Throughout the Army, many Soldiers look forward to rest and relaxation during the holidays. Training schedules often include down time for travel around Christmas and New Year’s. The Army shuts down basic training and advanced individual training for 10 days, generally starting a week before Christmas and lasting a week after, allowing drill sergeants and staff members time with their families.
While it may seem counter-intuitive, taking time off for rest and relaxation is a necessary part of training. The Army’s Health and Holistic Fitness (H2F) program prioritizes health, rest, and recuperation, both physical and mental, for all Army component Soldiers. During training holidays, Soldiers can “train” by resting and recuperating.
The H2F System is the formal way the Army trains, develops, and cares for Soldiers. Similar to professional athletes, Soldiers optimize their individual performance potential and well-being by becoming stronger, faster, and more ready in both the physical and nonphysical domains. Commanders and other leaders ensure adherence to H2F doctrine through unit training plans and the priorities and execution of collective training.
FM 6-22, Leader Development, states that, “. . .the Holistic Health and Fitness System provides methods to integrate physical training programs, develop essential sleep tactics, establish better food environments, strengthen cognition, and enhance spiritual readiness—all of which are foundational to unit readiness. A comprehensive holistic health and fitness system will optimize both individual performance and operational readiness, as well as prevent performance degradation and injuries over time.”
The physical demands of leadership, deployments, and continual operations can erode more than physical attributes. Physical fitness and adequate rest support cognitive functioning and emotional stability. If not physically fit before deployment, the effects of additional stress compromise mental and emotional fitness as well.
To keep Soldiers fit and agile, leaders must foster a culture of holistic health and fitness. They do this by understanding the system, trusting the system, and dedicating the time to make it work. This includes rest and relaxation, both body and mind.
FM 7-22, Holistic Health and Fitness, states, “Proactive health refers to taking charge of physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being to control and minimize potential health hazards. As opposed to reactive health that focuses on a response to a hazard, proactive health requires a disciplined approach to managing all aspects of health—from exercise to diet and nutrition, spirituality, and behaviors—in a preventative mode.”
Soldiers need to maintain a well-balanced sleep-wake schedule for overall health. Disruption of this schedule promotes chronic fatigue and the onset and progression of illness. For those with less than five hours of sleep per night versus those with greater than seven hours of sleep, there is an increased risk of obesity, hypertension, diabetes, heart attack, and stroke.
Recharging does not just include sleep. Energy levels can be positively impacted by vacations, rest periods, and breaks at work. Taking time for leisure, creativity, and hobbies or other non-work interests can restore energy levels, making for healthier, happier, Soldiers. The break from work does not have to be a long one to restore energy levels.
Take time this holiday season to rest and relax. Enjoy the holidays and the break from training. Get some good sleep, heal the body, and restore your energy reserves.
Once you are rested, relaxed, and ready to train, be sure to visit the Army Training Network (ATN), where TMD’s training management podcasts, tutorials, lesson plans, and training circulars can help Soldiers and leaders plan upcoming training events and settle back into a training battle rhythm after the holidays.
TMD, part of the Combined Arms Command-Training at Fort Leavenworth, is the Army’s training management proponent. As such, TMD develops Army training doctrine for publication and administers the Army Training Network (ATN). ADP 7-0, FM 7-0, the Platoon Leader's Guide to Training Management, and much more can be found on the ATN Webpage at https://atn.army.mil.
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