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HAWC: Promoting healthy living

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Bekah Phy
  • 305th Air Mobility Wing public affairs
McGUIRE AIR FORCE BASE, N.J. --  "If you don't take care of your body, where will you live?"

This quote is a favorite of the Health and Wellness Center team, which aims to help McGuire Airmen, family members and retirees take care of themselves, in all aspects of wellness, so they have a healthy place to "live" for a long time.

"Everyone wants to live a long and healthy life, but more often than not, it's not until you start having chronic health-related problems that you stop and take a look at what you can change," said Megan Smith, HAWC health educator. "That mentality needs to stop here, and the HAWC can help. Wellness is never something you finally achieve -- it's an ongoing state of being well."

The HAWC's health promotion program's mission is to promote and maintain the health and well-being of the McGuire community. Evidence based injury prevention, physical fitness, health education, and nutrition and healthcare interventions are designed and implemented to facilitate healthy behavioral and environmental alternatives.

A large focus for the HAWC has been overseeing the administration of the installation's fitness program, serving as consultants to squadron leadership, providing fitness education and expertise, and encouraging and supporting physical fitness and activity among active-duty Airmen.

"This year, the HAWC has trained more than 350 Airmen to support the installation's fitness program at the squadron level," said Rebecca Rhodes, HAWC Health Promotion Flight chief. Those key players included Unit Fitness Program Managers, Physical Training Leaders and Fitness Assessment Monitors.

The HAWC also hosts mandatory intervention classes for the active-duty population who fail to meet fitness standards. Classes provide knowledge about the Air Force fitness requirements and tools and resources related to exercise, nutrition, and behavior change needed to improve overall wellness and their PT test score.

In the past, the HAWC has been known as the place you go when you don't pass your PT test. The team strives to overcome this stigma with a focus on injury prevention and early disease detection. The HAWC provides more than mandatory intervention classes and those programs are open to all TRICARE enrollees.

The HAWC staff encourages everyone to take steps to lead healthier lives, whether it's enrolling in a healthy eating class or a tobacco cessation class, or stopping by for information about diabetes prevention or proper running shoe selection.

According to the HAWC, being a proactive patient means taking all the steps you can to ensure you are making the right choices when it comes to fitness, nutrition, personal habits, etc. The HAWC has three professional and certified staff members to assist in reaching wellness goals.

The Fitness Program manager/Health Promotion Flight chief is a degreed exercise physiologist who focuses on injury prevention and provides fitness program options for Airmen who have fitness restrictions. The registered dietitian is credentialed by the clinic and teaches all nutrition classes, provides community-outreach programming and sees referral patients for specific conditions. The health educator is a certified Health Education specialist and oversees the tobacco cessation program, teaches stress management, and provides community programming and outreach for the base community.

The HAWC staff affirms that everyone can benefit from its programs. "When individuals of any age decide to make voluntary behavioral changes in relation to their health and well being, they can reduce their overall health risks and enhance their quality of life," Ms. Rhodes said.

"Fit people are healthier people - they sleep better, have better concentration levels, more energy, better self-esteem, and they experience long-term benefits that include a lowered rick for cardiovascular disease, diabetes and obesity," Ms. Smith said.

"Nutrition is equally as important because you need to understand that the body can only work efficiently if you fuel it with healthy, nutrient-dense foods," said Dana Maurer, the registered dietitian. "Being an informed consumer, who understands how to read a food label and make healthy decisions when eating out, can make a world of difference."

Several nutrition classes are offered throughout the year, including:

Prenatal Nutrition: This class is held at the Medical Clinic in conjunction with Pregnancy 101, which is sponsored by Family Advocacy. A 30-minute nutrition segment is given on proper nutrition for moms-to-be. The class educates on how many additional calories are needed, what to limit or avoid and much more.

Healthy Eating/Weight Loss: This course is designed for the busy individual who wants to learn about making healthier food choices. Class material covers food groups, portion sizes, calorie counting, calorie ranges, healthy weight loss and reading food labels.

Diabetes Nutrition: This class is for newly-diagnosed diabetics, diabetics needing a refresher course or individuals who have impaired fasting glucose or borderline diabetes. Class material covers basic nutrition, carbohydrate counting, label reading, and how to control your blood sugar through diet and exercise.

Healthy Heart/Cholesterol: This class targets individuals who have high cholesterol and/or hypertension. The class covers basic nutrition, different types of fats, lab review, label reading, and how to lower cholesterol and/or blood pressure through diet.

Lunch and Learn: A free monthly event that features an in-house speaker and guest speakers on a variety of topics. Participants are encouraged to bring a healthy lunch while they listen to the topic of the month.

Several other wellness classes and resources are also available at the HAWC, including:

Stress Management/Relaxation Techniques: Participants learn the physiology of stress, discover personal triggers and practice various techniques to manage stress in their life.

The HAWC has two free massage chairs that can be used during duty hours. The relaxation room provides a calm, tranquil environment customers can use with relaxation CD's.

The HAWC also provides several nutrition and wellness resources for checkout, including books, cookbooks, brochures, DVD's and pamphlets customers can borrow to supplement material learned in classes.

In addition to the several monthly programs offered by the HAWC, many specialty programs are also offered throughout the year, including Biggest Loser, a friendly weight loss and wellness education competition, pedometer challenges and more. Look for new HAWC program offerings in 2009, including gait analysis.