ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. -- Kimi Maines, a performance dietitian, may be new at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia, but she knows what she brings to the table to help the base’s military members meet their nutrition and fitness goals.
As a performance dietitian, Maines is likewise a registered, board certified sports dietitian who has earned the premier professional sports performance credential in the U.S. board certification as a specialist in sports dietetics. She is qualified to provide safe, effective, evidence-based nutrition services for health, fitness and athletic performance.
Maines came to Robins Health Promotions in late June, after leaving a similar job at Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas.
The military culture and environment, plus her love for the Southeast geography, weather and outdoor adventure opportunities drew her to the Middle Georgia community.
With a passion for nutrition and fitness, Maines is excited to serve at Robins.
“I am a very progressive and dynamic dietitian,” she said. “I pride myself in challenging the traditional grain of approach to healthcare delivery. I believe that each individual Airman presents unique strengths and goals that I have the opportunity to assist them in enhancing, optimizing, and achieving.”
Just like others, Maines has her own nutritional weaknesses.
“I am not the food police,” she said. “I have a ravenous sweet and salty-tooth.”
However, Maines knows how to keep cravings in check so that they don’t sabotage her healthy lifestyle. It’s one of the many skills she can teach service members.
“I love being able to empower Airmen to achieve lasting confidence in their abilities to lead a healthy, balanced lifestyle,” she said. “I plan to motivate Airmen to eat healthy by helping them to realize how obtainable, simple, budget-friendly and sustainable it is to adopt and stick with healthy eating and exercise habits.”
The 27-year-old Vancouver, British Columbia, native said Robins Health Promotions has a variety of established nutrition and fitness-based programs she will use to help Airmen.
“As the Health Promotions dietitian, I have the opportunity to work one-on-one with Airmen on all nutrition-related concerns and/or goals,” she said. “I teach a variety of nutrition education classes, direct nutrition, and fitness optimization programs and certifications, and I’m the expert to assist Airmen in meeting each of their unique and individual health and fitness goals.”
Maines has her own techniques to help clients as well.
“I hope to bring a strong performance nutrition program to the base, with the intent of improving base deployability and lethality by helping Airmen to reach their best health and performance potential,” she said. “My most important responsibility as the base dietitian is to educate and assist in enabling our Airmen to utilize the copious resources at their disposal to ensure ultimate health and performance achievement in their current Air Force career and beyond.”
Maines plans to develop nutrition and fitness extender courses, make dining facility improvements, set up specialized physical training programs, and begin offering resource navigation coaching.
Also, Maines plans to tackle some problem areas among the base’s military population in the near future.
“The biggest issue that I have observed is lack of time management, complacency and sugar intake in the form of energy drinks and food,” she said. “I plan to help fix these concerns by offering targeted classes and one-on-one appointments to address them.”
Good nutrition is the cornerstone of optimal functioning and performance, Maines said.
“Practicing good nutrition habits improves sleep, training, performance outcomes, quality of life, daily energy levels and mood,” she said.
While Maines has a lot to offer Robins, she realizes there is more she can learn.
“People, in general, inspire me,” she said. “I love being able to educate, but I also love learning from my patients and those I meet. I inspire myself professionally. I never cease to learn and obtain knowledge. When you stop thirsting after knowledge, your life ends.”
For more information on Robins Health Promotions’ nutrition and fitness-related programs and services, call Maines at 478-327-7237 or e-mail her at kimberly.maines.ctr@us.af.mil.