Deployment Stress kits with Thera Bands will help physical and mental health

By Staff Sgt. Bryan Bouchard
4th Fighter Wing Public Affairs

SEYMOUR JOHNSON AIR FORCE BASE, N.C. (ACCNS) -- Airmen deploying from here have a new tool to help them maintain their physical and mental health.

The “deployment stress kit” includes exercise bands, a stress-reduction squeeze ball and “stress cards.” It was developed by the commander of the Health And Wellness Center here and members of Seymour’s Integrated Delivery System committee.

While stationed at Patrick AFB, Fla., nearly four years ago, Lt. Col. Pat Sergeant, the HAWC commander, developed a way to take a “gym in a bag” on temporary duty assignments.

Sargeant put together a small bag containing elastic strength-training bands called Thera-bands. Thera-band products were originally designed for physical-therapy patients. But Sergeant, a licensed physical therapist, said they are excellent for moderate strength training as well.

She said the idea to create the stress deployment kits came from the base’s IDS committee, a group of representatives from base agencies charged with improving life for Seymour people. They wanted to give deployed airmen a better way to reduce stress than smoking, drinking alcohol or overeating, Sargeant said.

From the HAWC came the Thera-band products; a guide for the bands complete with diagrams; an exercise log; and a stress-reduction squeeze ball. The folks at Family Advocacy added stress cards, which use different colors to display a person’s stress level after a press of a thumb against the card.

The on-the-go convenience is especially important to airmen who are deployed to a bare-base, something people at the 4th Fighter Wing here are trained to do.

“People can use the kits on an airplane, in their billets -- wherever they happen to be,” Sargeant said. “In a bare-base situation, they can work on their fitness before (the services unit) is able to set up a deployed fitness center.”

People who deployed recently from Seymour were offered the kits at the personnel deployment facility before leaving.

Tech. Sgt. Lee Wright of the Family Support Center was there when the airmen processed through the PDF on their way to Operation Enduring Freedom.

“After we explained to the airmen what the bags were all about, they were very well received,” Wright said.

With a combination of the Thera-bands, aerobic activity and the Air Force-mandated push-ups and crunches, deployed airmen can maintain or even improve their physical fitness -- one of the best stress-relievers around, Sargeant said.