Sodexo has launched Mindful Active, an educational tool to provide members of the military family with holistic guidance on health and wellness.
First introduced to Her Majesty’s Naval Base (HMNB) in Portsmouth in the United Kingdom, Mindful Active reinforces the company’s commitment to improving the lived experience, as well as the health and wellbeing of UK military personnel. It has been developed using client and customer insights and informed by research undertaken by the MOD – including a UK Armed Forces Continuous Attitudes Survey (UKAFCA) into challenges faced by the UK military community.
Targeted primarily at physically active personnel, the tool’s content is still applicable to members of the wider armed forces community, including partners of serving personnel and civilians who live, work and visit military bases.
Mindful Active is accessible at home and at work, and provides nutritional information, wellbeing signposting, recipes, and cooking advice. It has been built on four pillars that focus holistically on the body as well as the mind:
Fuel – prepare the body for what lies ahead and sustain a healthy lifestyle
Focus – target body performance goals and power up brain training
Perform – boost energy levels and strengthen mental endurance
Restore – re-energise the body post-workout and re-set mental wellbeing
The tool is the centrepiece of a new approach to catering, and communicates messages, tips and guidance to personnel by text and online messaging delivered through a smart phone app. It is designed to empower customers to make informed lifestyle choices with ease.
Mental health guidance is also available with everything from simple tips through to links to professional advice and services, helping users learn how to manage stress and discover relaxation techniques.
Paul Anstey, CEO, Government, Sodexo UK & Ireland, comments: “We are committed to improving the lived experience of all those who live and work on military bases and are pleased to be able to launch Mindful Active at HMNB Portsmouth as part of our new contract.
“We know how important it is to ensure all our customers get the best possible experience and feel connected with and supported by the military, its partners and the wider community. This innovative new tool will undoubtedly have a positive impact and supports the Ministry of Defence’s key priorities to ensure all defence people enjoy a state of positive physical and mental health and wellbeing.”
Commodore JJ Bailey RN, Naval Base Commander of HM Naval Base Portsmouth, adds: “Service people and their families are all exposed to various pressures and demands, physical and mental, due to the nature of their roles and the impact it can have on family life and on individuals.
“This initiative focussed on catering and the importance of maintaining a healthy diet and lifestyle is a very welcome one for all my people.
“I absolutely agree that good nutrition is crucial to their health and wellbeing and being able to perform at their best and so Sodexo’s Mindful Active is a really great tool to enable this. It has already had some very positive feedback and I look forward to working with Sodexo to continue to ensure that anyone working or living on our base experiences the best lived experience we can offer.”
Sodexo was awarded the soft services contract for HMNB Portsmouth earlier this year as part of the Ministry of Defence’s Future Maritime Support Programme (FMSP). The contract, valued at around £54 million, will run until March 2026, replacing the previous Maritime Support Delivery Framework (MSDF).
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