The Performance Triad is a comprehensive plan to improve readiness and increase resilience through public health initiatives and leadership engagement. The Triad is the foundation for Army Medicine's transformation to a System For Health, a partnership among Soldiers, Families, Leaders, Health Teams and Communities to promote Readiness, Resilience and Responsibility. The System For Health: MAINTAINS health through fitness and illness/injury prevention, RESTORES health through patient-centered care, and IMPROVES health through informed choices in the Lifespace.
The focus of the Performance Triad is on Sleep, Activity, and Nutrition - key actions that influence health in the "Lifespace" of time that isn't spent with a healthcare provider. As a result, the biggest impact on Health is made by making better choices in our Lifespace.
Key Messages of the Performance Triad:
-Get Quality Sleep
-Engage in Activity
-Improve Nutrition
Sleep is critical in achieving optimal physical, mental, and emotional health, however, the demands of one's job often make it difficult to get sufficient sleep. In training and on the battlefield, inadequate sleep impairs many abilities that are essential to the mission, such as detecting and appropriately determining threat levels and coordinating squad tactics. Getting optimal sleep starts with learning and practicing good sleep habits before, during, and after deployment. There are many ways in which Leaders and Soldiers can eliminate sleep distractors and practice proper sleep hygiene to ensure that optimal, healthy sleep is achieved.
Physical Fitness and Activity are crucial to ensuring our Soldiers perform as elite athletes. Practicing principles of safe and effective training are vital to maintaining physical readiness, preventing injuries, and improving general health. The Triad informs Soldiers and Leaders on how to practice safe running, use proper resistance training techniques, prevent overtraining, and increase daily physical activity among other key topics.
Eating or fueling for performance enables top level training, increases energy and endurance, shortens recovery time between activities, improves focus and concentration, and helps Leaders and Soldiers look and feel better. For Soldiers it is especially imperative to build an eating strategy that will complement the requirements of their mission. The Triad's guidance on nutrition for performance teaches Soldiers about the key nutrients needed to complete mission tasks, describes refueling techniques, and details strategies for creating a nutrition plan.