More than a Gym: What I Love Most About 925

When it comes down to it, there’s not much to getting and staying in shape. Some self-interested companies and individuals may try to convince us otherwise, but when you boil down the plethora of products, fitness and nutrition advice, trendy workout methodologies, and the deluge of nonstop tips from social media health “gurus,” there essentially remain five things we must do to be fit:

Exercise 30-60 minutes every day, ideally at a moderate level of intensity

Eat healthily and portion each meal

Get enough sleep

Manage your stress

Nurture your relationships

Hard as it may be for us to imagine, there was a time when gyms didn’t exist, unless of course you count the ancient Greek gymnasia that were reserved for young male athletes and in which nudity was a custom, and wrestling, while slathered with olive oil, was a regular WOD (fun fact: the word “gym” comes from the Greek word “gymnós,” which means naked.) It wasn’t until the 19th century that schools and colleges started building gymnasiums, and not until the 1930s that boxing gyms came around, but of course they were used exclusively by fighters and boxers, not the general public.

I could go on about the evolution of gyms, which are now as ubiquitous as fast food chains, but my point is, long before gyms, human beings exercised regularly, because movement comprised their daily chores and routines. And healthy diets were the norm because nutritional nemeses like processed “Frankenfood” and GMOs didn’t exist. Can you imagine early Americans feasting on hot dogs and marshmallow pops on that first Fourth of July, or the colonists and Wampanoag tribesmen chowing down on pizza and ice cream instead of pumpkin, squash, venison, and berries on the first Thanksgiving? Me neither.

But despite the ease and convenience – and temptation – of fast food and the low-quality foods filling supermarket aisles, most of us living in the 21st century know it’s in our best interest to steer clear of them, and know which foods to prioritize instead. We don’t need to join a gym to learn about the importance of nutrient-dense, unprocessed foods that are free of chemicals and artificial ingredients.

We also don’t need a gym to help us with the three remaining tips for being fit: sleeping enough, managing stress, and nurturing our relationships. After all, we sleep at home. We stress out at home and at work. The relationships we’re either nurturing or neglecting are outside the gym as well. Gyms are for exercise, by golly, not relaxation, introspection, or therapy. There are plenty of self-help books, professionals, and other resources that can help us obtain better sleep, decrease our stress levels, and help our relationships thrive. Again, a gym membership is unnecessary.

So why, as a gym owner, am I telling you that being a member of 925 Strong, or any other gym for that matter, isn’t a must when it comes to reaching your health and fitness goals? For one thing, it’s because it’s important we realize that joining a gym doesn’t guarantee stellar physical health, just as attending a university doesn’t promise a successful career. But also, it’s because gyms can benefit us in ways we weren’t even hoping they would, and that’s the point of this blog.

When I met my husband Ben, I went to a run-of-the-mill “globo gym,” one that, lucky for me, had recently added a CrossFit studio (affectionately referred to by CrossFitters as a “box”) for which Ben was a part-time coach. After spending a few short seconds making small talk with the front-desk employee, I’d pull out my headphones, turn on a playlist, and make a beeline toward the cardio deck where I’d typically warm up.

Save for a few brief conversations I, a lifelong introvert, would have with fellow morning-workout regulars, I wouldn’t talk to anyone, much less introduce myself and make a new acquaintance. The few friendships I made at the gym were a result of the other person (usually an extroverted person…) not being turned off by my largely unapproachable “workout mode” demeanor and persistently talking to me, whether I liked it or not, ha! One such person, a bubbly, sunshine-filled spin instructor at the first gym I ever joined, has been my best friend since 2003, and I can tell you we wouldn’t be friends at all were it not for her going out of her way to coax me out of my shell!

After meeting Ben, I, needless to say, started doing CrossFit (if you know Ben, then you know how persuasive he can be!) and was introduced to a community of fitness enthusiasts who didn’t just work out together, but did life together. They hung around in the box after class and talked and laughed and played around with snatches, gymnastics, and hurled Atlas stones over their shoulders…for fun. They went out to eat together, invited each other over to their houses to grill and swim and watch, well, CrossFit on TV. They kept up with each other online and held one another accountable when they didn’t show up to the box one day, and continually challenged each other to set new goals.

This wasn’t just a gym. It was a community. A culture. A tribe. A team. And it’s what we are also blessed with here at 925, as Ben and I prayed, long before we opened, that our gym would be a place where people connect and are made stronger through relationships.

“Stronger together” isn’t just a sleek-sounding mantra that makes for a good hashtag or looks nice on our rowing machines. It’s a philosophy, a biblical principle, that we see proven true time and time again among our friends at 925.[1]

Over the last nine years, I’ve undergone a dramatic mental shift when it comes to how I view “going to the gym.” It’s great that it provides a well-equipped space in which I can exercise, but, as I stated earlier, workouts can be performed pretty much anywhere. It’s great that we have an awesome nutritionist, a skilled team of coaches, and the super-snazzy Level Method system. But, again, gyms aren’t required to jumpstart your nutrition and up your fitness game.

I’ve learned that the gym can and, in my opinion should, be much more than a place to work out. It can be a grown-up’s version of the neighborhood playground we went wild on as kids. It can be the metaphorical Cheers bar we gather in to chat, relax, and burn off steam. It can be a “break room” of sorts that we can temporarily duck into to escape the cares of life, be encouraged by people who genuinely care about us, and regain the motivation we need to exit with clarity and confidence.

Had I not been introduced to CrossFit and this kind of community-minded gym, I would probably be doing the same style of workouts, eating the same kinds of nutritious foods, and living a life that, from the outside, appears healthy and not in need of any drastic changes. But I would be in a far poorer state mentally, emotionally, and even spiritually.

My workouts wouldn’t be nearly as fun.

There would be no friendly faces, no contagious laughs, no one to ask how I’m doing or how they can pray for me.

There wouldn’t be the constant stream of inspiration and enthusiasm that flows from people who push each other to be the best versions of themselves.

There wouldn’t be a support system comprised of kindhearted individuals who are just as neighborly and thoughtful outside the gym’s walls as they are within them.

There wouldn’t be the camaraderie that emanates from a group of people all striving to conquer the various challenges set before them – relationship challenges, career challenges, parenting challenges, health challenges…you name it.

There wouldn’t be the “love and good works” that the Bible says we are to “stir up in one another.”

Yes, I would still be physically fit without the gym. But with the gym, I am so much more, and it’s my prayer that you feel the same.

Thank you for helping make 925 the warm, welcoming place many look forward to coming to each day. Ben and I thank God for joining your path with ours and for the unique, much needed light and love you share with our community.  

“And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some” – Hebrews 10:24

“Give light, and the darkness will disappear of itself.” - Desiderius Erasmus

[1] Proverbs 17:17; Proverbs 27:17; Matthew 18:20; Romans 12:5; Romans 1:11-12; 1 Peter 4:8-11; Ecclesiastes 4:9-12;