GYMNOS – Fitness Scenarios for Self-Examination
Gymnos is the Greek origin of our modern-day word Gym. It means “naked.” GYMNOS articles in Faith & Fitness Magazine are designed to help you challenge your thinking. In the literal sense, when you are naked in the locker room there is nothing to hide. That makes most people uncomfortable. Use this scenario to get naked spiritually—be honest, transparent, undisguised and willing to be totally open with yourself and others. 
JJ Heller
There’s something special about the gym, or whatever you may call the place where you exercise, that seems to be missing from other places and other areas of life: progress. At the gym, there is a great sense of progress that is easily experienced and quite literally visible. Think about it…all kinds of people working toward a personal goal – improved health. In one place, at one time, you can find so many people making progress in their personal lives and achieving great things in their physical health.
In fact, it’s that feeling of progress that attracts so many of us to local clubs. We enjoy the feeling of accomplishing “something”, even if that “something” is very small. This is an honorable thing, and I think it’s something we should be very proud of. That progress creates a shared emotion, which also seems to be universal in fitness clubs…the rush. There is nothing like the rush! I know that when I’m getting ready to attempt a heavy lift, I feel this rush that propels me forward. It’s like confidence, excitement, anticipation, and adrenaline all wrapped up into one nicely bundled package! Others get this experience when they’re closing in on the fastest mile they have ever run; others when they see that finish line, so they pedal harder to finish strong; and sometimes it comes when we look at the clock and see that there is only 5 minutes left in our boot camp class which gives the motivation to persevere! I’m not sure what it is, but something about the rush leaves me incredibly satisfied.
If you’re like me, then you’ve also noticed that we can feel the rush not just while working out, but by some of the silly things we would never want to admit to. In all honesty, can we admit that sometimes the rush we’re looking for isn’t one that comes from a great workout? You know what I mean…there’s Dominic at the gym. Every time he works out his biceps (which seems to be every day) he “happens” to be wearing a sleeveless shirt and has positioned himself directly in front of the mirror. The times that he wears a regular t-shirt, his sleeves mysteriously end up being tucked neatly just above his biceps. The rush Dominic seeks for is one that must come from seeing whether or not he can make his arms explode. But he’s no different than Kate. She works out incredibly hard and has a wardrobe, or lack thereof, to show everyone how fit she is. To some, Kattie seems to wander every corner of the gym and strut her stuff so that others will take notice. To her credit, she’s in great shape. The problem is that she is trying to get her rush by receiving the praises of all the guys and girls in the club since her husband isn’t giving her the attention she needs.
Now both of these situations can stem from deep-rooted insecurities, and we would never want to admit to it, but we all have our insecurities that can cause us to search for the rush in the weirdest of ways.
– When do you feel the rush during your workouts?
– How do your insecurities affect your desire to experience the rush?
– Why do you think the rush leaves us feeling satisfied?
*All characters in this scenario are fictional. Any similarity to an actual person is coincidental.
