FORT CAMPBELL, Ky.-(CLARKSVILLENOW) Army spouse Leah Hernandez seemed to be at an impasse. She attended a gym, exercised regularly, watched what she ate, drank plenty of water, but for some reason she could not seem to lose any weight.
Frustrated, she turned to the staff at the Fort Campbell Army Wellness Center to see what more she could do.
“The Army Wellness Center offers standardized primary prevention programs for our soldiers and retirees, their family members and Department of the Army civilians. We are trying to help our population lead healthy lifestyles by teaching people how to make healthy lifestyle changes and healthy habits when it comes to stress, physical fitness and nutrition,” said Jheri Weidensall, Army Wellness Center program leader.
The Army Wellness Center staff spoke with Hernandez about her diet and exercise regimen and recommended their metabolic testing, body composition testing and some Health and Wellness classes to start.
“We also do metabolic testing where we are able to test an individual’s resting metabolic rate – what this is how many calories you are burning completely at rest. Based on that test and the amount of physical activity a person does, we are able to give calorie recommendation,” said Weidensall. Rather than a ballpark figure most diet plans provide, the Army Wellness Center is able to give beneficiaries a personalized caloric profile.
For Hernandez, the results came as a surprise.
“The main thing I learned was that I just needed to eat more. I wasn’t eating enough. I really thought that I was eating enough food, eating clean, doing what I was supposed to be doing following nutrition guidelines, getting fruits and veggies in, but it just wasn’t enough of it,” said Hernandez.
On the recommendation of her Army Wellness Center health educator, based on her resting metabolic rate and activity level, Hernandez increased her daily caloric intake to 1,900 calories a day and began to see the weight come off. Hernandez attended the center’s Upping your Metabolism and Fueling for Health classes and learned more about portion sizes and eating a healthful balanced diet to fuel her body and reach her goals.
Hernandez, a wife and mother, has lost about 20 pounds since using the services provided by the Army Wellness Center combined with her eating and exercise routine. “My fitness level has improved a lot. I feel stronger. My energy level is way different. I feel like I can get up in the morning and I’m not super tired during the day,” she said.
Hernandez now visits the center at least once a month to use its BodPod, which provides a more accurate view of her progress than checking her weight on a scale, explained Weidensall.
Other services offered by the Army Wellness Center include exercise prescription, stress management, improving sleep habits and individual health coaching. The health educators are also available to go mobile, taking their class to units on post and family readiness groups.
To leant more visit the Army Wellness Center website.