Chief Petty Officers Academy: Wellness Lessons

As a senior enlisted member we must never miss an opportunity to learn a new skill set that will help us lead, develop and inspire our junior members. At the Chief Petty Officers Academy(CPOA) you are given a chance to accomplish this task. Some of the lessons that I have learned the most about or built on existing knowledge included the wellness lessons the leadership challenge LPI 360 and the class staff ride. The wellness lesson impacted my life and gave me new options to recover from injuries. I have always been a fit individual but I suffered four major injuries last year at different times. Prior to attending CPOA I was medically cleared to work out again and the academy was a perfect platform to start fresh. While I am not a fan of group physical training (PT), it did expose me to programs I have never tried and might continue when I arrive back at home station. The first fitness class was great in helping understand all the different numbers in your blood results. The second wellness class discussing eating and the use of the “My fitness pal application” was interesting. I am not familiar with smart phone technology and never knew applications could record your meal intakes. I believe this was an extremely valuable lesson for everybody in the class. The leadership challenge LPI 360 survey really opened my eyes. As

The staff ride to the Marin Headlands was an amazing way to tie America’s history to our current senior enlisted leadership. Assigning each group a different site at the park made it a more realistic experience. Anybody can go to a historic site and read a few sign post, but the research each group put into the assignment made in a more memorable experience. Not only was it a learning experience but also a team building exercise. I believe the time researching the material and being together at the site brought our group closer as a team than any other project in the