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JBSA News
NEWS | July 23, 2012

Health and Wellness Center promotes healthy fitness and nutrition habits

By Airman 1st Class Lincoln Korver Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph Public Affairs

If the U.S. Air Force is expected to be committed to flying, fighting and winning in land, space and cyberspace, then it is also up to America's Airmen to strive to live a healthy lifestyle both on and off duty.

To live by the three core values of "integrity first, service before self and excellence in all we do," it is important that Air Force members incorporate a healthy diet and a regular workout regimen into their daily routine.

It's crucial for service members to be well-versed in fitness and nutrition, Staff Sgt. Dennis Wichter, Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph Health and Wellness Center diet technician, said.

Everyone knows a little bit about fitness, but it's also really important to know about nutrition. If you don't, he explained, "it's basically like walking with only one shoe on."

Nutrition dictates how well someone can exercise.

When people start going to the gym, it's important for them to keep "FITT" as a part of their mindset, Wichter said. FITT stands for frequency, intensity, time and type.

"Frequency is how often you're working out, intensity is how hard you are going at it, time is the duration of time you spend exercising and type is whatever kind of activity you are doing," he said.

Along with working out and eating healthy, portion sizes are something people should always be aware of, Wichter said.

"For anyone who is trying to watch his or her weight, is it important to keep a food diary because it is like a scale," Kimberly Houk, HAWC exercise physiologist, said. "If you use more calories than you take in then you will lose weight. If you use the same number of calories you take in you will maintain, but if you use less calories than you have taken in you will gain weight."

"You have to make sure you are fueling your body for success," Wichter said.

Whenever people who are working on changing their old ways hit a slump, they should know they are more than welcome to stop by the HAWC to get the help or boost necessary to motivate them to continue, Wichter said.

"Believe it or not, as long as the individuals who come in here have an open mind, we can get them to their goal," he said. "Within reason, we can get them to wherever they want to be."

People need to realize that when they make a decision to change their bad habits, it's a permanent change, not temporary, he added.

"Nutrition and exercise is a lifestyle change, it's not a diet," Wichter said. "It's not one of these things where you can get on and off it. If you really want to make a change, then you're going to have to make a lifestyle change, not just a change for the summertime."

Anyone who has access to the base and its facilities are free to go into the HAWC for counseling and classes. For more information, dial 652-2300.

"Call and make an appointment or just stop by," Wichter said. "I'm more than happy to talk to anybody who walks in the door."