It was the winter of 2018. My wife and I were living just north of New York City, anxiously awaiting the birth of our first child, navigating newlywed life, and adjusting to a city where we knew no one. It was one of the hardest and most formative times of our lives, and the graces and growth that came from it could fill an entire book.
I share this context because this was the winter I became a personal trainer. At the time, I was working for the Archdiocese of New York in the Young Adult Office and absolutely loved it. It was literally one of the best jobs I’ve ever had. But anyone who has worked for the Church knows that you don't go into it for the money.
We needed some additional income, and I didn't want to force my wife to rush back to work after the baby was born. So I got certified as a personal trainer, and my first job was at a local 24-hour fitness gym.
I quickly discovered that I really loved working with people in this way, and I was good at it. But I also realized I hated working in a secular gym.
There were a few reasons for this. First, my managers were more worried about making sales and hitting numbers than about the people we were trying to serve. I was constantly thrown sales "hacks" and different strategies to manipulate people into giving us their money.
It felt gross.
The next reason was that when I asked people why they wanted to be healthy or get in shape, nine times out of ten, it had something to do with looking sexy or wanting a six-pack. I remember thinking to myself during one of these conversations that I literally couldn't care less if anyone thought this person was sexy.
Lastly, and maybe most obviously, I couldn't talk about Jesus. And that drove me crazy! People naturally talk about themselves during workout sessions—their problems and struggles. And I wasn't allowed to speak obvious truth into the situations they were sharing. Ugh!
This forced me, for the first time, to reflect on why I cared about exercising and nutritional discipline. I had always been active and loved sports. But was that my inner Americana or my inner Catholic? Was it just a cultural thing, or was it something redemptive?
In the spring of 2019, I turned back to Pope St. John Paul the Great's Theology of the Body for answers.
I had studied TOB in my undergrad and master's at JPCatholic out in San Diego under the tutelage of Dr. John Kincaid and Dr. Michael Barber, so I had read it over a couple of times. But maybe I had missed something that would help me here.
For those who haven't read it (go buy it now and read it!), St. JPII starts his reflections with this idea of the "hermeneutic of gift." He draws from Gaudium et Spes 24, which states:
"Man, who is the only creature on earth which God willed for itself, cannot fully find himself except through a sincere gift of himself."
This is the lens through which St. JPII reads Scripture and sees life. Another way some have stated this is as "the law of gift."
I knew this and already loved the idea. But what did this have to do with being fit and healthy?
In comes St. JPII with the hammer:
"In fact, in order to remain in the relation of the 'sincere gift of self' and in order to become a gift, each for the other, through their whole humanity made of femininity and masculinity (also in reference to the perspective that Genesis 2:24 speaks about), they must be free in exactly this way. Here we mean freedom above all as self-mastery (self-dominion). Under this aspect, self-mastery is indispensable in order for man to be able to 'give himself,' in order for him to become a gift, in order for him (referring to the words of the Council) to be able to 'find himself fully' through 'a sincere gift of self' (Gaudium et Spes, 24:3)" (TOB 15.2).
This was my lightbulb moment. If I am created and called to be like Jesus in all things—including His perfect gift of Himself to the Father on the cross—then I cannot give what I do not have. So I must strive for self-mastery for the sake of self-gift in all aspects of my life: physical, mental, and spiritual. I must conquer myself in order to fully give of myself.
This is where Hypuro Fit was born. I knew I needed to take this message and speak light and truth into the fitness space. And you're here reading this, so it must be working!
Wherever you are in your faith and fitness journey, here is my ask: seek Jesus.
Invite Him into your life at every moment. Run to the sacraments. Cling to Him in prayer. And beg for the grace to die to yourself in order to better give of yourself.
"Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit" (Jn 12:24).
Being fit and healthy is not ultimately about looking a certain way. It's about being conformed to the image of the Son of God—to be able to give and serve to the best of your abilities.
To give and not count the cost.
So whether you are struggling with learning new healthy habits and skills, or are extremely consistent, make this the lens and reason behind why you strive for health. Don't let your pride or vanity rule the day. Make your goal Jesus.
I pray that Mary, Star of the Sea, guide you on your journey towards her son.
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