Photo By Sgt. Ryan Hallock | Lynn Larson, nurse educator at the Army Wellness Center, walks on her treadmill desk...... read more read more
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JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. - When flesh is cut open blood begins to stream out. Lose too much and it’s lights out, so the body forms a clot to stop the bleeding. Antibodies, white blood cells, enzymes and nutrients travel to the wounded area to begin the healing and rebuilding process. Sparing the rest of the scientific details the body will heal itself – if treated properly.
Lynn Larson is a nurse educator and two years ago her body wasn’t functioning optimally due to mistreatment. She was obese, which placed her at greater risk of heart disease and diabetes.
“I was so overweight – so horribly overweight,” said Larson. “It’s actually harder to be overweight physically than not, which is ironic because you would think being overweight and not caring about what you eat would be the easy way out.”
Two years ago, Larson came to a crossroads. One direction led to a continuation of unhealthy choices and the other led to working for the U.S. Army. It’s a similar choice many soldiers tossed and turned over before raising their right hands.
“I wanted to put myself in a position where I was so embarrassed I had to lose weight,” said Larson, now a nurse educator at the Army Wellness Center at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash. “I used to work with the Tacoma school district, and every September, I always dreaded going back to work. Not because I had to go back to work, but because I had to sit all day.”
Her first step to a new lifestyle was sitting less and moving more throughout the day. When she moved into her office and saw her desk, she didn’t see just another place to sit the entire workday. She saw the future: a treadmill desk.
“I just wanted to get fit,” said Larson. “I wanted to get … exercise during my regular day.”
Larson envisioned walking during work while at her desk. She bought a treadmill from Craigslist and stepped out of her dream into reality. With a bit of rewiring and adjusting, she had her treadmill desk. Two years of walking between 6.5 and 12.5 miles per day has equated to her shedding 70 pounds. It’s is like telling the 70-pound monkey on your back to get down and walk for a change.
“You just need to make a few changes in your life and your life becomes so much easier,” said Larson. “The problem is how do you implement those changes?”
Many soldiers ask themselves this question when standing at the same crossroads as Larson. The Army’s Performance Triad Pilot Program, which debuted at JBLM in September, helps soldiers implement those important changes that turned Larson’s life around.
Designed to optimize performance, it stresses the need for regular activity, which moves your blood, burns calories and keeps you ready to perform.
Larson instructs soldiers on the three fundamentals – activity, nutrition, sleep – of the Performance Triad so they can take what the Army provides and implement it into their lives.
“We have numerous soldiers who come in not only for exercise advice but nutritional counseling,” said Larson, with her eyes watering because helping soldiers is just as rewarding to her as losing weight.
It’s no surprise soldiers stop by Larson’s office to ask, “what’s for lunch, Lynn?” She has a slew of homemade, organic recipes she loves to share that are quick, healthy alternatives to fast food.
She is the subject matter expert on combining daily exercise with proper nutrition, which is exactly why she’s helped soldiers lose weight. Her advice and expertise has helped soldiers leave the Army Body Composition Program and even get promoted when chapter packets were looming.
“Ms. Larson has made a difference with the active duty service members, families, retirees, and Department of Defense employees by individualizing the AWC services based on each individual's health assessment needs,” said Dr. Teresa Bruder, director at the AWC. “She has gone the extra mile to assist each person with their health, wellness, and fitness goals.”
To some it may appear as Larson has accomplished a lot, but she’s not finished.
“I haven’t met my goal,” said. Larson. “I still need to drop another 40 pounds.”
Two years ago Lynn Larson’s body wasn’t performing optimally. She made the life change to sit less and move more, and her body thanked her for the increased exercise and healthy diet. She continues to help soldiers optimize their performance at the AWC.
| Date Taken: | 10.03.2013 |
| Date Posted: | 10.03.2013 18:26 |
| Story ID: | 114715 |
| Location: | JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, WA, US |
| Web Views: | 404 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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