban. "So this gives [service members] a little bit more guidance to be able to be self-sufficient while they're in the barracks.

Once they move out of the barracks and they're in an apartment or a house of their own, they will have an idea of how to cook for themselves."

According to Thornton, the festival's goal of teaching people to live healthier lives stretches beyond the two-day festival.

"I try to educate as much as I can and be on the floor with customers as well as with my colleagues," she explained. "I practice healthy nutrition with my patrons 24/7, so if there is anything I can do to have like a farmer's market or a special promotion, a manager's special for a weekend, I will do that on whatever product I can get at a reasonable price."

Pentagram Staff Writer Delonte Harrod can be reached at dharrod@dcmilitary.com.