Performance Optimization
The current best information on improving performance
- Environment
- Rapid deployment into locations of severe or extreme environmental conditions may result in adverse physiological and psychological conditions for soldiers and other military personnel. Military personnel, particularly medical officers, should be prepared with adequate knowledge of extreme environmental conditions for the early detection and treatment of physical and psychological illnesses.
- Physical Fitness
- It is well-known how important physical fitness is to performance. Usually the first question that comes to mind when discussing human performance is how one can train the physical body for optimal functioning. This section seeks to help you answer that question by providing you with resources on multiple dimensions of physical fitness including comprehensive physical training manuals, information on injury prevention, tools for assessing your physical fitness, training principles, and general physical fitness guidelines.
- Nutrition
- Proper nutrition forms the foundation for human performance. Nutrients provide energy and regulate physiologic processes during exercise. Too often, individuals devote considerable time and effort striving to optimize performance, only to fall short because of inadequate and sometimes harmful nutritional practices. This section is dedicated to providing evidence-based information and resources on nutrition and dietary supplements.
- Dietary Supplements
- Dietary supplements include vitamins, minerals, amino acids, herbs, and botanicals. Making an informed decision to use dietary supplements for performance and health optimization can be difficult and could result in adverse health effects. This section provides evidence-based information including databases, resources, and alerts to help you make safe decisions regarding supplement use.
- Family/Social
- Family relationships and an individual’s larger, social environment are important aspects of individual health and performance. Individuals with happy, supportive, and solid relationships are more likely to be in good health, have low stress levels, and experience greater well-being.
- DoD References
- DoD establishes policy, guidance, and instructions related to many aspects of force readiness and health protection.
