A. The typical military family endures pressures other Americans can't conceive of or understand: constant fear while loved ones live and work in mortal danger; sudden violent death of multiple acquaintances, work colleagues, and loved ones; stress and uncertainty caused by 24/7-call during two simultaneous wars, trauma inflicted on family members by back-to-back or multiple extended (12-15 month) deployments, and nonexistent community ties and/or strained extended-family ties due to frequent moves (averaging every 2-3 years). An assignment in a foreign country multiplies the stress shouldered by the military family: an estimated 60% of expatriates find it impossible to integrate into their host country's (perceived hostile) environment, and to cope, resort to isolating themselves, travelling only when necessary off the installation9. Whether this statistic is accurate or not, purely from observation after 7 years abroad, I would've estimated a number much greater than 60% of our nation's military families who fail to even get acquainted with, much less adjust to their host country's culture overseas. Can the typical American really imagine living life among a populace with a significant percentage not fond of American presence? Military families are often victims of cultural racism. The top 10 recognized sources of stress read like a typical year in the life of the military family: long working hours or shift work, instability caused with frequent moves, separation from the support of extended families, and interpersonal relationships under immense pressure. Military family members often suffer silently, regarding their hardship as a necessary factor in military life, and consequently not seeking help before stress from this hardship pushes them over the edge. Excessive strain and discord within military families has a punishing impact on child development: multiple studies show strong indications that permanent scars resulting from "second-hand deployment trauma" (my label) inflicted on family members threaten the stability of future generations4-8.
B. Negative life experiences such as loss, trauma, serious illness and stress can contribute to the onset of depression, making military families especially susceptible and at risk17. On May 21, 2007, Dr. Jeffrey Millegan of the Naval Medical Center in San Diego reported that a full quarter (25%) of military spouses in his study of 415 women, suffered postpartum depression (PPD) within 3 months following their child's birth1. This number represented three-times the incidence of PPD in comparison with non-military spouses participating in the study1. Spouses of mothers suffering from PPD are shown in several studies to exhibit enhanced stress levels, psychological problems, and marital dissatisfaction 6,7. We can surmise, therefore, that our deployed soldiers with pregnant wives are at 3-times the risk of suffering these symptoms, in addition to any residual trauma or PTSD resulting from their deployment in harm's way. Research has shown that a mother's depression negatively impacts her parenting ability2,3 and has lasting detrimental effects on her children's normal development4,5. There is of yet no name for the trauma inflicted on family members during the prolonged deployment of a parent/spouse, nor that trauma induced after his/her reintroduction (and lack of a label encourages lack of legitimacy). Families like mine years after redeployment still struggle with problems introduced during an estranged separation or reintegration. And who other than the military family must sometimes also tolerate an atmosphere of intolerance toward any who complain or seek relief from requirements.
C. Abnormal amounts of stress, demands on family and a 24/7 requirement of the soldier take their toll on families -- resultant destructive coping mechanisms ranging from obesity/gambling to drug abuse/suicide are at tragically predictable higher levels among military families.
1. OBESITY is rife. A survey conducted by the Center for Health Promotion and Preventive Medicine-Europe in each of four school years from 2004-2007, showed nearly one in three of more than 6,000 children tested at DODDS-Europe schools was overweight or at risk of becoming overweight, and that this amount has doubled over the course of these four years10. Teen and young adult years are "the critical period that has the strongest risk association" with cancer diagnosis later in life, reported researcher Donghui Li, PhD, and a study completed June 2009 indicates that obese children/young adults have a 67% greater chance of cancer diagnosis, and will exhibit tumours an average of 2-6 years earlier11. Since the 1980s, Americans' decreasingly active lifestyles and poor nutrition choices show a clear inverse relationship with increased incidence of chronic disease diagnosis. The American Cancer Society estimates that nearly one-third of American deaths caused by cancer in 2006 will result from poor nutrition, lack of physical activity, and excess weight24. Active duty soldier obesity results in the loss of millions of dollars when trained soldiers are forcibly discharged. It is all in the family. The New England Journal of Medicine recently published a study that showed if one spouse is obese; the other is 37 percent more likely to become obese too21. Healthy habits start at home, and an education promoting healthy eating benefits the entire military community when provided as a service to the entire community.
2. GAMBLING: Combined, the four services operate more than 5,400 gambling machines at overseas military facilities and generate well over $100 million, despite research indicating that overseas military families represent an extremely vulnerable population at marked risk of developing an addiction. Research conducted in Okinawa and published in the August 2005 edition of the journal Military Medicine, entitled "Review of the First Year of an Overseas Military Gambling Treatment Program," indicated that military personnel, as well as their families, are especially susceptible to gambling addiction, in fact, in environments where family members may feel "lonely and alienated - which is frequent in overseas locations where family and established friends are not available and spouses are often deployed - there may be an increased risk of developing a gambling problem15." John Kindt, a business professor at the University of Illinois who has spent years in research, told CNN in May 2007 that "about 2.2 percent of military personnel have indicators of probable pathological gambling...compared with about 0.77 to 1.6 percent in the general population14. John Kindt found that specifically people drawn to military duty, the "generally young...risk-takers...those type-A personalities...are predisposed to becoming gambling addicts14."
3. DRUG USE: USA Today reported a 25 percent increase over the past five years among soldiers treated for substance abuse, and alarming numbers of repeat offenders not processed for discharge and/or going unpunished: "At one installation where about a thousand soldiers screened positive by urinalysis, 373 had failed the same drug test in the past, in some cases up to seven times, says Brig Gen. Colleen McGuire, head of the Army’s Suicide Prevention Task Force. Other installations reported similar numbers, she says16". No one misses the message sent by this insidious culture of substance tolerance - it impacts the military community as a whole and harms everyone down to the smallest dependent. I have had first-hand confirmation from multiple leaders frustrated by this exact inconsistency and the failure of supervisors to penalize offenders.
4. SUICIDE: Col. Kathy Platoni, chief clinical psychologist for the Army Reserve and National Guard reported to CNN in Feb, 2009 that multiple deployments, stigma associated with seeking treatment and the excessive use of anti-depressants were all factors in the six-fold increase of suicide among Army soldiers12. Everyone was shocked when in January 2009 more soldiers died from suicide than combat-related injuries. And now multiply that shocking number by a normal military family size in order to get a more realistic concept of the total number chronically injured.
5. MORE: The military family exhibits other forms of destructive coping mechanisms ranging from promiscuity, to alcoholism, to domestic violence, but here's the main point: the government asks above and beyond of its military families. There is a significant and well-documented, detrimental toll taken on the military family in their support of a service member. Because the government clearly and publicly recognizes the importance of the wellbeing of its military families (termed its "first line of defence") in the safety and sanity of the individual service member, the government must therefore be prepared to implement and finance more PREhabilitative programs which focus treatment on the conditions which lead to destructive behaviours, rather than waiting for the actual behaviours to occur.
II. RECOMMENDATION: Develop a government-funded family fitness program for overseas forces. Focus on supporting physical/mental wellbeing and on strengthening the support network for military family members -- individuals deemed just as important to national security as uniformed service members.
A Family fitness is currently not a strong enough focus of Army and Air Force armed forces overseas, although community support of family-centered fitness programs, medical evidence, and multiple scientific studies suggest that it should be, and as soon as possible. There are notable exceptions, especially Installations stateside, where fitness courses for families are offered for free, entire fitness facilities are reserved for military families (boasting kiddie play areas stocked with toys and Barney DVDs), and races are scheduled with reasonable frequency and usually have kids categories. But family-friendly opportunities and activities are still sometimes dependent on the rotation schedule of supporting supervisors. Government support for military family fitness needs to be standard and strong across installations and especially overseas. On-post services are all many military families have to choose from, when stationed overseas. State-side military families have the option to take advantage of family-centered non-military-affiliated programs offered by the civilian sector like Stroller Strides, Urban Rebounding, YogaKids, CrossFit Kids - an endless supply of family-centered programs for those willing and able to pay the registration fee. It is significantly harder if not impossible for overseas families to participate in their host country's fitness/social programs. The language barrier alone is for most insurmountable. Overseas military families are offered a steady supply of activities, programs and services to keep them occupied and constructively engaged, but none bolster their self-esteem, their health, and their mental stability like a fitness program can. How are overseas military facilities rationalizingcharging families for their participation in fitness programs? Fitness programs and activities eligible for all-family-member participation need more emphasis and more standardized support throughout U.S. Air Force and Army installations overseas. Each individual benefit of a family fitness program negates perfectly a related deficiency explained in the ISSUE section above. Results from numerous studies find that "people who exercise regularly are significantly less likely to suffer from obesity-related conditions such as heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, arthritis, stroke, various forms of cancer, osteoporosis, depression, and anxiety25". The President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports reports 30% of deaths resulting from coronary heart disease, type II diabetes, and colon cancer would be prevented by moderate intensity physical activity26. Fitness programs structured for family involvement offer proven support for marriages, physical wellbeing and disease resistance, and improve mental focus and mental health. Athleticism provides a critical foundation to individual perceptions of self-worth and an unmatched defence against symptoms of depression. Social participation in a fitness support program raises self-esteem by offering family members who are sharing common experiences realistic, attainable goals. Fitness programs provide incentive and social support as well as a sense of belonging and community. Arguably most critically, group fitness programs provide a social outlet that is especially essential for those families who are stationed overseas and who've isolated themselves on post. Family Fitness can also play a significant part in healing chronically ill Soldiers, or those victimized by traumatic effects of deployment. For wounded warriors, following extended hospital stays and still coping with psychological afteraffects, gradual reintegration into the community, buoyed by a support structure consisting of family members and fellow Soldiers who can better sympathize with such intense suffering, is both a critical and necessary requirement of healing.
B For youth, regularly scheduled physical activity strengthens bones, reduces symptoms of ADHD, and builds motor development and cardiovascular capability during a fleeting yet critical window. Play reduces sick days, boosts mood, and improves sleep. Athleticism, once achieved, contributes to feelings of self-worth and self-esteem. Kids need scheduled activity as a healthy alternative to the 5.5 hours (on average) they are engrossed in some form of media entertainment (TV, DVD, video games) each day, and cash-strapped military families need affordable methods for meeting the National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE)'s recommendation for kids of 60 minutes daily, moderate to vigorous exercise18. If instead of utilizing installation child-care services in order to squeeze in an exercise session, caretakers start bringing their children with them to workout, it will positively impact child development, rewire family chemistry, and build a lifetime of positive habits by providing a health-centered bonding experience, exponentially benefiting community growth and development. Provide beginning, intermediate, and advanced group training, and promote entire family participation. Provide individualized training for children and young adults; train moms, toddlers, and infants together. Enforce wellness and conditioning starting at the earliest age. Building healthy habits will promote family togetherness, and provide a ripple-effect of benefits. Family Fitness programs across the country are already redefining the meaning of childcare & are engendering healthy lifestyle goals in families who enthusiastically continue to buttress each other outside of class hours.
C There are no negative aspects to implementing such a program when fitness instructors are experienced and supervise their clients' training properly to insure safe, effective movement, and when these instructors are afforded a reasonable limit on class participants. Overseas military communities have now proven the community need for such a program and the commitment they would dedicate to such a program. Community support is concrete and overtly numerous enough to justify further development of such family fitness programming, and to justify devoting additional personnel positions in its firm support.
III. DISCUSSION: PROBLEMS PREVENTING EXISTING INFRASTRUCTURE AND EXISTING FITNESS PROGRAMMING FROM EFFECTIVELY SUPPORTING FAMILY FITNESS
POINT 1: There is no standard government or NAF job position which has been designed to support a family fitness program, nor is there a dedicated prioritization on establishing a military community-wide fitness/wellness program, so the current personnel structure would not adequately support an effective family fitness training program.
A There are three categories of employees currently tasked with providing fitness services: Sports Specialists and Fitness Coordinators (GS-0030) under the Director of Community Activities, Recreation Specialists (GS-0188) under Services Division, and the Health Educators (YA-1701-02) working in Army Wellness Centers and Air Force Health and Wellness Centers. Of these employees, only Recreation Specialists under Services Division currently provide fitness services specifically directed toward the family: military spouses and children.
1. Sports Specialists and Fitness Coordinators (GS-0030) in Fitness Centers have fitness programs which are tailored exclusively and non-apologetically toward adults, and have in some installations banned children under 14-16 completely from gym facilities (Karen Jowers Military Times, April 30, 2007, and Bamberg, 2007). During my third-trimester of pregnancy, I personally led a community driven (500 interested participant signatures in 1 week) initiative to allow women to exercise on indoor equipment with infants "in tow" (within arms-reach in strollers: asleep or engrossed in DVD movies). This program still enjoys resounding success in Bamberg, Germany. Renee Champagne was able to push the same initiative for the Ramstein/Vogelweh military community in Kaiserslautern. In recent years, and yielding to community pressure, most fitness facilities have lifted the ban except on rooms containing Cardiovascular equipment or Free Weights.
2. The Youth and Community Centers run by Recreation Specialists (GS-0188) are targeted toward serving spouses and children, but the position descriptions for Recreation Specialist Employees do not specify any requirements for an education in fitness nor sports training background. This is because as well as planning/managing sports events, these employees are responsible for coordinating and planning community/family special events (i.e., Haunted House, Easter Egg Hunt, Youth Carnival, etc.), and for developing instructional programs recognizing child/youth abuses neglect, substance abuse, prevention of runaways, teenage pregnancy, suicide, juvenile exploitation, school dropouts, and illiteracy, among many other diverging requirements. Certainly no single individual tasked with fulfilling the requirements of such a wide-ranging position description could be expected to effectively design targeted fitness programming, much less safely execute one in concert with all their other requirements. When Recreation Specialists are self-motivated to the extent they complete fitness training certifications, astoundingly unless their supervisors are supportive, it is at their own expense. Safety is a big concern: Recreation Specialist Employees are not required to have a fitness education or group training qualification, and should therefore never be tasked with designing, approving, or hiring employees to conduct fitness programs for military families. One solution to provide better support for military family fitness is to require this fitness education and/or group fitness training certification from Recreation Specialists (also insuring funding for their continued training and certification). This solution would by necessity entail hiring more Recreation Specialists should the government approve full funding of family fitness programs in order to provide adequate support for all family members interested in free fitness and healthy lifestyle training.
3. Health Educators working in Army Wellness Centers and Air Force Health and Wellness Centers positively represent their forces' respective PREhabilitation programs, in terms of client's fitness. Centers offer courses such as Diabetes Education, Weight Management, and Tobacco Cessation, and provide services such as Metabolic Testing, Fitness Assessments, Stress Management, and Wellness Coaching. They also assist Tricare beneficiaries with a greater understanding of their fitness capabilities, and provide targeted programming for areas where they need improvement, including providing a recommended method of advancement. Unlike programs under the Forces' Services Division, programs run by Health and Wellness Centers are not particularly monetary-focused or required to be self-sufficient. Programs are also available to all Tricare beneficiaries. This seems to be the most sensible place to position government employees who are tasked with support of family fitness programs. Health Educator involvement with military soldiers, retirees, and family members has been working very well - especially when Health Educators partner with Medical Clinics to share prescription and progress data regarding individual clients. Health and Wellness Centers link medical assets so that Health Educators can adjust programming in accordance with limitations advised by Physical Therapists, and have proved invaluable in assisting not only profiled soldiers with rehabilitation, but also wounded warriors during their convalescence and gradual reintegration back into military or civilian communities. Ideally, Health Educators also simplify the Command's job: by having access to detailed records kept on each profiled and flagged Soldier, they are able to also hold them accountable for progress. The big problem that in recent times has been so glaring, lies in that current Health Educators are individually tasked with the training and conditioning of thousands of family members. I believe that the solution through which the US government can best emphasize, prioritize, and sustain military family fitness, is to staff a sufficient amount of employees within Health and Wellness Centers, and to insure they are qualified to provide training which can be personalized to the individual client's needs. This will provide a programming framework for instruction to which individual client-athletes will demonstrate significant adherence.
B Most fitness programs offered overseas are currently contracted out to Fitness Trainers, and the vast majority of these programs are not Family-oriented. There are notable exceptions. In the Kaiserslautern area, contractor Renee Champagne has successfully programmed and executed programs targeting families specifically such as YogaKids, CoreFit, Strollerrobics, Spouses of Deployed Fitness, 2-3yr old fitness, and Perinatal Pregnancy Fitness - other contractors in this area offer Gymnastics Class for Tots and Kids, Cheerleading, and Dance. All programs are taught and organized by contractors - most contractors must be self-insured and all are able to set their own price for classes. Renee Champagne will PCS next year -- Renee and her programs were highlighted in the April 2009 Government Recreation and Fitness magazine under the article "Fitness Focuses on Family". The existing organizational structure under which such contractors fall makes it a complete uphill battle for them to provide such programs and services, and not particularly financially profitable -- this is absolutely why in Kaiserslautern there are so few individuals servicing a community of 54,000 military members, families, and retirees. There are a series of problematic issues stemming from the current organizational structure under which Fitness Trainers are contracted:
1. Renee's programs each cost $80 for a 6-week session. Petra's Gymnastics Classes targeted for kids are $30-35 for four 45min-1hour sessions per month, and $25/month for one half-hour session per week. The classes are excellent and in high demand, the children learn critical skills such as balance, coordination, agility, flexibility, and accuracy. Petra and Renee handle up to 8 children per course extremely professionally, insuring all of their children stay engaged - but look at the cost to overseas military families!! It is difficult to motivate spouses to invest such a significant monetary commitment in fitness classes, especially E-5 Soldier spouses and below, when they have their family's financial survival concerns trumping any "selfish" priority they may place on their own fitness level. Some military families are currently financially incapable of enjoying the lifestyle benefits derivative of a regular fitness program. This is where a priority should be placed for government financial support.
2. If less than 4 women show up for a session, the session is cancelled because Services Division "loses money" on the arrangement. Programs such as these take time to generate interest and a loyal following. Many promising programs, given only a handful of weeks to survive, understandingly never get off the ground. Renee, aghast at the lack of support she received from Department-heads after pleading the need and desire of 3 women to continue a fledgling Perinatal program, unhesitatingly offered her services for free. This exact situation has been duplicated in communities across Germany: Courtney Rife in Stuttgart and Shannon Linville in Grafenwoehr have both also provided free fitness classes for military spouses. In Kaiserslautern currently, months after it was initially introduced then dropped due to insufficient participants, Services Division now offers Renee's Perinatal program officially. Now, family members are turned away because there are too many applicants for Renee to train alone. Now is the time to prioritize, provide more funding, and more government personnel to adequately staff such services. In my opinion, family fitness programs should not be dependant on profit-turning for survival. I believe that offering these programs free as an additional military benefit will pay dividends in spades for the military community as a whole.
3. Services Division is not given any government funding and therefore must provide programs which are self-sufficient. This forces their hand in having to charge families to attend family fitness programs. Services Division pushes greater numbers of spouses/kids to enroll in each class because it pushes up their profit margin, but it also unfortunately affects the quality of support which fitness trainers such as Renee Champagne can devote to their students, and compromises client safety when executing more complex movements. This is another powerful justification for the argument that family fitness should be pulled out of Services Division entirely.
C In order to most effectively push fitness programs, there must be funding supporting the establishment of government civilian positions tasked specifically with that responsibility. With no associated GS position description or NAF contract, and the associated assurance of sustainment and continuity, although programs such as those offered in Kaiserslautern currently enjoy regular scheduling and broad popularity, they will disappear as soon as the trainer leaves. The spouse, the child, and the family are left hanging again.
POINT 2: There is no standard fitness program available to families which provides individualized programming, adequate incentive, nor which offers the benefits of belonging to a community -- these are key qualifications which are absolutely essential in maximizing community participation and generating significant community-wide improvements in health and overall wellness.
A Some CURRENT PROGRAMS offered which attempt to promote community-wide fitness are INADEQUATE to the military family's need, and it is important to recognize the aspects of those programs which render them ineffective.
B Although there is no standard all-inclusive family fitness program available which provides individualized training, there are military sponsored PROGRAMS CENTERED ON FAMILY FITNESS WHICH HAVE DOCUMENTED PROOF OF SUCCESS. Ramstein Services Division should be roundly applauded for its willingness to take a chance and invest in the family fitness courses detailed below. But Services Division is now profiting from this decision while many who need training the most are being left out due to inadequate numbers of instructors, cost of training, and scheduling conflicts. Services Division is not to be faulted - this is a fault of the system!!! These are programs that work, programs that last, programs that experience overwhelming popularity, and programs military families need:1. One such program is the Air Force's computer-driven FitFactor where participants 6-18 years of age log their participation in "fitness" activities during the course of the day. In FitFactor, activities such as taking out the trash get a specified number of points assigned. The FitFactor model of fitness program will not put a dent in the problem because there is no onsite training offered, no accountability (participants are tenuously bound by the FitFactor honour system), personalized encouragement, nor community support structure, which are all strong factors in motivating participation and adherence. Certainly there will be some exceptions, some Soldiers and family members will experience progress in their fitness level through use of FitFactor, they will record their daily activities truthfully and regularly, and they will become more aware of how burning calories is progressive, but success stories will be few and far between because FitFactor relies on self-accountability and hinges on participants' habitually keeping and recording personal scores, with very little personalized interaction. Just as with any business program, greater accountability in a fitness program will leverage greater performance. This is why exercise programs such as Boot Camps have become so popular - they effectively impose higher expectations and stricter discipline on individuals than most individuals would impose upon themselves. Boot Camp participants achieve more pronounced success much faster than they could independently accomplish. Ego is also a factor in a group setting, driving participants to push themselves harder. Group exercise sessions with a certified trainer will teach individuals how far they can push themselves, will empower them to reach their fitness goals, and will also train them to execute movements safely - something they will never get from a program such as FitFactor on an individualized basis.
2. The President's Challenge (http://www.fitness.gov/challenge/index.html) is a program similar to FitFactor, and therefore will most likely inspire similar fitness progression rates, a number ultimately which will be woefully insufficient to put a dent in the problem. Both FitFactor and the President's Challenge would show improved fitness performance measures if they were to implement some of the adherence strategies introduced in Section V, Plan Details (which follows), scientifically proven uniquely effective during a 2006 Canadian Forces research project.19. Research has confirmed that virtual partners and support groups can be engineered to work nearly as well online as they do in the fitness studio23. Video can be provided to properly and safely train participants (as CrossFit has proven).
3. Another program directed toward providing activities and education (not fitness) exclusively for kids is "The Edge!" for kids. This program is presented as a partnership of Child Youth and Schools Services (CYSS) and Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR). This program provides a fantastic service for military kids and great educational opportunities, but even if one of the upcoming "The Edge!" programs does eventually include a "FitnessEdge!", it should not be considered adequate to confront any of the issues listed in Section I, ISSUE of this proposal. Although fitness trainers would be licensed through MWR in a "FitnessEdge!" course, the program would be designed to provide a broad overview for participants, introducing different exercise techniques and movements, rather than programmed to delve deeply enough in detail of each movement in order to achieve individual proficiency. This means that kids most likely will not be comfortable with the execution of such movements enough to attempt them on their own after the completion of the program. Military family fitness needs to be taught passionately and enforced daily in order to be adopted as a habit and learned as a skill.
1. The Army's "Centering Pregnancy" program allows small 12-member groups of women to meet weekly to discuss and get educated on issues surrounding pregnancy. Mothers are accountable to one another, miss each other when absent, and exchange significant support forming strong bonds which extend after the birth of their babies.
2. Strollerrobics offered by Renee Champagne at Ramstein is another example of such a program which structures fitness around creating a community of participants. This program is also selective with membership (limited to parents of stroller-size toddlers/infants), and not designed to accommodate an entire family, but it still provides an excellent example of how a group-setting and group-membership motivates performance improvements, drives regular attendance, and provides a mutually beneficial social support group.
3. Following my initial drafting of the FamFit proposal, I accepted a NAF position under Ramstein Air Force Base Youth Services to teach a 30-minute core gymnastic and strength conditioning program twice per week to spouses, where I am able to allow them to bring their children along. I am CrossFit certified and teach fundamental CrossFit movements while providing scaled workouts to participants, affording them at least 12-minutes of high-intensity work per session. My program is still in its infancy - I began working for Ramstein Services Division in Sep 2009 - but I already have a wait-list, my clients are unanimously enthusiastic about the benefits they perceive already to have experienced, and 25% have arranged to receive additional private lessons (kids-in-tow) from my home. Although I can not yet give testament to my class's long-term effectiveness, it is at minimum proof that strength conditioning with intensity can be taught safely to spouses in the presence of children. Children are required to stay and play in a segregated area. When infants insist on being held (and don't want me to hold them), I provide their moms with equivalent repetitions of an alternate exercise, using infants' body weight for resistance. We never use greater than 12 lbs during sessions due to the proximity of small children, but I teach a full range of gymnastic skills, power lifts, and Olympic lifts that are challenging even at body weight to accomplish. My classes are not free. My clients pay Ramstein Services about $4.50 each class, and I am paid $28 each week. It is an inadequate amount to draw quality instructors (excepting those drawn by charity causes), and a shameful and unnecessary charge on military families.
4. Renee's brand-new YogaKids program has enjoyed stunning popularity among children and adolescents. Renee explains: "Yoga can help families cope with the stresses and traumas of the military lifestyle and give another tool to families to use when encountered with situations such as a death, deployment, divorce, PTSD and PPD." Far from its stigma as a exercise for hippies, modern yoga is used by serious athletes who regard its precepts as invaluable in pursuit of balanced alignment and muscle restoration. Joan Nesbit Mabe, 1996 Track and Field Olympian, credits Yoga with helping her to "set a world age-group record in the indoor mile and an outdoor American record in the 1,500 meters at age 45"22. Renee offers the program in a group setting, and provides personalized instruction and encouragement. Renee supervises distribution and use of "props" for her young clients, with which they are able to scale the positions appropriately to fit their range of flexibility. Kids can easily see improvement each session as their use of props declines, and get a critical boost to their self-esteem through a generous dose of social support offered by course peers and their trainer.
V PLAN DETAILS I believe we should develop a government-funded military family fitness program ("FamFit") for all US Army and Air Force installations overseas, including their supported Warrior Transition Units, in order to significantly strengthen the social support network of military families and to directly address their physical and mental wellbeing.
A In order to be effective and sustainable, while applicable across a broad range of installations, I would begin with the hiring of two additional GS-11 Health Educators within Health and Wellness Centers supporting overseas Army and Air Force Installations that also host a significant number of forces who deploy to war zones. At onset, FamFit would be implemented on a trial basis, and would involve only the twelve largest overseas Army and Air Force Installations which host a significant number of forces who deploy to war zones. Four of these Installation's supporting Health and Wellness Centers are also tasked with support of Warrior Transition Units, who will also be involved in FamFit initial implementation. The FamFit program's success in significantly reducing costs associated with symptoms such as depression, divorce, illicit drug use, gambling, and dietary health issues (such as those associated with abnormal lipid levels, obesity, diabetes, and hypertension), and success in significantly improving overall community fitness levels, will justify discussion concerning its implementation in domestic or smaller installations. Responsibilities for GS-11 Health Educators are described in detail in paragraph B2 below, but in brief, will be responsible for planning and implementing THEIR OWN CONCEPT for a family-oriented fitness program and a proposed framework for ability-group instruction. The Health Educators will, within 20 working days of the outset of their employment, research and submit a detailed report presenting thorough quantitative analysis of fitness program options available paired with cost ratios and estimation/proof of their effectiveness, and concluding with their consequential decision whether to contract civilian agencies to provide fitness center management, or to create NAF positions for certified trainers (i.e. in Yoga, CrossFit, Postnatal sport) to support military family fitness (see chart in enclosure 3 for an illustration of Health Educators' supervisory responsibilities using a hypothetical scenario). Contracting or hiring decisions concerning programming structure (deciding which employees with which fitness certifications to hire, or which contracted organization will be outsourced to provide fitness training), would be made at installation-level, and performed on a one-year trial basis in order to eliminate any perception that the Department of Defense endorses any one fitness program or contracted organization. At the close of each fiscal year, employees and contracted organizations will be at the mercy of free market; any new fitness certification or contracted organization is eligible for a one-year trial. Quality programs and quality certifications will rise to the top but will be forced to stay competitive. The military family stands to benefit the most from such a programming concept. FamFit will meet the following characteristics at minimum:
1. MISSION: Fulfill all five charter mission statements of the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports detailed at http://www.fitness.gov/about/order/index.html, applying them specifically to the military family: (a) expand the military family's interest in and awareness of the benefits of regular physical activity and active sports participation; (b) stimulate and enhance coordination of programs within and among the private and public sectors that promote participation in, and safe and easy access to, physical activity and sports; (c) expand availability of quality information and guidance regarding physical activity and sports participation; (d) integrate physical activity into a broader health promotion and disease prevention effort through Federal agencies and the private sector; and (e) target all military families, with particular emphasis on children and adolescents, as well as populations or communities in which specific risks or disparities in participation in, access to, or knowledge about the benefits of physical activity have been identified.
2. LICENSED TRAINERS: Provide trainers certified in group fitness instruction, who hold educational backgrounds in fitness, who are experienced in safely guiding assigned athletes (whether kids, pregnant, senior, injured or disabled) through group exercise regimens, and who can competently field health/fitness-based concerns and questions.
3. PROVIDE FUNDING FOR ENOUGH ADDITIONAL FITNESS TRAINERS TO ENSURE PERSONALIZED SUPPORT OF INDIVIDUAL MILITARY FAMILY MEMBERS, FUNDING FOR ADDITIONAL EQUIPMENT, AND FUNDING FOR THE GS-11's SALARY: Provide additional funding to support hiring of enough additional fitness trainers to be adequate for quality support of each installation's military family population. A proposed formula to estimate the cost of personal trainers needed for each installation is $50 per client/military family member per year. The government would be certain to get the cost of such an investment back - paid with dividends. Applying this formula, the total cost of the Military Family Fitness program to the US Government is estimated at 2.4Million (using a median figure of 10k military/civilian family members per installation, figuring the cost of funding two GS-11s per participating installation to be $150k/year, restricting Health Educators' total expenditure on trainers to under $50 per eligible client per year and limiting total equipment costs to under $10,000 per fitness facility).
4. PROGRAMMING SPECIFICS: Fitness programming will support development of functional movement (inherently safe when properly supervised and unique in ability to elicit neuroendocrine response) with functional fitness19. The President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports will standardize and distribute impact assessments to measure progress under the Military Family Fitness program. Progress will be measured by client improvement over a spectrum of 10 recognized components of fitness: cardiovascular/respiratory endurance, stamina, strength, flexibility, power, speed, coordination, agility, balance, and accuracy20. Variety and surprise are also essential characteristics in successful programming, and a Canadian Forces research program found that such programming increases adherence by 15% alone (program authors were originally unaffiliated with CrossFit) 19.
5. PROGRAMMING ADAPTABILITY: Fitness programming will be adaptable for all levels of fitness and athlete - from entry-level obese housewife to physically/mentally handicapped to young high school athletic prodigy. Groups would be established for each level of athlete, but groups would all perform nearly the same programming requirement, scaled to their ability level.
6. PROGRAMMING SOCIAL ASPECT: Create a social support network which will not only supply desperately-needed community to military families (especially those servicing overseas), it will encourage commitment, adherence, and fitness improvement through social pressure. Individual athlete adherence rate will be reported though anonymous ranking ("sixty-percent attendance puts you in fifth place among beginning athletes, Mr. Smith"), a method which research suggests increases adherence19.
B Suggested position descriptions for essential primary coordinators for this fitness program are enclosed, and described below in brief.
1. The first proposed government civilian position is an INSTALLATION CHILD/ADOLESCENT HEALTH EDUCATOR (position description Enclosure 1). The second proposed government civilian position is an INSTALLATION ADULT HEALTH EDUCATOR (position description Enclosure 2),
2. Health Educators would be tasked with the following major duties:
a. Uses existing hospital and population databases to assess health status and trends of active duty Soldiers and families, retirees and families and federal employees. Designs, coordinates and implements a family-oriented fitness program and health promotion program designed to improve health behaviors of children and adolescents based on trends identified through data base analysis focusing on gradual strengthening of functional (mechanically sound, safe) movement interspersed with scaled but progressive addition of high intensity effort to solicit pronounced improvement. Within 20 working days of assignment, the Health Educator will research and submit a detailed report reviewing program efficiency and cost effectiveness of available fitness provider channels, and will give their consequential recommendation whether to outsource fitness program management via contract with external civilian agency, or to individually contract (NAF) and hire certified fitness trainers (i.e. in YogaKids, CrossFitKids) with the restriction that total expenditure per head of eligible clientele assigned to the installation not exceed $50 per year and total additional equipment costs not exceed $10,000 per fitness facility (not including replacement costs for defective equipment).
b. Target all military families, with particular emphasis on members in whom specific risks or disparities in participation in, access to, or knowledge about the benefits of physical activity have been identified. Formulate ability groups with sensitivity toward social support requirements (i.e.: beginner, intermediate, advanced, prenatal, new-mother, and retiree).
c. Offer constantly varying program content within each skill class they develop to minimize boredom and repetitiveness of movement and increase enjoyment of skill development. Ensure that fitness program activities stimulate community-wide interest and promote high adherence rates among military families.
d. Conduct quarterly informal fitness impact assessments (a standardized assessment will be provided by the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports) to gauge effectiveness of programs and measure improvements in health behavior. Health Educators are responsible for participants' periodic completion of fitness progress assessments, and for formal submission up to the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports prior to fiscal year close. This will enforce Health Educators' accountability on a public scale, will stimulate pursuit of excellence through competition, and will allow mutually beneficial knowledge-sharing of optimal fitness programming and lessons learned (the Council will post scores of installations' fitness programs online). Installations exhibiting superior fitness programming will be recognized and rewarded. Such a program will allow freedom of specification within military installations, while encouraging friendly competition and insuring accountability, holding two GS-11 Health Educators responsible for annual quantifiable fitness improvements within the military families they serve. Such a program, and watching the vigorous competition that will undoubtedly ensue, will generate interest, be entertaining, and will promote fitness enrolment and involvement even among the greater American civilian population. Military families will stay motivated after experiencing near-immediate, radical, lifestyle improvements.
V CONCLUSION
On March 11, 2009, The House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved legislation urging Barack Obama to designate 2009 as "The Year of the Military Family". For an administration wishing to renew focus on improving the support network for military family members, the solution necessitates getting personal and directly involved with individual family members -- continuity of care across installations is essential, as well, in order to provide fair and consistent support.
There is too much irrefutable evidence of the healing power that an effective family fitness program would provide to overseas military communities, and too much community support rallied around isolated heroes like Renee and Tricia in Kaiserslautern, Courtney in Stuttgart, and Shannon in Grafenwoehr not to throw full two-barrelled support behind initiatives developed specifically to develop guidelines and provide funding for such fitness programs. That these four women, all military spouses, working on five different installations, simultaneously yet completely unbeknownst from one another felt obliged to volunteer hundreds of free hours of their professional services in this manner to benefit military families demonstrates the dire need for such services. Such critical services should never have to depend on volunteerism to survive.
The end goal is providing our military community with a communally beneficial coping mechanism to replace the defeating solutions families have turned to in the past: gambling, substance abuse, chronic video gaming, alcoholism, and obesity. Self-esteem and confidence gained will counter the negative effects of depression. Reprogramming family time together to include fitness classes not only brings families together; it instils positive lifestyle practices, and it will benefit the entire military community when provided as a service to the entire community.
It is a recognized fact among supervisors and retention officers that support from families, including spouses, parents, children, and siblings, is a big factor in recruiting and retaining service members. It is not a gamble to invest in a solution that reaps known benefits and experiences recognized success. Funding Family Fitness Programming positions sends out yet another strong message to families and service members that their sacrifice is worthy and merits quality support.
Fitness improves family wellness in families across America. Implement such a program for US Army and Air Force troops overseas, and some of the most deserving families in our nation will proudly set the example for other families to follow. Military families may help to illuminate a way out for fellow Americans suffering from the same defeating coping mechanisms, and for those locked in Xbox-generation stereotypes. Military Family Fitness will supply individualized nurturing and healing for the military family, will ignite community pride, will reprogram family values, and perhaps most importantly encourage together-time for families who are getting less and less - The family that exercises (and prays) together will stay together.
The military family, when healthy, provides an absolute pillar of strength beneath the soldier; and military families represent some of the strongest citizens in the country. Reinforcing that pillar and those citizens is a bi-partisan priority, and I believe this proposal represents the most effective way to accomplish it.
Respectfully,
Ginger Sladky, FamFit Author
Tricia Groenheim, Renee Champagne, Courtney Rife, FamFit Co-Sponsors
Certified Fitness Trainers, Proud Moms & Military Spouses
Please contact us at: militaryfamily.fitness @ gmail.com (without spaces)
Facebook Group: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=112771718455
_______________________
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