PICATINNY ARSENAL, N.J. (March 25, 2015) – For little more than a year, the Army has been promoting a website called ArmyFit, a resource site that provides Soldiers, Family members and U.S. Army civilians with information regarding their physical, spiritual, emotional, Family and social status.
The site allows the user to take a completely confidential brief survey through a global assessment tool, GAT 2.0, that will track results in a resource known as a Performance Triad.
The triad consists of the following categories: sleep, activity, and nutrition.
Once someone completes the GAT 2.0, they will land on a new website by Comprehensive Soldier and Family Fitness, or CSF2, known as ArmyFit, where they will have full access to all of the self-development resources, including tailored videos, information, and people or organizations to follow – all based on their GAT 2.0 scores.
Matthew Stracco, one of four master resiliency trainers in the U.S. Army Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center, or ARDEC, said it is recommended that someone takes the test quarterly, since it tracks and compares where they are progressing and digressing.
The test results also provides areas of improvement, tips and tricks.
Soldiers are required to take the survey annually. However, it is only a recommendation for Family members and civilians.
The tracking system “provides for validation in a lot of ways,” Stracco said.
Results will tell someone’s “real age” versus their “actual age.” A real age identifies a person’s “physiological age” based on the information they have inputted into the GAT 2.0 as compared with their calendar or birth age. Their “real age” or “physiological age” is a direct reflection of their day-to-day habits.
It also provides recommendations on how to improve their health when appropriate.
For example, a person may have been born on Nov. 1, 1975, which makes him or her about 40 years of age.
However, if they drink alcohol in excess, smoke, have poor eating habits and inadequate workout routines, their “real” age may be closer to 45.
“If an individual can improve, ultimately it should have an impact on family life and work ethic,” Stracco said.
ARDEC has a 10-year strategic plan, which includes the goal of fostering an enterprise culture built on trust, empowerment, collaboration and workforce well-being, Stracco said.
ARDEC offers resiliency programs and monthly health and wellness seminars for the workforce.
“If you have any interest in your own well being, the Army Fit tool is a great starting point,” Stracco said.
To take the voluntary assessment, visit https://armyfit.army.mil.
Information will remain confidential. However, people have the option to change privacy settings to share information with other parties.