Airman makes family, fitness come together

Photo By Master Sgt. Leisa Grant | Kettlebells at CrossFit Frontier. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Master Sgt. Leisa Grant/Released)  

CHEYENNE, WY, UNITED STATES

04.04.2016

Story by Maj. Thomas Blackburn 

153rd Airlift Wing

There are only 24 hours in a day. Not one person on the planet gets more time; not one gets less. Military members often have to strike a balance between meeting mission objectives and spending time with family and friends. When it comes to incorporating fitness into their daily lives—part of being mission ready—some find themselves sacrificing family time for fitness.
Wyoming Air National Guard Master Sgt. Jennifer Yack, 153rd Logistics Readiness Squadron deployment and training manager, has found a way to bring family and fitness together in more ways than one.
Yack and her husband, Tech. Sgt. Avery Yack, also a 153rd member, researched and eventually started doing CrossFit at CrossFit Frontier, in Cheyenne, in October 2013. More than two years later they are still working out there together. Before that, they were growing bored of their fitness routines.
“We were stuck in a rut of going to [traditional] gyms,” said Jennifer Yack.
They wanted to change things up, she said. With CrossFit they were able to easily accomplish that, as the premise of the activity is to constantly change exercises up to challenge the body. An aspect of CrossFit that they had not expected was the “family” they would soon create there, similar to how airmen in the guard often build second families.
“CrossFit is not just going to work out,” she said. “It’s a huge group of family and friends.”
She said from the first month of being there members of her box, a common CrossFit gym reference, were not only pushing and cheering one another on during workout sessions, they were also gathering outside of box hours for barbecues, birthday parties and other social activities.
“This was when we realized it was a big family, and there is a lot of camaraderie that comes with it,” she said. “It’s a big community.”
Fortunately, even with her dedication to excelling in fitness she still manages to see her own family more than most who work out solo. It just so happens that her family also participate in CrossFit.
“I used to think of fitness as something that I had to do because I was in the military,” said Avery Yack. “I had to do it to pass my PT test. Now, fitness to me means being healthy, being active and living life. Going to the gym has taken on a whole new meaning for me and my family and is something we can enjoy doing together.”
With or without them Jennifer Yack said she still makes it a priority to do at least 30 minutes of fitness almost daily. But instead of using family as an excuse for not having workout time she takes a unique overall approach to it.
“I incorporate my family into it.”

• Date Taken: 04.04.2016
• Date Posted: 04.06.2016 12:20
• Story ID: 194535
• Location: CHEYENNE, WY, US