Photo By Kristen Pittman | The U.S. Army Security Assistance Command's Wellness and Resilience program initiated...... read more read more
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The U.S. Army Security Assistance Command’s Wellness & Resilience Program kicked off the year challenging the workforce to ‘Thrive in 2025’ with a first quarter fitness challenge.
The challenge: log 40 hours of any exercise(s) of your choice.
From mid-January to March 31, over 40 USASAC personnel from Redstone Arsenal, New Cumberland, Pennsylvania, Fort Bragg, North Carolina and Fort Belvoir, Virginia logged nearly 900 fitness activities to reach that 40-hour goal.
Among those members were Chris Cook, USASAC commandant, and Aaron Mair, a financial specialist, both at Redstone Arsenal.
Cook and Mair, each motivated by recent health challenges, exceeded the 40-hour goal primarily by walking.
“I set aside time in the morning and afternoon to take a quick walk to get away from my desk for even a few minutes,” said Mair. “This also afforded me time to think and ponder issues going on here at work. I would then take long walk after work with my wife to spend time together.”
Mair’s active pondering is proven to be beneficial mentally and physically. According to the American Heart Association, research shows that just walking a brisk pace at least 150 minutes a week can help a person think, feel and sleep better. Benefits include reduced risk of serious diseases, improved blood pressure and cholesterol levels, increased energy, and weight gain prevention.
In addition to the primary goal of 40 hours of exercise, some members added their own goals to challenge themselves further.
Cook said he set a goal to be able to walk farther in the specific time he allotted himself for each walk, and Master Sgt. Paul Counterman-Grenauer, U.S. Security Assistance Training Management Organization senior enlisted advisor for the 1st Regional Security Assistance Command, sought to increase the weight, sets, and reps for each muscle group and to improve his running performance.
While Cook said he exceeded what he thought he could achieve, Counterman-Grenauer said his upcoming Army Combat Fitness Test would be the true indicator of how successful his goals for improvement were.
Regardless of motivation or mode, Cook, Mair, Counterman-Grenauer and leader of the pack with 80-plus hours, Chinwan Barnett, all agree that the challenge was beneficial and encourage others to participate in the next one.
“The benefit of participating is a healthier you,” said Cook. “We only get one body, and we should take care of it to the best of our ability.”
The details for the second ‘Thrive in 2025’ challenge have yet to be finalized, but personnel can expect a rollout from USASAC Command Sgt. Maj. Stephen Burnley soon.
Participation is as easy as 1, 2, 3:
1. Exercise within the parameters of the challenge rules.
2. Go to the ‘USASAC Fitness Tracker’ on the USASAC SharePoint site. (CAC required)
3. Log your fitness activity.
“I encourage the entire USASAC family to enroll,” said Barnett. “The process is easy to complete and only takes about two minutes of your time. You might be surprised at how much you can achieve simply by logging your activities.”
| Date Taken: | 04.02.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 04.02.2025 09:59 |
| Story ID: | 494355 |
| Location: | REDSTONE ARSENAL, ALABAMA, US |
| Web Views: | 17 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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