Before 153 BCE, the Roman Calendar had October as the 8th month of the year (octo means 8 in Latin), November as the 9th (novem means 9) and December the 10th (decem means 10).
The old Roman calendar made sense, as the seasons are a cycle. If you were inventing a cycle, where would you start it?
In the winter?
It makes more sense to us humans to start the cycle at the beginning as we know it – birth or Spring.
Spring 2010 – Tioga County Fitness Challenge
So why would anyone resolve to change exercise and eating habits at the end of a cycle – in the dead of winter?
Well, maybe because they think “It’s a New Year and that mean new things. A new you maybe.
But it really doesn’t make sense from a practical standpoint. Up here in the Northeast, winter means shorter days, less sun, and colder weather. Most people slow down – maybe put on a protective layer of fat. Snuggling in a blanket with a good book is much more appealing than trekking out in the snow and cold to get to an exercise class.
In 1993, we coined our mission statement as “Helping Women Succeed with Fitness”. We wanted to be the place where women could come to exercise to get fitter and relieve stress so they could be better to themselves and for those around them.
Our gym has evolved. Now, we’re not just about women. We are co-ed and nearly 70% of our members are over 60 years old!
Our gym is now about serving people in their Best Third of life. It’s about helping people make this time the best part of their lives.
We want this third to be your best. It absolutely is for me and others in the gym. No more financial struggles. No more working for idiots. More time for family and friends.
We all know it’s not the age number that counts. The only thing that really matters is how we feel and how we perform physically and mentally as we age.
Chris Crowley in his book Younger Next Year writes how good life can be for those 55 and older in their “Next Third”. (Its actually the Last Third, but no sense in being morbid about it.)
Chris explains how the science shows that it is a choice for many to allow themselves to decay like the typical older person does. You can choose to feel and act just as good in your 60’s and 70’s as you do in your 50’s.
But it does takes work.
The science is clear that if we change away from our unhealthy habits and start doing the right things with exercise and diet, we can get biologically younger. We can have better physical and brain health as well as be more energized and optimistic.
Building Community within a gym is good for members and for business. Strong communities within gyms encourage member retention by keeping the atmosphere friendly, supportive, and energized.
Most people don’t go to the gym just for a workout. They go for motivation, accountability, inspiration and social connection. There is pride in being part of a healthy, strong, happy community. Members feel valued and accomplished when they are working out side-by-side, learning new movements, celebrating victories and overcoming challenges together.
Crossfit’s meteoric rise in the fitness industry was built on a community platform. Barb and I attended Wodamania in Riviera Beach, Florida in December. The energy and support for the athletes was unreal!
Our friend, the late Val Gundrum, focused her business model of Aerobics Central/Four Seasons Fitness Studio a decade ago on community. She was way ahead of her time in understanding that social interaction is important in the gym.
Community is important!
Now more than ever!
Society is heading in the wrong direction regarding social connection. There is more cellphone and social media use, particularly among younger generations, and less volunteering and face-to-face interaction. This is linked to the increase in loneliness and depression.
Data shows that exercise can help treat depression. Adding positive social interactions within the exercise environment is only going to help more.
The mechanisms underlying the antidepressant effects of exercise remain in debate; however, the efficacy of exercise in decreasing symptoms of depression has been well established. Data regarding the positive mood effects of exercise involvement, independent of fitness gains, suggest that the focus should be on frequency of exercise rather than duration or intensity until the behavior has been well established.
We need to look for opportunities to connect face-to-face with others as well as virtually.
The gym is the perfect place!
Building on to Our Community Gym
In 2024, we will be entering “Fays II” of our Building Project, which will add another 500 sq. ft of floor space to the gym.
This additional space will allow for more people and more classes.
John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist Church, had three simple rules: Do no harm. Do more good. Stay in Love with God.
That compares to his superior, Jesus Christ, who said the most important things are 1) to love your God, and 2) to love your neighbor.
So from John Wesley’s perspective, loving your neighbor is DOING good and NOT DOING harm.
“Do no harm” originated long before John Wesley. The Latin phrase: Primum non nocere – first, do no harm, likely originated with Hippocrates (470-360 B.C.). The Hippocratic Oath contains a version that states: “I will abstain from all intentional wrong-doing and harm”. “
Though the idea of doing no harm is sensible, it is not practical. That’s likely why there is no Biblical Reference. If God had commanded to “Do no harm”, people would have stopped helping each other altogether, as most of us understand that in order to do good, some harm may need to be done.
You remember him (or her) like it was yesterday. As you struggled with studying, he never had to crack a book in school. As you sat in self-doubt when the teacher asked a question, he always knew the right answer.
He was a winner in the IQ lottery and was blessed with an abundance of intelligence.
Back then, you may have thought this guy was bound to be successful.
As it turns out, intelligence by itself is not an indicator of how successful someone will be. Intelligence, which is pretty much god-gifted, can only take you so far.
The good news is that there are other major factors which can be developed that determine success besides intelligence.
Headway Capital developed an infographic that details the factors that are more important than IQ for success. Along with the infographic are resources that prove their case.
Headway Capital
The bottom line is that hard work and social skill development are more important than IQ when it comes to success.
Perhaps you’re considering a gym membership because something in your life has changed:
Maybe you’ve just retired and finally have the time to get serious about exercise.
Maybe your health provider gave you a ‘look’ when they saw your body weight during your last exam.
Maybe you’re recovering from a surgery or illness and need some help to get back to your old self.
Maybe that last kid has left the nest and you can now finally focus on yourself.
Maybe the bounce back from the holidays is taking a little longer than usual.
Maybe you’re concerned with why walking up a flight of stairs or playing with the grandkids has been so difficult lately
Maybe there are a few too many comments about how you are aging or growing around the mid-section.
Maybe the man or woman in the mirror doesn’t represent the person you had hoped it would be as you got older.
And in case it’s NOT on your list, let me add a big reason to get back to the gym: to stay Young, Longer. You should do it to stay capable and healthy for your ‘Next Third’.
I stretched the term middle-aged as long as I could.
When I was young, I figured 50 was old. My reasoning? If the average life span is around 75 years, and you divided it into thirds (young, middle-aged, and old) then ‘old’ would start at 50.
Then I turned 50. I felt great, so I recalculated.
Instead, I based my calculation on a nice long, active life of 90 years old. Dividing that into thirds, I’d be old at 60.
Any way you cut it now, I’m old, particularly since I just turned 62 and am eligible for Social Security.
The interesting thing is that our gym got old along with me!
I rarely raised my hand in Engineering School. Never wanted to look stupid among my peers.
It took a few decades before I felt worthy of sharing my opinion in groups of smart people. Then when I got into my 50’s I really didn’t give a shit any more what people thought. If I had a question in a group setting, I asked it. If I had a point to make, I’d make it.
The benefit I quickly realized was how much I would learn by opening my mouth. If someone thought differently and spoke up, I’d get another perspective. Sometimes I would get supportive comments which were reinforcing.
Feelings of inadequacy surface like a Freshman in College when I start talking about Bitcoin, though. Many very smart people I respect support it. They think it’s the future of money and currency.
Among such great minds and with me having so little understanding or mental capacity, I really should keep my thoughts to myself and spare looking like a doofus.
Nah.
What I see as Bitcoin’s advantages over our current ‘fiat’ currency – the dollar:
Bitcoin cannot be produced “out of thin air” like the Treasury and the Federal Reserve Bank do with the dollar. It needs to be “mined” electronically which takes energy.
Bitcoin is open sourced which means no one controls it. It was created and let run loose in the wild. Governments and Central Banks can’t track it nor control it.
Bitcoin is electronic. Can’t get any easier to store wealth than that. No more stuffing mattresses with cash or hiding gold in the basement.
My identity is attached primarily to two ‘hats’ I wear: being Christian and being an Engineer.
I’ve spent all of my adult life searching for truth in Christianity and most of my adult life as a student of Engineering. I feel that I was called to do both.
As a teen, I suffered some severe depressed periods where I questioned what life was all about. Answers seemed elusive, but as my relationship with God developed, I was no longer depressed. I’ve always needed to stay close to God to keep me on course and happy.
I literally DREAMED of being an engineer when I was young. My life started in the USAF, where I excelled early on, but when I was about 20, I realized that a career in the military was not for me. I wanted more so I started to take college classes while working on base. One semester, I took a full load of classes – 12 credit hours – while working. It was the most driven time in my life.
In my adult life as a Christian/Engineer, I noticed parallels between my advancement in both areas. My journey as an Engineer has shed light on my progression as a Christian. Being an Engineer for 4 decades demonstrated how a progression in a field of study in the real world works.
My life, hence, is a testimony of how the progressions compare.
