A move to better Soldiers through Wellness

Photo By Sgt. John Ortiz | Master Sgt. Elva Marquez prepares to conduct a body fat test on a Soldier, a three...... read more read more

Photo By Sgt. John Ortiz | Master Sgt. Elva Marquez prepares to conduct a body fat test on a Soldier, a three part test that includes measuring heigh and weight, and calorie intake as part of the Wrangler Wellness Program. The Wellness program was instituted as part of Command Sgt. Maj. Erik R.R. Frey, the 4th Sustainment Brigade command sergeant major to increase wellness in the unit.  see less | View Image Page

CAMP ARIFJAN, KUWAIT

12.13.2008

Story by Sgt. John Ortiz 

4th Sustainment Brigade

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By Sgt. John D. Ortiz
4th Sustainment Brigade

CAMP ARIFJAN, Kuwait -- Many of us already know while being deployed there is little time to worry about what you eat and how much you actually exercise. Whether your goal is to lose weight, gain weight or even sustain it, the Wrangler Wellness Program provides you the tools to be successful.

In the past, metabolic testing was only offered at hospitals and universities, now it is as simple as setting up an appointment with the Wrangler Wellness staff to have your metabolic test done.

"I brought the [Wellness] Team to the Non-commissioned Officer Academy when I was commandant of the [United States Europe NCO Academy] to assist me in building my physical training program and to work with the students who were body fat failures," said the 4th Sustainment Brigade Command Sgt. Maj. Erik R. R. Frey.

"The assessment and training program I developed was a huge success in terms of body fat loss and developing healthy lifestyles for my Soldiers," said Frey.

The Metabolic testing procedures are very simple to include weighing yourself, breathing into a tube known as the Metacheck unit, for approximately ten minutes, and an electrode test.

After the test is complete, your Resting Metabolic Rate is determined by how many calories your body burns at rest, or simply sitting all day.

A diet plan is provided to you after the metabolic assessment. This plan dictates how many calories you are allowed to take in per day, along with an exchange list of healthy foods.

To accomplish weight loss under the wellness program, your RMR dictates the maximum amount of calories your body can take in and be able to lose weight at a rate of 1.5 pounds a week.

In the weight loss zone, your body should be healthy, happy, and satisfied. Learning to listen to your body and what it needs is important to be successful.

"Many people have a tendency to over report how much exercise they perform and under report how much food they eat," said Todd A. Hoover, director of the Wellness Center in Heidelberg, Germany, who runs health promotion for the hospital and surrounding clinics.

"Service members have the opportunity to take their body to a garage to get it calibrated, so they can perform at their best," said Hoover. "This calibration can tell someone how many calories they need and how many calories to consume in order to lose weight, there is no guessing."

"We help people develop a calorie budget for the day, which leads to improving the body by adapting to the environment," he said. "We want to create an environment to allow a person to reach a goal."

Weight management is a delicate balance between how many calories you burn and how many are consumed. Gaining weight is not much of a challenge for most people.

When you eat too much your body works extra hard to speed up the metabolism to burn those extra calories. Therefore, you gain weight and possibly maintain it by eating far more than you should.

In attempt to lose weight you must reduce your calorie intake dramatically to leap from your maintenance zone to your weight loss zone. When you finally reach your goal weight it is important to sustain and keep it off.

Reaching your maintenance zone means that you have taught your body to eat at your metabolism, and are taking in the right amount of calories is the number of calories you need to consume to stay at your goal weight.

By staying true to your given diet plan or even eating something from the exchange list is a simple tool in succeeding in maintaining your weight.

Being healthy in today's Army is essential in being successful and meeting the variety of challenges the Army has to offer. After all, being a part of the Wrangler Brigade is not only an honor but a challenge.

"I feel this program is a good thing for our Army," said Frey. "We will use it to help our Wranglers develop a good fitness program."