Something that one of you said to me a couple days ago has been echoing through my mind this weekend.  “Thank you for changing the way I think about exercise.”  Hmm.  I’m not without ego–that felt good to hear personally.  And I’m not without foresight as a business owner–that means we’re doing something pretty right here professionally, and we should keep doing that.

But that’s not what this post is about.  You are always so very gracious in person and in this virtual space, but I want you to read this and then think and talk about YOU, not about us.

However quickly I’d like to think I limn out underlying concepts, this compliment’s put me at a bit of a loss.  I know that it’s unusual for a gym to provide its members with free weight programming and the encouragement to go hard AND smart in the way we do here at Woodshed; I also know that CrossFit gyms provide a unique space that seeks to marry the better angels of individual and group training.  But I don’t think, ultimately, that either aspect is enough to finally and fully change the way we think about exercise.  Maybe it is for some, but for others…

And then I went to open gym today and watched four of our women hit a snatch workout of their own devising, finishing it up with our conditioner from yesterday’s 10 AM class.  They made intelligent substitutions, worked hard, had a blast, and earned whatever rest and tons of sushi were perhaps to follow.  That’s when it hit me–whatever change we are able to affect here is really very rudimentary even as it’s quite profound:

We give you the framework to understand and enact the simple truth that YOU are the captain of your own health and wellness.  And we hope that for those of you who haven’t yet internalized this simple truth in its greater context, what we do here pushes you a little bit further in that direction.  Body and soul, YOU are the great builder here.

Carpe diem.