Active Living for WII

Your personal best is in reach. Active living can help you reach it. Active living during and post-recovery from a wound, illness, or injury may include performing functional movements and core-strengthening exercises required for completing daily activities effectively and injury free. It may include starting or modifying an existing workout program to improve your physical fitness.

Among other things, physical activity can increase your sense of well-being, decrease stress, lead to better sleep, strengthen muscles and bones, and decrease your chance of becoming depressed or improve your mood if you are already suffering from depression.¹ Physical activity benefits everyone, whether you are coping with cancer, an amputation, TBI, or PTSD.^2-5 Check out the resources below to learn more about the benefits of physical activity and various ways to achieve optimal fitness regardless of where you are at in your recovery process. Whether your goal is to lift groceries with ease, find a workout regimen to get in shape, or train like a professional athlete to compete in the Warrior Games, we can help you meet your fitness goals.

Importance of Staying Active

• Benefits of Physical Activity for the Wounded, Ill, and Injured
• Physical Activity and Return to Duty
• Building Your Arsenal in the Battle Against Cancer: Physical Activity

Ways to Stay Active

• 3 Commonly Asked Questions About Staying Active After Being Wounded or Injured

Additional Information and Tools

• Stay Active with a Disability: Quick Tips
• President's Council on Fitness, Sports, & Nutrition: I Can Do It, You Can Do It!
• The National Center on Health, Physical Activity and Disability
• USA Paralympic Military Program
• Other Active Living Resources 

[1] Roy T, Springer B, McNulty V, et al. Total force fitness for the 21st Century a new paradigm. Military Medicine. August 2010;175(Supplement):14-20. http://www.dtic.mil/cgi-bin/GetTRDoc?Location=U2&doc=GetTRDoc.pdf&AD=ADA528391. Accessed March 26, 2014.

[2] Rock C, Doyle C, Denmark-Wahnefried W, et al. Nutrition and physical activity guidelines for cancer survivors. CA Cancer J Clin. July/August 2012;62:242-274. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.3322/caac.21142/full. Accessed March 19, 2014.

[3] Weightman M, Bolgla R, McCulloch K, et al. Physical Therapy Recommendations for Service Members With Mild Traumatic Brain Injury. Journal of Head Trauma Rehabilitation: May/June 2010;25(3):206–218. http://journals.lww.com/headtraumarehab/Fulltext/2010/05000/Physical_Therapy_Recommendations_for_Service.7.aspx. Accessed March 21, 2014.

[4] LeardMann C, Kelton M, Smith B, et al. Prospectively assessed posttraumatic stress disorder and associated physical activity. Public Health Reports. May-June 2011;126:371-383. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3072859/. Accessed March 21, 2014.

[5] Harvey Z, Loomis G, Mitsch S. Advanced rehabilitation techniques for the multi-limb amputee. Journal of Surgical Orthopaedic Advances. 2012;21(1):50-57. http://www.wheelessonline.com/userfiles/21-1-8.pdf. Accessed March 26, 2014.