I know a guy who does everything he can to save costs at his company. He buys the oldest computers. He makes sure the building is dilapidated. The air conditioning and heat never work, and there are leaks coming in every time it rains. The computer systems are from the 1980s, and he insists he doesn’t want to get anything fixed. He’s all about saving costs, even though he knows that if he invests money now, it’ll save him down the road. Now, I made up this situation. It’s not

Friends, hope all is well! Recently, during Chol Hamoed Sukkos, our family had our annual basketball tournament. It used to be three-on-three until one of our family members broke a bone in their foot last year, so we reduced it to two-on-two. An amazing thing happened during this tournament. With a tremendous blessing from Above, I was able to play four games of two-on-two basketball without getting tired! Now, keep in mind, the first two games were half-court, and then

Attention, attention! To the hundreds of people who have tried Jump Into Shape at some point over the years: I think it’s time we reintroduce ourselves. If your memory of Jump Into Shape is a bunch of people jumping rope together on Zoom, you remember correctly. But if you think that’s still what Jump Into Shape is today, you may be surprised by how much has changed. As many of you know, Jump Into Shape started very simply. I began exercising around age 40 after years of doin

I recently started learning Bava Kamma, the first masechta of Nezikin, which deals extensively with damages and our responsibility to prevent what belongs to us from harming others. One of the concepts we encounter is the distinction between a tam and a muad. With certain types of damage caused by an animal, the owner initially pays only half the damages. After the animal establishes a pattern, it can become a muad, and the owner can become responsible for full damages. But w

When I was a kid, I remember hearing the same warning over and over again: Kids shouldn’t lift weights. It will stunt their growth. It’s bad for their bones and growth plates. It turns out that much of what we were told simply wasn’t true. I recently listened to an excellent episode of Perform with Dr. Andy Galpin devoted specifically to strength training and exercise for children. What I found particularly interesting was his explanation of where the “stunted growth” idea ma

Yom Kippur is over. The shofar has already sounded. The tefillos have been said. We stood before Hashem and thought about life and death, about ourselves, our families, our communities, and Klal Yisrael. So now what? I was thinking about a fascinating connection between a pasuk in Ha’azinu and one of the most famous Rambams we read at this time of year. In Ha’azinu, Devarim 32:21 says: “הם קנאוני בלא אל, כעסוני בהבליהם”. They angered Hashem with their vanities. That word caug

Baruch HaShem, I recently had the tremendous zechus to finish Maseches Rosh Hashanah. Besides being an amazing masechta to learn at any time of year, learning it during the period leading up to Rosh Hashanah gave me a much deeper understanding of this powerful day, how we prepare for it, and its ramifications. But as I was learning, I began thinking that perhaps there are some important business lessons hidden in there as well. One theme that struck me throughout the masechta

Most people don’t wake up one morning and suddenly realize they’ve lost their strength, endurance, balance, or mobility. It usually happens gradually. You start avoiding the stairs. The groceries feel a little heavier. Walking a few blocks becomes more tiring. You begin accepting these changes as part of getting older. But sometimes your everyday life is telling you something: your body needs more movement. Exercise isn’t just about losing weight or looking better. It’s about

During the tefillos of Rosh Hashanah, something occurred to me: so much of our tefillah is focused on chayim, life. We ask Hashem again and again for life. Even when we look at the Torah and Haftarah readings of Rosh Hashanah, life is everywhere. Sarah, after so many years of waiting, is remembered and given the ability to bring life into the world. Chana begs Hashem for a child, and ultimately that life is granted. It got me thinking: What exactly am I asking Hashem for when

For many of our members who just finished celebrating Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, this is naturally a time to think about new beginnings. But even if you did not celebrate Rosh Hashanah, you can always decide that today is the day to turn over a new leaf. We can always choose to become more conscious of our spiritual health, our physical health, our mental health, our relationships with the people around us, and our relationship with God. There is never a bad day to s

Dear Rosh Yeshiva, As we approach the end of the Jewish year, it’s a natural time for a cheshbon hanefesh. We look back at where we stand, what we accomplished, what needs improvement, and what goals we want to set for the coming year. For a Rosh Yeshiva, that cheshbon obviously includes the spiritual growth of the talmidim. Are they growing in Torah? Are they developing in their tefillah and middos? Are they becoming stronger ovdei HaShem? Are we giving them the tools they n

Dear CEO, Thank you so much for taking the time to consider the possibility of a corporate wellness program for your company. Jump Into Shape can structure a program to fit virtually any budget your organization has. We offer discounted pricing when we partner with corporations, allowing your employees to join at a special rate in exchange for your company promoting health and wellness as a core value for your staff. As far as who covers the cost, we're completely flexible. Y

As we approach the end of the Jewish year, with the secular year not too far behind, it’s a natural time to do what we call a cheshbon hanefesh. Where do we stand in life? Most importantly, where do we stand in our service to Hashem? How are we doing with our relationships, our responsibilities, our spiritual growth, and our professional lives? For all the CEOs, business owners, executives, and really anyone who works, this is also a good time to ask a simple question: How ar

Shalom friends, There will be times in your life when you’re doing an amazing job with your exercise routine. You’re hitting your goals, whether that means exercising three times a week, five times a week, or whatever schedule works for you. You’re consistent, you’re feeling good, and everything seems to be clicking. And then life happens. Maybe it’s a busy time at work. Maybe it’s the holidays, family obligations, travel, or something completely unexpected. Sometimes the dis

Shalom Friends, I wanted to share something that really struck me from an article I recently read from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), part of the National Institutes of Health, about the long-term health risks associated with being overweight and obesity. I think most people understand that carrying excess weight can be detrimental to their health. But I’m not sure we always appreciate how many different areas of the body can b

Labor Day: What Kind of Work Are We Doing on Ourselves? The purpose of Labor Day is “to honor and celebrate the social and economic achievements of American workers.” That got me thinking about the word labor itself. Labor means work. In Judaism, we have a fascinating relationship with work. On Shabbos Kodesh, we refrain from melachah—creative, productive work. We stop and recognize that HaShem runs the world, not us. But during the week, there is plenty of work to do. Of

Shalom Friends, I'll admit, when I was in high school, I wanted to lift weights to look strong and take my shirt off at the beach. Now, many years later, I have a different perspective on life, shaped by my desire to live according to my religious values. But nonetheless, I still lift weights now, after taking a break of about 25 years. In fact, I lift weights probably six days a week now. So is it the same? Am I still doing this "take your shirt off" motion? What am I do

Imagine you wake up one morning and realize that the things you used to do without thinking suddenly aren’t so easy. Your pants are tighter. You’re tired in the middle of the day. Carrying groceries feels heavier. You get winded walking up the stairs, and when you stand up after sitting for a while, your body feels stiff. None of these things happened overnight, but somehow, little by little, they became your new normal. At what point do you decide that you don’t want this to

One of the interesting things about working from home is that you can be incredibly busy all day and, at the same time, barely move. You sit down in the morning, start answering emails, jump on a Zoom, take a few phone calls, get some work done, and suddenly it’s 4:00 in the afternoon. You may have accomplished a tremendous amount professionally, but physically you’ve barely left your chair. When you work in an office, there are a lot of little movements that happen without e

There is a Mishnah in Rosh Hashanah that says that if someone blows a shofar in a pit, cistern, or barrel, and you hear the echo rather than the actual sound of the shofar, you have not fulfilled the mitzvah. The Gemara elaborates on the circumstances and whether the person can distinguish the actual sound, but the basic idea is powerful: hearing an echo is not the same as hearing the pure sound of the shofar itself. I was thinking about this especially during the weeks leadi