In this Friday Field Notes, we continue our series of examining how Cooperative Extension can help provide support across all eight domains of Total Force Fitness (TFF).
As National Physical Fitness and Sports Month comes to a close, this week we will look at some of the resources Cooperative Extension provides to improve and maintain physical fitness year-round.
What is Physical Fitness?
The Total Force Fitness framework emphasizes a holistic model of physical health and performance comprised of four major components; aerobic endurance, strength and agility, muscular endurance and functional mobility. Incorporating each of these four areas of physical fitness into an exercise routine keeps service members mission ready and reduces the risk of injury.
Physical fitness is important for military families as well. In addition to the physical health benefits (e.g., reduced risk of chronic illness), physical activity and an active lifestyle are linked to psychological benefits and resilience.
Cooperative Extension and Physical Fitness
Cooperative Extension provides a variety of activities and resources aimed at individuals and families to improve physical fitness.
Training and Performance: Training to improve the major components of physical fitness requires safe, consistent and preventative actions. An optimal training regimen improves performance while also reducing the risk of injury. Physical fitness for the military is more than just passing a PT test, its critical for heath as well as mission readiness
Injury Prevention. While injuries to some people are inevitable in any training program, there are things you can do to reduce your risk and recover faster. Doing an injury prevention dynamic warm-up before you work out and play sports can help reduce your risk of injury and improve other areas of fitness like functional mobility.
To find opportunities near you and the families you work with, find your state below or contact your local extension office.
For more information about Physical Fitness, please visit www.hprc-online.org to learn more about how to optimize your performance.
