David Ronusckeo of Navy Information Operations Command leads a fitness class at the Waterfront Athletic Complex at Naval Station Norfolk. Photo courtesy of the U.S. Navy.

HAMPTON, VA -- The Navy offered a sneak peek of its new Navy Operational Fitness and Fueling Series (NOFFS) program last week at the Navy and Marine Corps Public Health Conference in Hampton, VA.

NOFFS will be rolled out to the fleet in June and will be included in the command fitness leader course by 2011.

The overall program includes nutritional education, while the fitness portion was designed to prevent injuries among more sedentary troops.

“The program will take us into a whole new realm of physical readiness in the Navy,” says Lisa Sexauer, program manager of fitness and injury prevention for Commander, Navy Installations Command. “It’s far more contemporary and will accentuate our ability to perform at a higher level operationally with greater durability and less risk for injury.”

The Navy worked with Athletes’ Performance Institute (API) to develop the system and conducted focus groups with more than 750 sailors.

“We have taken a comprehensive approach working with the Navy, including looking at the strength program, warm-up and cardiovascular fitness demands of a sailor,” says Paul Cauldwell, performance specialist at API. “We also looked at the nutritional needs a sailor has both abroad and while they are deployed.”

The program incorporates five main principles: eat clean, eat often, hydrate, recover and mindset. NOFFS also will feature a nutritional booklet for sailors that includes menus and nutrition rules.

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