Our Story | What is CatholicFIT?

I hope that CatholicFIT is first and foremost, a template for building a bridge between your faith and your fitness to ultimately strengthen both. Secondly, it is simply good fitness, based on the latest research and anecdotal evidence.

CatholicFIT is not simply about being uber-Catholic or super fit, but being an engaged student of both. Being “Catholic & Fit” continually meets and challenges you where you are, encouraging discipleship (lifelong, intentional learning), not perfection. 

CatholicFIT lessons in virtue build physical and spiritual health, with specific principles that help define what it means to be Catholic and what it means to be fit, for any individual, during any stage of life.

How did CatholicFIT begin?

2017 CatholicFIT Finale Event in St. Louis, MO at Trinity High School

In 2013, I was sitting with a group of people in a wellness coaching program when I realized two things:

  1. First, each person wanted to be healthy and fit, yet had a difficult time articulating what exactly “healthy and fit” meant and what it might look like in terms of their daily routines, relationships, diet, or physical strength.
  2. The second thing I realized was how difficult it was for these individuals to discuss the reason or purpose of their fitness goals, if not the purpose of their life in general. So here was a group of people paying a lot of money to work on their personal fitness, but could not adequately define what fitness was, and had no clear idea for what purpose fitness served in their lives. Their fitness efforts suddenly seemed futile.
Catholic FIT Calisthenics and Fitness Programming for the Catholic Community
Behinds the scenes with family at a CatholicFIT video shoot

One evening I asked the group what books they were currently reading. The third person to speak said, “Rediscover Catholicism” by Matthew Kelly.

This is when it hit me. This particular person was unable to articulate her own, personal definition of fitness, wasn’t quite sure how to discuss her purpose, and just happened to be reading a book about “rediscovering” her Catholic faith. Not only was this person struggling with her health and weight management goal, but she was struggling with some of her recent lifestyle decisions. I wanted to stop the meeting in that moment to focus only on her and discuss this book and where she might be able to find answers. But, I found, as much as I wanted to, I was unable to, in that moment, articulate what it meant to be healthy and fit specifically through the lens of the Catholic church’s beliefs and values. 

This bothered me.

After the discussion was over and everyone left, I locked the door of this meeting room, pulled out a dry erase board and scribbled until the board was filled. I erased it and filled it up three more times. I took a picture of each brainstorm.

I called my wife on the way home telling her that I had to begin a Catholic fitness program based on the principles of the Catholic Church. I didn’t know what it would look like exactly, but I had all sorts of “fitness theology” ideas racing through my mind.

The very next morning, after Mass, my pastor, Fr. Jack, knowing I am a fitness trainer, asked me about developing a fitness program for the students of 8 grade schools in the north county area of St. Louis, MO. Holy providential!

CatholicFIT was born.

Why CatholicFIT?

I believe our personal faith and fitness, beginning with simply defining what it means to be Catholic and what it means to be fit, precedes and informs everything else in life. Yet, currently in our schools and religious education programs, this seems to be less and less of a priority. Our PE and religion classes are compartmentalized and taught separately from other subjects when our faith and caring for our Temple of the Holy Spirit should be front and center, inspiring and energizing us to live our lives and saints.

I envision a day where every Catholic can confidently and personally answer the questions:

  1. what it means to be Catholic, and
  2. what it means to be fit?

I believe this could be the beginning of establishing a stronger Catholic identity and fighting our current health crisis in one fell swoop.

For more on this, visit the Vision, Mission & Strategies Page and for more about my work, visit the Above CatholicFIT, Creator, Dave Reddy Page.

Thank you for visiting! You can also find us on YouTube, Facebook and our Instagram channels @catholicfit.