HEALTH & WELLNESS
Physical fitness has been the cornerstone of military life for centuries. Today’s modern military recognizes that being well requires focus across many areas. Total fitness in the Army addresses five readiness domains: physical, mental, nutrition, sleep, and spiritual.
Maintaining a healthy Soldier for Life mindset extends beyond the Soldier and impacts military families, veterans, and veteran families.
Soldier for Life includes efforts to address additional aspects of overall wellness, including social-emotional needs and the financial fitness of Soldiers throughout the Soldier Life Cycle. Soldier for Life works to stay informed about unique circumstances that may be impacting lives, such as unhoused Soldiers and veterans, and food insecurity.
Soldier for Life honors the Soldier within, so that each Soldier remains strong and represents the most lethal Army in the world!
RESOURCES
- DoD Safe Helpline - DoD Safe Helpline is the sole secure, confidential, and anonymous crisis support service specially designed for members of the DoD community affected by sexual assault.
- DoD Warrior Care Program - The DoD Warrior Care Program supports wounded, ill, and injured service members in their recovery and reintegration or transition to civilian life.
- National Resource Directory - The National Resource Directory lists vetted national, state, and local services and resources for service members, veterans, wounded warriors, family members, and caregivers.
- PATRIOTlink - PATRIOTlink is a free, searchable online database of thousands of vetted, cost-free resources for service members, veterans, military caregivers, and military families.
- Military OneSource – Military OneSource provides a wealth of resources and support to military families, including non-medical counseling for stress relief; tax preparation help; financial counseling; military spouse scholarships, education, and career benefits; transition counseling; childcare information; and more.
- National Center for PTSD – The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs National Center for PTSD is the world's leading research and educational center of excellence on PTSD and traumatic stress.
- National Sexual Assault Hotline – The National Sexual Assault Hotline offers free, confidential, 24/7 crisis support for victims of sexual violence.
- U.S. Army Directorate of Prevention, Resilience and Readiness (DPRR) – The Army DPRR website provides links to many resources to help improve quality of life for Army families including financial readiness, support and resilience, spouse employment, child care, housing and more.
- U.S. Army Holistic Health and Fitness - The U.S. Army H2F website has valuable tips and resources for all aspects of your personal wellbeing, including your physical, mental, spiritual, sleep, and nutritional health.
- U.S. Army Recovery Care Program - The U.S. Army Recovery Care Program manages recovery and complex care for wounded, ill, and injured Soldiers. It also provides support and resources for families and caregivers of Soldiers who are recovering in the program and assists with career and education readiness for Soldiers in the program who will be transitioning out of the Army.
- U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs App Store – The VA App Store offers many health-related apps to help veterans take control of their physical and mental health.
- Nutrition.Gov Exercise and Fitness Resources - Learn about the health benefits of physical activity, and find resources like exercise logs, planners, and examples to help you stay consistent over time.
- Nutrition.Gov Guide to Basic Nutrition – Explore resources, tools, and printable materials on nutrition for healthy adults and see tips on healthy eating, vegetarian diets, and more.
- RX3 (Rehab, Refit, Return to Duty) - The Rx3 website from the Uniformed Services University's Human Performance Resources by CHAMP is a guide to help service members and veterans rehab and recover from musculoskeletal injuries, ultimately improving their overall health and physical fitness.
- 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline - The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline provides 24/7 free and confidential support for people in distress, as well as prevention and crisis resources for you or your loved ones.
- Military/Veterans Crisis Line - The Military/Veterans Crisis Line is a free, confidential resource for all service members, including members of the National Guard and Reserve, and Veterans, even if they’re not enrolled in VA benefits or health care.
- Cohen Veterans Network - The Cohen Veterans Network provides personalized mental health care and access to comprehensive case management support and referrals to Post-9/11 veterans, active duty military members, and their families.
- Give an Hour - Give an Hour provides confidential, no-cost mental health care services to the military and veteran communities.
- inTransition – The DoD inTransition Program offers free coaching and assistance to service members and veterans who need access to mental health care in a time of transition.
- DoD Office of Financial Readiness (FINRED) – The DoD Office of Financial Readiness offers training to support Soldiers at every step of their financial journey.
- Financial Frontline - Financial Frontline supports Soldiers’ ability to successfully prepare for and complete their missions by reducing distractions from unresolved financial issues by providing financial tips and resources.
- MilSpouse Money Mission - MilSpouse Money Mission educates and empowers military Spouses to elevate their Families by making smart money moves.
FEATURED PODCASTS
S14:E3 Healing Through Humor
Listen as we talk with stand-up comedian, motivational speaker, suicide prevention advocate, Certified Humor Professional, CEO of the Best Medicine Brigade, President and Founder of Healarious, AND the creator and former host of the Soldier For Life Podcast, LTC (Ret.) Robin Johnson about her new mission to heal people with humor.
S14:E9 Combating Suicide Through Connections and Hope
Every life that is lost to suicide is one life too many. On this Soldier For Life Podcast, we talk to mental health advocate and motivational speaker David Woods Bartley about his struggles with depression, mental health, and suicide; and about how connection leads to hope, and hope saves lives.
S4:E9 Cohen Veterans Network
The Cohen Veterans Network provides personalized mental health care and access to comprehensive case management support and referrals to veterans, military members, and their families.
S14:E5 Soldier On: Ending Veteran Homelessness
Soldier On is a nonprofit organization that works to end veteran homelessness by providing needs-based housing, direct supportive services, and temporary financial assistance to veterans who are at-risk of homelessness.
S13:E4 Military Family Financial Readiness
On this episode, we talk with AAFMAA talking about the importance of financial readiness for our military families, including what it means to be financially ready, why this is so crucial for military families, and the steps we need to take to ensure that our families are financially sound.
S11:E10 Humana Series - Part 3: Army Retirement Health Insurance
In Part 3 of our 3-part series with Humana on health benefits and resources for veterans, we talk about TRICARE benefits for retiring or recently retired service members. Parts 1 and 2 of the series covered Medicare 101 and Social Determinants of Health for service members.