FORT SILL, Oklahoma (Sept. 17, 2020) -- Soldiers maintain a standard of fitness with daily training, but there are other elements that affect peak performance. That’s where the Fort Sill Army Wellness Center (AWC) comes in. The staff uses the same technology as professional sports teams and tailors a fitness prescription to each individual.
The best part is, it’s free and available to Soldiers, family members, retirees, and Department of the Army civilians.
“Normally step one is a health assessment review. We go over a questionnaire they filled out beforehand and see what their goals are,” said Angel Bolton, AWC health educator.
Steps following the questionnaire are:
• Physical fitness assessment and exercise prescription tailored to each client.
• Nutrition education that includes measurement of resting metabolic rate and calculation of total energy expenditure to help determine caloric needs.
• Stress management, to include biofeedback utilizing the concept of “quick coherence.”
• General wellness education.
• Tobacco education services.
The physical fitness assessment includes putting the client in the BODPOD which measures their exact body fat percentage, letting them know how many pounds of fat they have and how many pounds of lean tissue they have.
Spc. Raymond Neal, 2nd Battalion, 18th Field Artillery, said having that initial measurement is very motivating.
“It let me know a lot about myself. I knew how body-fat percentage worked, but not the overall way they showed us here. It’s very interesting.”
He said seeing where he’s at helps him set goals.
During nutrition education, AWC measures a person’s resting metabolic rate. This shows how many calories the individual is burning on a daily basis. AWC uses this information to let clients know how many calories they should be taking in daily.
“If you’re doing a lot of activity, your body needs fuel to progress the way you want it to. Some people will actually realize, ‘Oh, I’ve been undereating.’ And that is actually what is preventing them from losing that little bit of weight,” said Bolton.
Other services AWC offers:
• ACFT performance optimization.
• Staying fit home and away.
• Stress management.
• Fueling for health.
• Upping your metabolism.
• Healthy sleep class.
“Our overall goal is to help people make certain changes that are going to help them long-term,” said Bolton. “I have clients that don’t necessarily want to do all the testing, but they know accountability is going to make them do better, so they come for the health coaching.”
Bolton said each health adviser is also a certified personal trainer who can write workout plans for a gym, or in a more flexible environment during COVID-19 with the “Staying Fit Home and Away” class.
Dependents are also encouraged to visit the AWC for fitness help. Minors must have a referral from their primary health care managers.
“People should know about this. I didn’t know and I’ve been here for three years,” said Sgt. Roselyn Adu, 2-18th FA. “We have great stuff (here) and people should get to know about it, and make use of it.”
To make an appointment with AWC, call 580-442-0680, or visit Facebook’s FT Sill Army Wellness Center page.
Social Sharing