Exercise Kwanza Angola 06-2010 (13)

Image by US Army Africa
www.usaraf.army.mil

U.S. Army Africa officers take notes during Kwanza 2010

By Rick Scavetta, U.S. Army Africa

VICENZA, Italy – As Angolan women and children waited in a military hospital triage area during exercise Kwanza 2010, a U.S. Army Africa officer took note.

Maj. George K. Allen, Jr. 40, of Lynnwood, Wash., was one of four international observers at the weeklong exercise, conducted in early June in Cabo Ledo, Angola.

The exercise was held by the Central African Multinational Force in order to validate the unit. Known as FOMAC, the force is one of five brigade-size elements that make up the African Union’s African Standby Force.

The FOMAC is built around forces from the Economic Community of Central African States (French acronym CEEAC). Troops who took part in the exercise came from Angola, Burundi, Cameroon, Republic of Congo, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Sao Tome and Principe and Chad.

Incorporating a medical mission to offer humanitarian assistance during the exercise exemplifies FOMAC’s progressive level of planning and coordination, Allen said.

“It shows that Africans are ready to help Africans,” Allen said. “They had a multi-national staff of military medics representing several central African countries – all working together to help local people. That’s impressive.”

Allen along with Lt. Jonathan Goerk, of U.S. Naval Forces Africa, were among a group of observers that included Maj. Gen. Samaila Iliya from the African Union. As the U.S. military representatives, the American observers were interested in how the force is organized, its logistical and signal capabilities and how FOMAC plans and conducts operations.

“We were there to observe and to learn from the countries within the FOMAC,” Goerk said. “We were grateful for the opportunity to attend.”

The role of the U.S. participants was to observe the event and assess how the United States can best engage with CEEAC and its member states to enhance regional peace and security capacity, including maritime security, disaster response, humanitarian relief operations, and peacekeeping missions.

During the exercise, the multi-national force faced a “real-world” exercise scenario based on events and experiences gained in previous African crisis situations. That meant the primary focus was establishing security and offering care to local people.

Amphibious forces landed at a beach in rib boats from ships just off the coast. Paratroopers leapt from a Cameroonian C-130 transport plane. Medics set up two field hospitals, where local Angolans received care that included pediatric visits, women’s health checks, dentistry and minor surgery.

“They had naval, air and ground forces working with police, civilian components and nongovernmental organizations – all whom worked together to create positive effects,” Allen said. “FOMAC showed that it has the ability to promote security in central Africa.”

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Exercise and Nutrition

By: Dr. Kenneth S. Ross DC, JD

Altamonte Springs Chiropractor

No matter what type of exercise you do they require energy, which is defined ad the ability to do work. Energy can be in the form of active or kinetic, or stored as potential energy. Here at ChiropracticPainMedicine & WeightLossCenter in Altamonte Springs, FL, Dr. Ross is committed to your health & fitness.

 The first step in producing energy is motion. If you do nothing all day, you have potential energy or stored energy. If you get up and walk around, the stored energy becomes active or kinetic energy. In other words, you begin to use energy to accomplish a task, like walking. Once you use up your energy, there needs to be a way to replenish it. This is accomplished by the intake of food we eat. This is why exercise, nutrition are some important in the way we produce energy,  lose weight and staying fit to increase our chances of not getting any serious health problems.

 There are two types of exercise we can do. The first is aerobic, which requires the use of oxygen. These exercises are accomplished with slow regular participation, but can be fast also depending on the aerobic exercise. Aerobic exercises are designed primarily for the heart and respiratory systems.

 The other type of exercise is anaerobic, which does not require oxygen.

In general, short term high intensity exercise is classified as anaerobic, while aerobic is long term low intensity exercise. Examples of anaerobic exercise would be weight lifting or short term high intensity exercise. Anaerobic exercise is primarily used for strength training or conditioning.

 Most exercises combine both aerobic and anaerobic activities, but the longer you workout, the more aerobic the exercise becomes. Walking as an example is great exercise for people who may not be able to do weight training. Walking is the only exercise in which the rate of participation does not decline in your later years. In fact the highest percentage of walkers, (39.4%) are found in men 65 years and older.

 Studies show that when done on a regular schedule, it can improve the body’s ability to consume more oxygen, lower the heart rate, reduce blood pressure and increase the efficiency of the heart and lungs. Walking burns about the same amount of calories per mile as running. This is especially important in people who cannot perform running activities. Someone in poor shape will benefit from slow speed and gradually build up to aster speeds. Walking can be done anytime, almost anywhere and can be done by anyone, and it doesn’t cost anything. The benefits of regular exercise and eating right will improve your quality of life dramatically.

 Dr. Ross is a practicing Chiropractor in the Altamonte Springs area with extensive experience in nutrition, exercise and fitness

Visit our site at www.drkross.com to obtain more information on exercise and nutrition. Also, please check out our Series 1-8 snippet videos on Weight Loss under the Weight Loss Tab.

 

 

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