Women want to sweat. It's true. And in church, of all places! I discovered this a few months ago when a friend of mine and I hosted an unusual women's Bible study. We told women to wear sweatpants, t-shirts and sneakers and advertised that we'd be working on becoming spiritually and physically fit. We were surprised when three times the normal amount of women signed up. We discovered later it was the sweat, more than the study, which attracted them.

Why were all these women, many of whom had never signed up for a women's study before, so interested? They had lots of reasons: no time to exercise, intimidated by health clubs, no friends to exercise with, no fun studying or exercising alone. But more than anything they wanted the support, encouragement and accountability of other Christian women as they sought God to become healthier, both spiritually and physically. They wanted to work hard on developing their faith and their fitness levels and were thrilled to have the opportunity to do both at the same time.

Does the Gym Belong in Church?

According to government studies, 37% of adults report they are not physically active and only 3 in 10 get the recommended amount of physical activity. Between 2001-2004, 34% of women 20-74 years of age were found to be obese. That's one out of every three women.

What this means is that there are a bunch of stressed-out, overworked and out-of-shape women in this country. Even worse, women are dying from diseases influenced by lack of physical activity. These women attend my church and yours. And the ones in my church spoke loud and clear when they signed up for our study; "We want -- no, need -- the church to be a center of wellness for our spiritual and physical health."

It may sound intimidating to bring fitness activities into a church setting but the physical and spiritual benefits are well worth the effort. The risk for developing or dying from cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and certain cancers such as colon cancer, can be significantly reduced through moderate daily exercise. It helps to lower blood pressure and cholesterol, prevent or retard osteoporosis, and reduce obesity, symptoms of anxiety and depression, and symptoms of arthritis. And exercise doesn't require complicated gym machines or boot-camp classes. A three-times-a-week walking group can make a huge difference.

If You Build It, They Will Come

Churches and gyms are both social gathering places. Therefore, women are more likely to attend both a church and a gym if they go with friends. The women in our church are pretty representative of women all over the country -- they're looking for more out of church, want to spend more time with friends who share their faith, and are looking for small-group activities and support.

Brad Bloom, publisher of Faith and Fitness magazine, agrees. "If gyms are doing such a great job, why is obesity a continually growing crisis?...  As a member you can do cardio, group exercises, strength training… but when you leave the gym if your deepest needs have not been addressed you are still going to be dissatisfied."

The fact is, you can leave a Sunday morning church service and feel the same way. That's why small groups are so important to the spiritual health and wellness of the members of the church. It's where we can focus on individual needs and create an environment where people can open up and start talking about the deeper things going on in their lives.

In our study we laughed as we practiced balancing on one foot, tried to juggle foam balls in the air, and tighten our abdominals. Then we cried as we shared how difficult it was to balance our lives, juggle our responsibilities and keep our faith strong through all the tough times. We strengthened our core muscles as we exercised listening to Christian music, shared scriptures about developing our core strength in God, prayed, praised, and sweated together. It was the best fitness class I've ever been to. Some of us sweated in tears and some in joy, but we didn't want the six weeks to end.

It's clear from the success of this faith with fitness Bible study that we need to develop more groups at my church. What about yours? Try it, and I bet you'll find your women want to sweat in church too!

Linda Crawford is the author of Group's Simply Relevant Bible studies Finding Balance and A Taste of Freedom. She also works as an occupational therapist at her local hospital -- and, inspired by the success of the women's study discussed in this article, is now pursuing her personal trainer certification with a vision for developing future faith and fitness small-group activities.