HAWC showcases services, new personnel in joint fitness fair

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Siuta B. Ika
  • 49th Wing Public Affairs
HOLLOMAN AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. --  The Health and Wellness Center, in coordination with the Domenici Fitness and Sports Center staff, held a open house and joint fitness fair at the fitness center April 8 to promote their services and inform Team Holloman members of their move from the medical clinic back to their previous location in the fitness center.

For the event, local vendors and businesses set up information booths and the HAWC offered free services like a running clinic, nutrition seminar and commissary store tour to help people identify and plan for a healthier lifestyle.

"Our primary goal is to promote all of the services we have to offer," said Shannan Bergtholdt, HAWC Promotion and Program coordinator. "We can help people in many ways. We have a lot of good programs here available to meet any wellness needs."

Another service offered by the HAWC, which was also available to fitness goers at the open house, is an analysis from the center's Bod Pod.

The Bod Pod uses air displacement to analyze and determine body composition. Similar in principle to underwater weighing, it measures body mass and volume by sitting inside the pod's chamber for two 50 second increments of air measurement. From the measurements, the subject's body density and composition can be calculated.

"It gives you a very accurate reading of body fat percentage -- within one to two percent," said Ms. Bergtholdt. "It really shows people, who are trying to lose weight, what kind of progress their making."

In addition to these services, the HAWC offers strength and conditioning clinics, tobacco cessation classes, prenatal fitness classes and programs designed to help improve physical training scores.

"I think they're putting a lot of effort in providing a wide-range of services and opportunities for people," said Lisa Krumm, wife of Col. David Krumm, 49th Wing commander. "There are so many ways they can help."

Being able to help people with all of their nutrition and wellness needs will be second-nature to the HAWC staff, said Mary Sullivan, wife of Col. David Sullivan, 49th WG vice commander.

"She is a registered dietician and aerobics instructor, so she really leads by example," she said. "The staff as a whole is very professional and knowledgeable, and is really a reflection of what she has done over there. They truly want to see you succeed."

Also on the HAWC staff are two exercise physiologists and another registered dietician, which makes catering to the different needs of Holloman members easier.

"These services are accessible to anyone. Anybody can come free of charge, and the staff wants to help," said Linda Penning, wife of Capt. Greg Penning, 49th Operations Group A-Flight commander. "It doesn't matter what fitness level you're at; there's something for everybody to help them reach their goal."

To end the open house and joint fitness fair, the fitness center hosted the BODYPUMP™ 77 launch party to close their five-hour aerobathon.

"The fitness center staff has always had a great relationship with the HAWC," said Senior Airman Fletcher Garner, 49th Force Support Squadron fitness specialist. "We don't just work in the same building, we coincide. If somebody needs help with certain issues the HAWC handles which we can't, we direct them to the HAWC and vice-versa. It's a partnership and it allows us to do programs like BODYPUMP™."

The most important aspect about all of the programs the HAWC offers is to attend, said Ms. Bergtholdt.

"When we were located in the Medical Clinic, our mission was geared toward seeing people with duty-limiting conditions and offering profiles," she said. "Now we have a wider scope of classes and services we can offer, so we need to get the word out."

For more information about the HAWC and the services they offer, contact their office at 575-572-5785.