IU helps sailors older than 40 get in SHAPE

The Navy has asked IU for help getting in SHAPE.

The School of Health, Physical Education and Recreation at IU signed a contract for the second year in a row to aid the U.S. Navy in its effort to maintain a healthy, fit lifestyle for its sailors.

SHAPE, the Senior Health Assessment Program Enterprise, aims to improve the overall health of senior members of the Navy, said Carol Kennedy-Armbruster, project coordinator and senior lecturer for the Department of Kinesiology.

“The Navy, out of the three service units, they are the most obese,” Kennedy-Armbruster said. “So they wanted to do a program specifically for sailors over 40.”

The program stations six fitness specialists from IU on three of the most prominent naval bases in the U.S. – in Pearl Harbor, Norfolk and San Diego naval bases.

While there, these specialists work both one-on-one and in groups with these sailors to find a fitness program that works for them.

The programs include finding ways to cope with stress as well as effective nutrition, exercise and daily activity, Theresa Collison, fitness specialist and IU alumna, said.

“We go through an entire program for them, addressing all of the things about their lives that affect their wellness,” Collison said.

While there is no mandatory physical training in the Navy, Kennedy-Armbruster said, the sailors are required to pass the Physical Readiness Test every six months. Because sailors older than 40 typically have administrative jobs, it becomes difficult for them to stay in shape.

“Because these people are so busy, the military asks so much of them, and the first thing that falls to the wayside is their health – their physical fitness,” Collison said. “They just don’t have time. They don’t know what to do.”

Though primarily there to help train the sailors, the six specialists hired by IU also act as visiting research associates.

Part of their job is to collect data and analyze the material to determine which fitness programs work best for military personnel, Kennedy-Armbruster said. The data is then used by the Navy as a model for future fitness programs.

So far the program seems to be a success, said fitness specialist Brady Singleton, with sailors at his base in San Diego reporting improved quality of life, physical appearance and better scores on their PRTs.

Not only does the program benefit the Navy, but it is a great opportunity for IU as well, Kennedy-Armbruster said.

Graduates chosen for the program have, in the past, had opportunities to stay with the Navy after their time in SHAPE, she said.  

“I think it’s a win-win for the Navy and us, because they get our kids, and if they go in, and they really like it, the Navy wants to find positions for them,” she said. “It’s a great job for someone fresh out of college.”