Photo By Petty Officer 1st Class Maddelin Hamm | Air Force Staff Sgt. Casey Glass and Petty Officer 1st Class Jerome Breaux, logistics...... read more read more
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GUANTANAMO BAY, Cuba - Four years ago, Casey Glass heard a calling. The patter of her husband’s footsteps reverberated with the Air Force staff sergeant who followed suite on the road less traveled of health and fitness.
Earning her certification as a HardStyle Kettlebell Instructor through RKC, Glass went on to work with her husband, bringing the mantra of fitness and health to their local area.
“Personal training is always evolving and I evolve with it,” she said. “At this point I am working on my Movement Coach certification.”
After serving seven years in the active duty Air Force, Glass then transitioned to the Air Force Reserve. Through the Reserves, Glass finds herself deployed to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba where she works for Joint Task Force Guantanamo’s staff judge advocate office as a paralegal.
Being deployed has not slowed her down. During her off time she works with troopers of the JTF helping them toward better fitness.
“She’s fantastic,” Petty Officer 1st Class Jerome Breaux explained one early morning as beads of sweat dripped from his forehead.
Breaux, along with a handful of troopers, work with Glass on a voluntary basis three times a week. Their workout begins at 5 a.m. and typically lasts for an hour and a half.
Proving her dedication to helping others night time finds Glass working with Troopers assigned to the remedial fitness program.
“This is really changing up my normal routine,” Breaux said, explaining before he began working with Glass, he typically followed a regiment of push-ups, sit-ups and running.
While he’s added muscle and strength to his frame, Breaux said it’s his near 30-pound weight loss he is most proud of.
“I believe each individual can be better,” Glass said, explaining her philosophy. “I’m just there to help them along the road.”
Through her years, Glass said she’s encountered several misconceptions about fitness and spends time with her clients and troopers dispelling them.
“Just because one person can do something, doesn’t mean you can,” Glass said. “Each person is different and fitness programs need to be tailored to the individual.”
Glass also stressed the hazards of overexertion when beginning a fitness program noting her programs use the least amount of work needed to achieve maximum goals.
“So many people start out a program all gung-ho and really hit things hard,” she said. “This can lead to injury and where are you then?”
For chaplains assistant, Pfc. Kevin Daniels, those goals include getting his two-mile run time down.
“Since I began working with Staff Sgt. Glass, I’ve taken about four minutes off my run time,” Daniels said.
“She really keeps you moving,” he added, explaining the unorthodox looking workout session. “Everything is about pushing you to your limits without breaking you.”
Finishing up a repetition of push-ups, Glass corrects Daniels’ form explaining how he can maximize his strength through proper technique.
“If you don’t have a good foundation, the whole house will fall down,” she said to him.
In addition to physical fitness, Glass emphasized the importance of proper nutrition and maintaining stress levels. She encourages those who work with her to keep a food journal and monitor what they eat.
“It’s not just about diet,” she said, “proper fitness is a lifestyle.”
Glass said such tools as the journal enable a person define a starting point for their routine and helps them keep an eye on their progress.
“Keeping a journal has really been an eye opener,” Daniels said, noting he refers to it as his pie-hole journal.
Working with the morning group for a month and half, Glass is impressed with the gains made by each individual both mentally and physically.
“I’ve seen the change in attitude toward fitness,” she said, “And that makes me very happy -- their results are a reflection on me.”
Noting the hard work and effort exhibited, Glass pointed out any fitness routine, no matter how good it may be on paper, is ultimately the responsibility of the individual.
“We sit in chairs for nearly eight hours a day,” she said. “You can’t expect to just exercise three times a week and meet your goals. You’ve got to put some work in, you’ve got to work hard toward your goal. Ultimately you get out of it everything you put into it.”
| Date Taken: | 07.13.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 07.14.2011 16:44 |
| Story ID: | 73742 |
| Location: | GUANTANAMO BAY, CU |
| Web Views: | 80 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Walking the Road Less Travelled, by SFC Benjamin Cossel, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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