Press Release
☷Fort Leonard Wood community offers many healthy outlets for releasing stress
U.S. Army ( By Press Release office)
Apr 29,2022
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Mona Novakoski , an Army Wellness Center health educator , assists Staff Sgt . Benjamin Ashmead , from Headquarters and Headquarters Company , 14th Military Police Brigade , with what’s called a VO2 Max Test April 28 at the AWC . The test measures a person’s ability to perform sustained exercise . In January , when Ashmead decided he wanted to improve his fitness , he reached out to the AWC . He has been attending regular appointments there since January , and has dropped 10 pounds and reduced his percentage of body fat with their assistance . AWC services are open to all service members , retirees , Department of Defense civilians and dependents of active - duty service members . Call 573 . 596 . 9677 for details . FORT LEONARD WOOD , Mo . — Finding healthy , positive outlets for releasing stress is important , said the Fort Leonard Wood Army Wellness Center’s Supervisory Health Educator , Anna Schwartz . “If individuals partake in negative behaviors or neglect participation in positive behaviors , then a cascade of negative consequences can occur , which may only lead to greater stress , ” she said . “When we don’t take time to take care of ourselves , then we tend to dig ourselves deeper into a stress pit . ” Schwartz said if an individual is consuming alcohol to decompress at the end of the day , for example , that alcohol may initially cause drowsiness , but the metabolism of alcohol actually causes fragmented sleep disturbances and an overall poor sleep quality . This lack of sleep can negatively impact hormone regulation , which can lead to greater stress . Fortunately , Fort Leonard Wood and the surrounding area offers many healthier ways for service members , civilians , their families and retirees to relax while also building resiliency skills at the same time . The following is an alphabetical list of some of the organizations here with programs and information that can help . Army Wellness Center The Army Wellness Center offers many services , including health risk assessments , health coaching , body - composition analysis , metabolic testing , weight management , fitness testing , stress management , biofeedback , and education on nutrition , exercise , stress and sleep . AWC services are open to all service members , retirees , Department of Defense civilians and dependents of active - duty service members . Call 573 . 596 . 9677 for details . Just across the waiting room in the AWC facility is Fort Leonard Wood’s Ready and Resilient Performance Center , which offers world - class positive psychology and performance enhancement training . Service members , their families and DOD civilians can learn techniques to maintain motivation while setting realistic and achievable goals . Call 573 . 563 . 4208 for more information . Employee Assistance Program Fort Leonard Wood’s Employee Assistance Program is a free , confidential service for all civilian members of the community , including DOD employees , family members and retirees . They offer short - term counseling and referral services for individuals dealing with stress in the workplace or who need help finding resources for substance abuse , family or mental health challenges . Call 573 . 596 . 7199 or email guy . r . caley . civ@mail . mil for more information . Family and Morale , Welfare and Recreation The Directorate of Family and Morale , Welfare and Recreation hosts many programs and events throughout the year for adults and children . For children: Registration for summer youth sports leagues — including baseball , volleyball , indoor soccer and bowling — has started . Eligible ages vary between 3 and 15 years old . Register now through July 30 in Bldg . 470 , Room 1125 , or by calling 573 . 596 . 0185 . The Middle School/Teen Center offers fun projects and enriching activities for youth in sixth through twelfth grades . The center is open from 2:30 to 7 p . m . weekdays . Activities and projects include airplane challenges , creating bracelets , five - on - five basketball , tie - dying shirts and more . Call 573 . 596 . 0209 to register for this free program . Fort Leonard Wood’s Bruce C . Clarke Library offers many family - friendly events throughout the year , including: Story Time , offering the chance for children to read books and do crafts together , which begins at 10:30 a . m . Tuesdays and 12:30 p . m . Wednesdays; and Book Brigade , a book club that meets at 4 p . m . on the last Thursday of each month . Call 573 . 563 . 4113 , or check out the library’s calendar online for details on these and other events . For adults: Davidson Fitness Center offers fitness classes , including HIIT — or high - intensity interval training — Zumba , cycling , and Pound! . Patrons ages 13 and older may attend fitness classes , though anyone 15 years and younger must be accompanied by an adult . Visit the FMWR website or call 573 . 596 . 4359 for a full list of classes , dates and times . Specker Gym is a complete strength and conditioning , Army Combat Fitness Test functional fitness cross - training facility that also offers monthly fitness challenges . Call 573 . 596 . 7377 for details . Fort Leonard Wood has a variety of intramural and recreational adult sports leagues , including basketball , softball , football and soccer . Call 573 . 596 . 4359 for details . Daugherty Bowling Center offers Xtreme Bowling , open bowling and leagues . An assortment of arcade video games are also available in the Drop Zone Gaming Lounge . Visit the FMWR website for updated hours of operation , the Strike Zone Snack Bar menu and more . The Auto Skill Center has car and motorcycle bays , a computerized and manual information center for self - help services and classes on topics including oil changes and other routine vehicle maintenance . Call 573 . 596 . 0243 for details . Piney Valley Golf Course is open to anyone with access to Fort Leonard Wood , and features an 18 - hole , par 72 championship course running along the Big Piney River . The PVGC also features a driving range , putting greens , chipping area , pro shop , golf lessons , tournaments and scrambles . Call 573 . 329 . 4770 to book tee times and to register for upcoming tournaments . For outdoor enthusiasts , the Missouri Ozarks have a lot to offer , and the Outdoor Adventure Center has facilities for archery , paintball and trap and skeet on site , and stocks gear for fishing , hunting and more . Call 573 . 596 . 4223 for details . The Lake of the Ozarks Recreation Area , located about an hour north of Fort Leonard Wood , offers weekend getaways for fishing , camping , boating , swimming and water skiing . All service members — active duty , National Guard and Reserve — retirees , DOD civilians , family members and Fort Leonard Wood contract employees may reserve a cabin , camping or RV spot by calling 573 . 346 . 5640 . Additionally , FMWR’s Army Community Service offers classes and one - on - one help to promote resilience and self - reliance , thereby helping to reduce stress . Services at ACS include Army Emergency Relief , financial and relocation readiness , new parent support , victim advocacy and more . Call 573 . 596 . 0212 for details . Healthy Futures Pulaski County Outside Fort Leonard Wood’s gates , the Pulaski County Health Center and Home Health Agency has a program called Healthy Futures Pulaski County — a community coalition set up to encourage individuals to invest in their health . Visit their Facebook page for details on upcoming events and how to get involved . Nutrition Care Division General Leonard Wood Army Community Hospital’s Nutrition Care Division has registered dieticians available by appointment with no referral needed . Like the AWC , they also offer body - composition analysis . Walk - in hours to use the machine and review the results with a dietician are 8 to 10 a . m . Fridays . The Nutrition Care Division is located in the basement of GLWACH , Room 012 . Call 573 . 596 . 1762 for details . Religious Support Office Spiritual readiness is one aspect of the Army’s Holistic Health and Fitness initiative , and Fort Leonard Wood’s Religious Support Office has programs in place to assist individuals with developing some of the personal qualities needed in times of stress , hardship and tragedy , whether they identify as religious or not . The following is a list of some of the spiritual studies groups that meet here regularly: Protestant Women of the Chapel meets from 9 to 11:45 a . m . Tuesdays at the Main Post Chapel . Catholic Women of the Chapel meets at 5:30 p . m . Wednesdays at the Main Post Chapel . Catholic Women’s Bible Study meets from 11 a . m . to 12:30 p . m . Sundays in Bldg . 6501 . Buddhist meditation training takes place from 3 to 4 p . m . Saturdays at Specker Chapel . The RSO also hosts many events and activities geared toward families and children , including: Youth of the Chapel — intended for children in grades 6 through 12 — that meets at 6:15 p . m . Wednesdays; Christ Fit , a 10 - week program in the spring and fall , that offers food , fun and education for children and adults; and Vacation Bible School , that is scheduled for July 25 to 29 . More information on registering for this event is available here . Visit the Fort Leonard Wood Religious Support Office Facebook page or call 573 . 596 . 2127 for details on these and other upcoming services and events .
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