CREECH AIR FOR BASE, Nev. -- As the battle against COVID-19 goes on, more and more military members have found themselves working from home in efforts to flatten the curve and maintain mission readiness.
At Creech Air Force Base, and throughout the state of Nevada, high-traffic facilities like gyms have been temporarily closed as a preventative measure. Between the unavailability of gyms and trying to maintain social distancing, it can be hard to stay fit, another vital component to mission readiness.
One Airman has taken it upon himself to help his fellow Hunters stay in shape from home.
Staff Sgt. Kevin, 432nd Wing and 432nd Air Expeditionary Wing chaplain assistant, was two days into teaching his fitness course at Creech AFB when he got the order to work from home and to maintain social distancing.
“Before the pandemic, the fitness camp was going well,” Kevin said. “When the camp couldn’t gather in person, I had to figure out a way to get the exercises to my camp members.”
He felt obligated to get his camp participants what they signed-up for and decided to email a breakdown of the workouts. However, he still worried about whether his teammates were receiving everything they needed to succeed.
“I thought to myself, ‘what if someone doesn’t understand the description in the email? I’ll probably have to show them,’” Kevin continued. “That’s when I came up with the idea that I needed to do a video.”
The fitness camp had already focused mostly on high-intensity interval training (HIIT), meaning the workouts could be done at home, didn’t require much space, and didn’t require any gym equipment.
“I attended Kevin’s in-person class before we enacted our COVID-19 response,” said Lt. Col. Andy, 432nd Wing director of staff. “You can’t control when crisis strikes; you can only control how you react to it, and I am pleased Kevin is able to conduct the program from a distance. It’s important to stay healthy physically, mentally, socially and spiritually, and Kevin is going the extra mile to ensure his teammates are fit to fight!”
In an article released by the Air Force Surgeon General’s Public Affairs Office, Col. Thomas Moore, the Air Force Health Promotion Branch chief, stressed the need, “now more than ever,” for Airmen to keep physical fitness, as well as sleep and nutrition, a priority to combat the risk of illness, such as COVID-19.
Kevin agrees with the sentiment and shared his desire for his fellow Airmen to stay active from home, even if it’s only for a few minutes a day.
“Working and being quarantined at home, it is very easy to slip into a sedentary lifestyle,” Kevin explained. “It’s easy to be inactive. Being sedentary is not good for your body and can have a lot of negative effects. What we want to do is continue having those positive effects on our body and be active for 30 minutes a day, three to four times a week.”
Kevin expressed his excitement to continue sharing workouts, and plans to release more instructional videos to the Airmen who need them. Contact the Creech AFB Chapel team in order to be included in his updates.
Kevin’s Day 1 Workout:
Warm Up
Jumping Jacks 10 seconds
Front & Back Arm Rotations 10 seconds each
Rocking Butt Kickers 10 seconds
High-Knee Pulls for 10 seconds each
Torso twist for 10 seconds
Squats for 10 seconds
30-second Jog
Transition into Day 1 exercises
There are 3 rounds of each exercise with a 45 second break at the end of each round.
Day 1 Exercise:
Burpees for 30 seconds. If you are more advanced or want a challenge, burpees with pushups.
Active Rest 20 seconds (slow jog in place)
Jumping Jacks for 30 seconds.
Active Rest for 20 Seconds (slow jog in place)
High Knees for 30 seconds
Active Rest for 20 seconds (slow jog in place)
Mountain Climbers for 30 Seconds
Active Rest 20 Seconds (slow jog in place)
Squats for 30 Seconds
Active Rest 20 Seconds (slow jog in place)
Hands Walkout for 30 seconds
End of round
For more resources regarding Creech AFB response to COVID-19, please visit www.creech.af.mil/Home/COVID-19