LIVE Improves Lives
Air Force Veteran and amputee Dwight Johnson exercises three days a week in the LIVE exercise area under the close supervision of Exercise Physiologist Shakeelah Sutton.
The Lifestyle Interventions for Veterans (LIVE) program is designed to improve the health and quality of life of Veterans. The LIVE exercise area may look like a gym, with its state-of-the-art cardio equipment and weightlifting machines, but don’t be fooled. It’s actually a health dispensary and a classroom; where exercise is the medicine and Veterans learn and become empowered to improve the quality of their lives in just 12 weeks.
Just ask Air Force Veteran Dwight Johnson who credits the Washington DC Veterans Affairs Medical Center’s LIVE program with helping him to walk again. After surgery to remove his leg below the knee, the now 70-year-old Vietnam-era Veteran thought he’d never walk again.
“I’d lost my zeal for life. I used to be an athlete; I can’t stand lying around in bed,” Johnson explained. His Physical Therapist, Lindsay Crowell, recommended him to the LIVe program, a 12-week, lifestyle intervention class originally developed for diabetics. The intensive program not only taught him about exercise and proper diet, but helped him walk again. “I’m shocked about that myself, that was a surprise benefit,” Johnson said.
Veterans are checked thoroughly to make sure they can exercise safely before they join the program. Mr. Johnson’s LIVE workout is considered moderate for a 70-year-old man. Three days a week, he uses a variety of weight machines, rides a recumbent bike for 18 minutes, and then walks for 12 minutes on a treadmill, all under the close supervision of Exercise Physiologist Shakeelah Sutton.
“When Mr. Johnson came to us, he told me that his goal was to walk on the treadmill one day,” Sutton said. They started him on a recumbent bike and weight training to strengthen his leg muscles. Several weeks later, they slowly and progressively introduced some walking in his exercise routine. “Twelve weeks later he walks on the treadmill with absolutely no problems,” Sutton said.
Johnson says he is amazed with his progress. “After I lost my leg, doctors told me I’d probably never walk again. And believe it or not I’ve lost 22 pounds,” Johnson said. When he began LIVE, he weighed 300 and is now down to 278 pounds.
LIVE Director Dr. Peter Kokkinos explained that 22 pounds may not sound like a lot of weight loss, but considering that Mr. Johnson has been exercising and adding muscle mass, the fat loss is significant. “Diet with exercise together help keep the loss of muscle mass to a minimum. One may lose weight, but gain muscle mass due to exercise so the scale doesn’t show it,” explains Kokkinos. “But you will see it and feel it.”
Mr. Johnson is definitely seeing and feeling it. His blood sugar levels and blood pressure numbers have dramatically improved. When he began LIVE, his blood pressure was 164/80 and now it’s down to 116/70. “We’ve seen a great response with him,” said Dr. Kokkinos. “Each week we see improvement and it’s all his own doing.”
Dr. Kokkinos says that exercise doesn’t just help a person lose weight and improve their numbers, it also boosts their immune system. “Exercise is much like training an army before a battle, the well-trained soldier stands a better chance of defeating whatever comes their way,” explained Kokkinos. Exercise gives the body the strength to fight and be more resilient to disease.
Johnson recently had a serious asthma attack, which before the LIVE program, would have knocked him out of commission for a couple of months. “This time, I bounced back a lot quicker. I’m stronger and I sleep better. I know exercise has helped me recover faster,” Johnson said.
The LIVE program is one of the medical center’s best success stories. So far, LIVE has improved the health and quality of life of more than a thousand Veterans--at very low cost and with very few side effects. According to the medical center’s Chief of Staff, Dr. Charles Faselis, exercise has so many health benefits with minimal side effects when compared to pharmacology and other interventions. Data has shown that Veterans of all ages and all ability levels can benefit from exercise. “You don’t have to be a marathon runner, just moderate, consistent exercise a few times a week is sufficient to reap amazing benefits,” said Dr. Faselis. “How simple is that?”
Mr. Johnson plans to keep up his moderate exercise regime after he has completed the program. “I’ll be sorry when I’ve finished, but I know I have the education to continue working out on my own,” said Johnson. He has already joined a local gym near his home. “LIVE is such a good program, I wish every VA had it.”
Dr. Kokkinos says LIVE is expanding. They have recently developed a TeleLIVE program where Veterans work out at home and report in once a week. The preliminary results are very promising.
Veterans interested in participating in the LIVE program, should discuss it with their primary care providers.
