WarriorWOD announces the 3rd annual ‘I Got Your 6’ or ‘IGY6’ virtual team fitness competition to support veterans’ recovery from invisible wounds. IGY6 will happen June 16-30th, during National PTSD Awareness Month. Gyms nationally have volunteered to host the fundraiser for their members as an in-house competition and community-building event.
WarriorWOD Foundation is a nonprofit that supports veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress (PTS) and other invisible wounds from combat. The foundation prioritizes exercise, nutrition, and mentorship as prescriptions for recovery. In addition, it has scheduled a virtual team fitness competition for them to mark the National PTSD Awareness in June.
“WarriorWOD is committed to reducing the impact of veterans’ mental and physical wounds through fitness programs to empower our veterans to realize their full potential, confidence, and self-worth,” said Philip Palmer, Executive Director of WarriorWOD. “The prevalence of “invisible wounds” among the veteran population is growing, and the lack of a scar doesn’t make mental health concerns any less critical or real. One in five veterans who served in Iraq or Afghanistan experiences Post-Traumatic Stress or significant depression. Severe mental health challenges connected to military services, such as depression, PTS, and anxiety, are directly related to substance abuse and homelessness, impacting veterans and their families.
These factors contribute to the staggering number of veterans taking their own lives. Veterans have a 50% higher risk of suicide than their peers who have not served. With the pandemic of veterans’ deaths by suicide and substance abuse, there is a gap in the treatment and recovery of the invisible wounds of our heroes. Between 18 and 22 veterans take their own lives each day. Further, 20 additional veterans lose their lives from substance abuse, including prescription medicines, alcohol, and illegal drugs. WarriorWOD addresses the root causes of these tragedies early and helps prevent these unnecessary deaths.”
WarriorWOD understands and prioritizes veterans’ fitness as a leading prescription for combat mental and physical wounds, providing them with the quality of life they have earned through services for the country. IGY6 will have M/M and F/F team options across RX and Minimal Equipment. The donation is $100 per team and will include a T-Shirt for both athletes. 100% of the proceeds will go to support veterans and their recovery. Since this is a fundraising competition, please modify the workouts as needed.
WarriorWOD’s virtual team competition is already open for registration. IGY6 starts Friday, June 16, and scores must be submitted by Friday, June 30, at 9 pm PST. Athletes can register at https://warriorwod.org/calendar.
Last year, over 50 teams participated in IGY6 and helped raise over $6,000, which helped ten veterans in their journey to recovery. Support for WarriorWOD’s Foundation programs will go a long way in assisting veterans to improve the quality of their lives and make the most out of it. Our goal for 2023 is to double the number of veterans we can support.
David M., one of the veterans recovering from WarriorWOD, said, “I never thought that I would look forward to working out. WarriorWOD’s support has gotten me out of my slump of depression and has motivated me to get in better shape. I sleep better, eat better, and I am not on any medications outside of migraine medicine or prescribed supplements. I am in the best shape of my life since I left the military, and I have found a new purpose in life.”
WarriorWOD’s goal is to make the same significant improvements in the lives of 200+ veterans this year. We invite individual supporters and organizations committed to giving back to join us in supporting our heroes in their journey to recovery. You will impact the healing and empowerment of wounded veterans through your support.
For companies willing to support a cohort of veterans and their recovery, please visit https://warriorwod.org/sponsor. Also, interested individuals who want to donate to the program but do not want to compete can visit https://warriorwod.org/donate.
About WarriorWOD Foundation
WarriorWOD mentorship
WarriorWOD’s Battle Buddy
WarriorWOD was founded in June of 2021 after the Executive Director, Phil Palmer, recovered from his invisible wounds by finding therapy through exercise. Phil, a Purple Heart recipient and Marine Corps combat veteran, came home from multiple deployments with his own invisible wounds.
After significant research and countless similar personal stories from other veterans validated the prescription, WarriorWOD adopted the “Exercise as an RX” program. Over the last two years, WarriorWOD has well over 500 veterans in their journey of recovering from PTS. During that time, 65 veterans participated in the WarriorWOD “Exercise as an RX” program.
WarriorWOD treats veterans’ mental wounds from combat through exercise and nutrition. Our program involves helping veterans recover from Post-Traumatic Stress and other mental and emotional effects of serving in a war zone. The program prioritizes exercise, physical fitness, and nutrition as a leading prescription in veterans’ recovery from PTS and other invisible wounds.
As by-products of our program, WarriorWOD will reduce PTS symptoms, suicide, and obesity in veterans. Further, we will reduce dependency on VA-prescribed antidepressants, self-prescribed alcohol, and illegal drugs. As a result, veterans see improved quality of life, physical fitness, cognitive abilities, confidence, social tendencies, and coping skills.
Comparing the symptoms before and after being involved in the WarriorWOD program, there is an overall 18% decrease in PTS symptoms. Through this improvement, WarriorWOD positively impacts both suicide and substance abuse.
WarriorWOD’s innovation is purposefully combining exercise, nutrition, and mentorship as prescriptions for veterans’ recovery from Post Traumatic Stress. The veterans of the WarriorWOD program will receive all resources at no cost.
Combing exercise, nutrition, and mentorship as a therapy tool is profound because there are no barriers to any individual participating, and it yields better results than traditional pharmaceutical methods. Currently, no one else offers a holistically developed program that incorporates conventional PTS treatments with the benefits of camaraderie, exercise, and nutrition.
For further inquiries, send an email to phil@warriorwod.org.
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Media Contact
Company: WarriorWOD Foundation
Contact Person: Philip Palmer
Email: phil@warriorwod.org
Address: 4176 Home Town Lane, Ravenel SC 29470
Country: United States