Huntsville team turns knowledge into power during annual 5K

Photo By Thomas Perry | Ninety-seven Defense Contract Management Agency Huntsville team members and family members participated in the offices annual Walk to Wellness, combining light-heartedness, health and education to ensure event success.  

HUNTSVILLE, AL, UNITED STATES

06.28.2016

Courtesy Story

Defense Contract Management Agency

Did you know the brain operates on the same amount of power needed to light a 10-watt light bulb? Defense Contract Management Agency Huntsville team members discovered that statistic and many others during their annual Walk to Wellness 5K event.

Ninety-seven contract management office employees, family members and even a few pets participated in the walk, which took place at the Indian Creek Greenway and Park here. Participants ran, biked and walked their way through 89 degree heat, reading fun facts along the route. Event organizers designed the combination of light-heartedness, health and community, hoping to educate and appease as the meters melted away.

Two nurse educators, who are both registered nurses and certified nutritionists, from the Fox Army Health Center’s Wellness Clinic at Redstone Arsenal took part in the event. The pair measured body mass index and body fat percentage with a tool that estimates body fat based on height, weight, age, gender and electric resistance. They also provided information about how to gain and/or maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Additionally the wellness center offered an abundance of health and nutritional information, including the five common mistakes that lead to body fat gain: skipping meals, eating fast food and eating out, drinking high-calorie beverages, too little aerobic exercise, and eating past the point of fullness or eating when not hungry.

Multiple Huntsville team members took advantage of the clinic’s participation including Quality Assurance Specialist Dominick Tessier, who said “… the Walk to Wellness is a great way to become aware of your own health. The BMI screening and healthy eating tips provided by Redstone’s (nurses) were some of the great tools provided at the event … It was a good time to get together and celebrate our camaraderie.”

The center offers different classes throughout the year, such as weight and cholesterol management, tobacco cessation, diabetes self-management, sleep hygiene and active-lifestyle improvement.

Agency team-members who are located near or on a military or government installation may have access to similar programs through their local Morale, Welfare and Recreation office. Interested employees are encouraged to check with their area MWR as available resources vary among installations.

• Date Taken: 06.28.2016
• Date Posted: 06.29.2016 09:42
• Story ID: 202728
• Location: HUNTSVILLE, AL, US