More Than a Gym: Lift Land Fitness builds community in Yale

The Community Correspondent role provides readers with on-the-ground and inclusive stories about the Port Huron area. This is made possible through funding provided by the Community Foundation of St. Clair County.

When Cheryl Wadsworth opened Lift Land Fitness, she wasn’t just thinking about workouts. She was thinking about connection.

“I want that feeling that when you walk in, that you belong and that you matter, and that there’s no judgment, no drama,” Wadsworth says. “We are there to support each other.”

Located at 8264 Brockway Rd in the small rural community of Yale, Lift Land Fitness offers a wide range of classes — from yoga and HIIT to kettlebell training, cardio drumming, self-defense, and even line dancing.

A personal reason to keep moving

Wadsworth and her family moved to Yale from Arizona about nine years ago. They quickly fell in love with the town’s close-knit feel. A few years later, after the loss of her father, Wadsworth found herself searching for something to help her keep moving forward — both physically and emotionally.

“I was kind of looking for something to keep me going,” she says. “Exercise is one of those things that is kind of multi-purpose.”

She began by teaching fitness classes out of her pole barn at home. Not long after, a local studio space became available, and she opened Lift Land Fitness in May 2025.

“I was like, ‘You know what? That’s my sign, that’s what I’m supposed to be doing,” she says.

A place for everyone

Unlike many fitness businesses that target specific age groups or athletic abilities, Wadsworth intentionally built Lift Land Fitness around inclusivity.

“It’s all ages,” she says. “I know that goes against all of these business gurus, you have to choose an age group. No, I don’t want that. That’s not what a community is because the community involves everybody.”

Classes regularly bring together people of different ages and fitness levels. Recently, a 10-year-old attended class alongside her mom. 

“We accommodate anyone’s needs,” Wadsworth says. “If you do yoga in a chair, no problem. If you want to use no weights, no problem.”

Wadsworth’s own family is also deeply involved. She and her husband have four children — ages 10, 13, 15, and 16 — who help with social media videos, online classes, and sometimes join workouts themselves.

The family atmosphere has become part of what makes the studio unique.

Creative classes — and listening to the community

While Lift Land Fitness offers traditional fitness options like yoga, Wadsworth and her team also experiment with new programming based on what members enjoy. Instructors have a large role in shaping the class schedule.

“I told them, do not teach something you don’t love,” Wadsworth says. “We all teach our favorites.”

That openness has led to a variety of creative offerings, including cardio drumming classes that combine rhythmic drumming with aerobic exercise. Other programs have included glow-in-the-dark cardio drumming parties, self-defense classes, and line dancing nights.

Many ideas come directly from community members.

“I think it’s really listening to the community and the people, of like, kind of what they want, and then figuring out how to do that,” Wadsworth says.

Fitness as a social space

Beyond workouts, Lift Land Fitness has also become a place where residents gather and build relationships. One of the studio’s regular traditions is a coffee hour held twice a week before yoga classes — an idea inspired by Wadsworth’s father.

The informal gathering gives people time to talk and connect before stretching into a workout.

“You’ve got that community piece where you connect with other people who go to the gym,” Wadsworth says.

The studio also participates in local events, sponsors runs, and hosts fundraisers for organizations like the local high school robotics team.

For Wadsworth, those activities help strengthen the studio’s role within the town.

“My husband’s like, ‘Oh, you’re gonna be a community center,’” she says. “Well, that’s what we end up being.” And, Wadsworth is fine with that.

Looking ahead

Lift Land Fitness is approaching its first anniversary this summer, and Wadsworth hopes to keep expanding the studio’s offerings and reach.

“We are looking forward to doing live classes in June,” she says, referring to plans to expand virtual programming. Online classes enable people to participate even if they are unable to attend in person at the studio.

“If you live in the next state over or across the country, or the world, we want to be able to reach everybody that might need a little bit of something different,” she says.

In June, the studio also plans to celebrate its anniversary with a summer party for the community.

“We’re gonna do a big anniversary celebration,” Wadsworth says. “Cook out and cornhole.”

As the studio continues to grow, Wadsworth hopes it remains a place where people feel welcome — whether they’re coming for their first workout or simply a cup of coffee and conversation.

“The hardest thing to do is to walk into a new fitness studio or gym and know no one,” she says.

But once people do take that first step, many find something more than a workout waiting for them.

“Just pop in and try us,” Wadsworth says. “Everyone belongs.”