This February, Love your Heart
Having recently surpassed an extraordinary number of registrants served — more than 150,000 post-9/11 wounded warriors and nearly 40,000 families and caregivers — Wounded Warrior Project® (WWP) continues to prioritize programming that will increase resilience among warriors. During National Heart Month, WWP is helping raise awareness of how physical activity can improve heart health and help warriors tackle physical challenges linked to their service-related injuries to create a healthier lifestyle.
Click here to learn more about WWP’s Adaptive Sports, Physical Health and Wellness, and Soldier Ride® programs.
“The Wounded Warrior Project Annual Warrior Survey tells us that warriors are facing hurdles that interfere with maintaining an active lifestyle,” said James Herrera, WWP Physical Health and Wellness director. “Warriors are reporting sleep problems, obesity, physical pain, and restricted mobility in their post-service lives. These types of issues can be incredibly limiting on what warriors can do to raise their heart rate and puts them at high risk for additional health problems, including Type 2 Diabetes, heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, and sleep apnea.”
In the 2020 Annual Warrior Survey, more than half of warriors (52%) served by WWP of are obese based on their body-mass index.
“Warriors we serve already face physical and mental obstacles in their everyday lives,” James said. “Now the global pandemic has disrupted their environments and regular routines, forcing warriors to take a hard look at ways to stay motivated and maintain momentum.”
It’s critical for these warriors to receive safe, socially distant programming through a combination of virtual and small in-person offerings. Here are some of the ways , WWP is helping warriors and their families keep their hearts healthy. .
Warriors and their families can register for the following WWP offerings:
- At-home yoga and meditation classes, cooking workshops, and fitness workouts modified to use common household items.
- Multi-day health and education workshops that educate warriors in basic movement, nutrition, recovery, and optimal sleep habits. These are offered online and in small, in-person gatherings. Warriors set tangible goals and receive 90 days of continual support through biweekly check-ins and a support group of warriors within the same workshop. Some workshops are designed specifically for women or specifically for men.
- WWP Carry Forward. You can participate at any place at any time throughout the year, just like wounded warrior Andrew Coughlan. This event is open to the public — so you can also get friends and family involved!
- WWP’s online cycling community, where warriors who want to get more involved in cycling can join more than 850 other warriors. They connect through virtual coffee socials, riding challenges, cycling maintenance tutorials, and more.
- Adaptive Sports multi-day clinics focused on wheelchair football or basketball, sled hockey, snow-skiing, and cycling.
- A 28-day wellness challenge. Get ready to explore nutrition, fitness, and healthy emotional habits to help create a healthier you!
- Small Soldier Ride cycling camps. This educational multi-day event introduces cycling techniques and drills that will help warriors strengthen their cycling game. Skills training includes straight line riding, cornering, slalom, braking techniques, and hand-eye coordination.
This February, warriors and their families can get engaged in heart health. Register for classes that will get your heart rate up and help you get through any fitness plateau during the pandemic. Stay tuned into WWP’s social channels for additional info through the month. And if you are not a WWP warrior, look for fitness classes offered online or in small groups in your community.
Contact: Vesta M. Anderson – Public Relations, vanderson@woundedwarriorproject.org, 904.570.0771
About Wounded Warrior Project
Since 2003, Wounded Warrior Project® (WWP) has been meeting the growing needs of warriors, their families, and caregivers – helping them achieve their highest ambition. Learn more.