It is with incredible enthusiasm that I share this message with you. No, Sara is not pregnant again, so this is not about babies. It is, though, about change. It is about paying attention to what you are feeling. It is about seeing the bigger picture of life.

In the fall of 1999 I started Johnny Fitness. I was a 27 year old kid with big dreams and a passion for helping people improve their lives through exercise and nutrition. A friend used to refer to me as "Johnny Fitness." The name Johnny Fitness put a smile on peoples' faces and sometimes brought out gut-busting laughter. For that time and that kid, the name worked.

My goals in starting Johnny Fitness were twofold: to educate and motivate as many people as I could and to create viable fitness careers for those who shared my passion. Over the past eight years we have done just that. Our company has grown to include several Johnny Fitness locations in the greater Wilmington area and our talented trainers have helped thousands of people improve the quality of their lives.

A year ago, I began the process of strengthening the message Johnny Fitness was sending. Given my strong belief in the interdependence of individuals and our collective contribution to humanity, I wanted a new name that honored the people that have helped build this business, rather than a name that focused on its founder. I also wanted a name that reflected the changes that have occurred within the fitness industry over the last decade –– namely, that it has evolved beyond just physical into mental, emotional and spiritual fitness.

In a brain storming session, going through hundreds of names, the word "plexus" was spoken. I had goose-bumps! Immediately I knew we had found our name. The word plexus comes from the Latin plectere "to braid," and critical to its modern usage is this concept of essentially interwoven elements, whose connection to each other is as important as the individual elements themselves. In other words, a plexus is a dynamic network where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts - a body, if you will, not unlike the bodies we serve that are immeasurably greater than the bones and muscles and organs of which they are made. Johnny Fitness has grown into a plexus. We are a body of fitness professionals and dedicated supporters, essentially connected, and together we can accomplish so much more.

As you can tell and as many of you know, I take my calling in this life very seriously! I am passionate about empowering people to enhance their lives through conscious fitness. Johnny Fitness has always been about change. Please join us in celebrating this new era, as we turn the page to Plexus.

Enthusiastically,
Johnny Gillespie

To view more information about the Nemours facility, click here.

Stay tuned for the fall launch of the Plexus Company website.