When Lynette Vega walked into CrossFit Reincarnation almost two years ago, she had a simple goal: stop losing muscle. She was in her 60s, her knees hurt, her lower back ached, and she’d learned something important about herself; she’d quit when it got hard if no one was there to tell her to keep going.
What she found here was more than a workout. She found accountability, results, and a community that mirrors the same values she’s spent years building through her nonprofit.
Lynette is the president of Zero Suicides Elko County, a 501(c)(3) dedicated to suicide prevention and mental health education in our community. She started this work in 2010 after losing her daughter to suicide in 2008, and since officially becoming a nonprofit in September 2020, the organization has grown every single year.
The Physical Transformation
In less than two years, Lynette’s knees no longer hurt. Her lower back pain is gone. She’s hiking 8-10 miles, mountain biking, and snowmobiling, and friends and family have noticed the difference without her saying a word.
She’s also been doing her homework. Strength training, she’s learned, does far more than build muscle:
- It strengthens bones and helps ward off osteoporosis
- It supports brain health and may help protect against Alzheimer’s and dementia
- It improves sleep
- It reverses the physical effects of aging
“Strength training knows no age limit,” she said. “You can be eighty years old and start. You don’t have to be young.”
And she’s living proof.
The Mission
Zero Suicides Elko County’s purpose is twofold: educate people about suicide awareness and connect them with resources they didn’t know existed. Because resources are everywhere but only helpful if people know where to look.
They offer a wallet-sized card with local clinical and group service contacts, and their website at www.zerosuicideselkocounty.org has both local and national resources, including support for veterans, parents, and suicide attempt survivors.
Free Safe Talk Training (3 hours, no cost) teaches you to recognize the signs or “invitations,” as the program calls them, that someone may be thinking about suicide, and what to say. You won’t plant a seed. You’ll be the safe person they’ve been waiting for.
Assist Training (2 days, more intensive) is coming up August 14–15 at the Nevada Health Center. Lynette recommends Safe Talk first as a stepping stone. Sign up on their Facebook page: Zero Suicide, Elko County.
Monthly community meetings are held the 2nd Thursday of every month, 1–2 PM at the hospital. Open to everyone, in person or via Zoom.
Annual 5K Walk is the 2nd Saturday of September, starting at Great Basin College. Registration is $20 and includes a t-shirt. Last year brought out nearly 300 people. Friendly dogs are welcome, they get a purple bandana and treats.
And if someone needs help right now: call or text 988. If you’re in Elko, tell them, so they can find resources near you.
“Your life is not gonna stay the way you think it is when you’re struggling,” Lynette said. “You just gotta stay and watch it change.”
Learn more at www.zerosuicideselkocounty.org
Thinking about starting your fitness journey? We’d love to talk. CrossFit Reincarnation is here for all ages and all fitness levels, your first step is just a conversation.
