Skip to main content (Press Enter).
 News
    
        Photos

    Week in Photos

    Air Force TV

    Commentaries

    Features

    Art

    About Us
    
        Air Force Senior Leaders
    
        SECAF

    CSAF

    CMSAF

    Biographies

    Fact Sheets

    SECAF Reading List

    CSAF Leadership Library
    
        CSAF Leadership Library 2022

    CSAF Leadership Library 2021

    CSAF Reading List Pre-2020 Archive
    
        2018 CSAF Reading List

    2017 CSAF Reading List

    2016 CSAF Reading List

    CSAF Leadership Library 2023

    CMSAF Leadership Library

    50 Years of the CMSAF

    Adjunct Professors

    Air Force Strategic Documents

    Arctic Strategy

    Empowered Airmen

    State Licensure Portability

    Careers

    AF Federal Advisory Committees

    AF 75th Anniversary

    Policy Updates

    AF Content Management

    Contact Us

    AF Sites
    
        Site RegistrationU.S. Air Force LogoAir Force

        Policy UpdatesNewsroomReoptimizationBIOGRAPHIESAF Senior Leaders      2017, New Year, New You!New Year New You!
                        
                        
                        2017, New Year, New You!
                
                Photo Details /
                        Download Hi-Res

New Year, new you: Take control of your own healthPublished Dec. 28, 2016
                    
                    By J.D. Levite
                    
                    
                    Air Force Surgeon General Public Affairs
            **FALLS CHURCH, Va. (AFNS) --**A new year can mean new opportunities, new discoveries and maybe a few new goals. While the New Year’s Resolution is a common tradition, many of them get abandoned long before the new year is gone again. Setting goals for a healthier you is something everyone can do, if you do it right.
“Probably the most important thing is setting goals you can achieve,” said Col. Thomas Moore, chief of Health Promotion. “Losing five pounds? It's a start. You can do that and build on it. Even small changes in weight can have an impact on improving health.”
Setting small, manageable goals, gives you a chance to analyze how you got there.
Moore said, “Once you hit that goal, it might be good to take a step back and say, ‘What did I do right?’ Was it because I was eating healthier stuff like fruits and vegetables? Move on that. Build on your successes.”
The Air Force Medical Service is setup to provide many resources for helping people achieve their goals during the new year.
“The Health Promotion office can help with tobacco cessation. Many, not all, have a dietician who can either offer weight loss classes or possibly one-on-one counselling. If you don't want to go the health promotion route, next time you're seeing your doctor, talk about your goals with them,” said Moore.
This new year will also be a great chance to change how Airmen approach their own healthcare, too, as the AFMS tries to get people more engaged during their medical visits.
“I would recommend Airmen and their families resolve to be more active partners in their care,” said Col. John Oh, chief of Preventive Medicine. “We know care is safer when we have an effective partnership between the healthcare team and the patients. That's the kind of the cultural change we're trying to promote. The more patients understand about their conditions, their medications, their options - the more empowered they feel.”
Oh and his team created the online Patient and Family Engagement Toolkit just for that reason, to provide specific ways to get patients and their families more involved in their own care. He said their goal is to make care safer and more effective.
“Healthcare is changing,” Oh said. “The amount of information freely available to patients and family members is a paradigm shift. We want patients to feel more comfortable asking questions and getting involved in their care to the extent they are comfortable.”
Moore said the new year is as good a time as any to achieve some new healthier goals.
“Have a conversation with yourself about what you want to focus on. Maybe it’s important to focus on one small area, like losing weight or giving up smoking,” Moore said. “These things can have a negative impact on Airmen performance, whether direct job performance or the ability to bounce back from a setback. The fitter you are, the fewer of those unhealthy behaviors you engage in, the better you'll respond.”
One tool to use to set those goals is Comprehensive Airman Fitness, which is one of many ways Airmen can achieve balance in several aspects of their life. Each of the four areas – Mental, Physical, Social, and Spiritual – need attention throughout the year if you truly want to grow. Start now with a simple New Year’s Resolution and continue to try new things as 2017 unfolds.CAF 



AFSG 



AFMS Featured News
        Senior Leader Priorities
                Kendall, Allvin, Saltzman urge modernization while warning Senate of delayed budgets
                    
                    Readout of Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall’s travel to the Philippines
                    
                    Air Force senior leaders visit Eielson AFB
                    
                    Air Force leaders focus on ACE during Kadena AB visit
                    
                    USAF senior leaders visit Mariana Islands on ACE tripInnovation
                F-16s arrive to be modified for autonomous testing
                    
                    AFWERX director discusses role of tech startups, quick innovation in Great Power Competition
                    
                    DAF delivers lethality at the speed of data during Project Convergence Capstone 4
                    
                    DAF welcomes industry partners to HQ development program
                    
                    DAF announces Spark Tank 2024 finalistsMAJCOM News
                Safety enterprise announces new mission, vision, goals in 2024 strategic plan
                    
                    Air Combat Command welcomes new commander
                    
                    USAFE-AFAFRICA commander discusses Integrated Air, Missile Defense during Munich Security Conference
                    
                    Flosi to AFMC family: Embrace change, make every day count
                    
                    AMC rises to increasing global tension
 Quick Links
AccessibilityContact UsEqual OpportunityFOIA | Privacy | Section 508Information QualityInspector GeneralJAG Court-Martial DocketLink DisclaimerNo FEAR ActOpen GovernmentOSI Tip LinePlain LanguageQuestionsResilienceRSSSite MapVeterans Crisis LineCareers
Join the Air ForceAir Force BenefitsAir Force CareersAir Force ReserveAir National GuardCivilian ServiceConnect
            Get Social with Us
            
            Official United States Air Force Website
    Hosted by Defense Media Activity - WEB.mil