U.S. Air Force Academy -- U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo.– The 10th Medical Group Health Promotion Team coordinates fitness, nutrition and performance readiness initiatives for active-duty members, dependents, civilian employees, retirees and U.S. Air Force Preparatory School cadet candidates.
Health Promotion Coordinator Brandon Waller and Dietitian Erin Locke operate a self-referral clinic and administer health initiatives directed by the Air Force Medical Services Health and Readiness Optimization Program, and Military Nutritional Environment Assessment Tool. They also work hand-in-hand with all 10th Medical Group clinics and personnel to improve the health and well-being of the Academy community.
“We are basically responsible for all of the health promotion initiatives that take place on the installation,” Waller said. “We play a part by facilitating the rollout for most of the programs and raising awareness. We also inform leadership on a lot of the different health agendas that come down from [Air Force Medical Readiness Agency].”
Fitness
The health promotion staff offers “lunch-and-learn” sessions and health education and fitness consultations. One example is the Bod Pod, which Waller keeps in his office. He uses the data to set a baseline for eligible personnel and creates strategies to plan and track progress and design an “exercise prescription,” Waller said. The most popular fitness tool uses air displacement to measure estimated resting metabolic rate, percent body fat and percent fat-free mass. Waller also provides run-coaching training based on the prescription to optimize performance and decrease injury risk.
Nutrition
As a registered dietician, Locke provides individualized nutrition counseling, group counseling and the Medical Nutrition Therapy program. Locke and Waller also teach “Fueling for Health,” a nutrition class created to help active-duty Airmen and other clients improve their body composition. The class incorporates the Air Force’s new body composition program that emphasizes the link between the waist-to-height ratio and health risk.
The class is specifically designed for Airmen who hope to improve their body composition, Locke said. They also offer dorm cooking demonstrations for wing personnel, funded by the wing chapel, and nutrition lunch-and-learn sessions focused on a different theme each month.
Performance readiness
For performance readiness, the staff offers a 12-week Total Body Wellness program, which includes goal setting, nutrition, a cooking demonstration, sleep hygiene, creating healthy habits, a commissary tour, and a pharmacist-led supplements session.
Locke and Waller take pride in bringing high energy to all health promotion programs.
“Our services are geared toward all active-duty, retirees, dependents, cadet candidates and Academy beneficiaries,” Locke said.
To see a list of programs available through the Health Promotions services, visit their website at https://airforceacademy.tricare.mil/Health-Services/Other/Health-Promotion
For more photos of 10th Medical Group Health Promotion Services, see Flickr.