When one has health, that person has everything.

It is good to keep this "everything."

To that end, the performance triad of optimal exercise, good nutrition and enough sleep are the components of maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

"This three-level approach to health is empowerment, and there is demonstrable evidence that shows this makes a difference in the quality of life," explained Dr. Teresa Bruder, director, Army Wellness Center at Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM). "Everything we do here is medicine."

Begun in 2013, the center (aka Armed Forces Wellness Center) is part of the Department of Preventive Medicine at the Madigan Army Medical Center.

In carrying out its mission, the center focuses on disease risk factors and healthy behaviors.

To do this, clients are offered a series of integrated primary prevention programs and services designed to enhance healthy lifestyles to improve their total well-being.

The Wellness Center is open to active-duty personnel, their family members, retirees and Department of the Army civilians.

"What we offer for free are services others would pay a great deal of money for," continued Bruder.

The core of the services the center offers is comprised of a health assessment review, physical fitness, healthy nutrition, stress management, general wellness education and tobacco education.

Individuals looking to improve their health are tested and/or screened in order to create a baseline from which they work toward improved health options.

"It's always good for the individuals we work with to have a smart goal, one that is measureable, attainable and realistic," explained Bruder.

To illustrate her point, she said that 80 percent of weight loss occurs due to the improvement of a person's nutritional habits.

"Eating healthy works," she said. "This is a fact, and it is not a hard change to make."

Following an initial assessment, an individually tailored program is designed to provide healthy options that lead to improved health and resilience.

The center features advanced testing equipment that uses a bod pod (measures body composition), a VO2 fitness treadmill/bike test (measures cardiology, strength and flexibility), indirect calorimetry (measures the rate that calories are burned), and stress reduction/biofeedback sessions.

"We have lots of husbands and wives come in to work out together," Bruder said.

Other classes focus on metabolism, sleep habits, stress management, exercise, meals in minutes, fueling for health, tobacco cessation and staying fit training.

All test and class results are standardized, exportable and documented in medical records in a secure manner.

"The individual drives the train, and we leverage technology to promote success," continued Bruder.  "The team here is here to help them make their goal."

Also helping out in the Wellness Center is the Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR) department.

The first step to sustained health is to go online and complete the Health Assessment Review (HAR) at https://cac.awc.army.mil/Secured/Defauly.aspx.

Once this is completed, call 253.966.3757 for an appointment.

The JBLM Army Wellness Center is located in the Jensen Family Health & Fitness Center, Building 2022.