Start Slow. Stay Consistent.

“Please sign me up for a 5-day-a-week program.

I always find that request interesting—especially when it comes from someone currently doing *zero* classes per week.

Whenever someone asks how to sign up for Jump Into Shape, my first response is always: Let’s talk first.

Just last week, a woman sent me a video message saying she wanted to buy the ropeless ropes and start classes. I responded, “Let’s first get on the phone to discuss your goals—and to see if the ropeless ropes and Jump Into Shape even make sense for you.”

Now, back to the idea of jumping into five classes a week.

Let’s be honest—almost no one starts there. Most of us learn to crawl, then walk, and only then run (or jump rope—pun intended).

Nobody comes out of the womb and runs home from the hospital. That’s not how HaShem made us. He built the human body to grow in stages—to take baby steps, quite literally.

We learn Alef-Beis before words, words before pesukim, pesukim before perakim. I learned Mishnayos for years before even opening a Gemara. That’s how our minds are wired—step by step, layer by layer.

The same goes for exercise.

I meet so many people who haven’t worked out in years—and they feel it.

They tell me stories like:

• “I pulled a muscle just standing up from the floor while playing with my grandkids.”

• “After playing one hour of basketball, I couldn’t move for two days.”

• “By the end of the workday or the week, I’m just totally drained.”

And always, there’s this longing for their younger years—when the body just worked.

When they could run, play, move, and not even think about stretching, warming up, or needing energy.

Why? Because back then, they were active all the time. Their bodies were naturally conditioned.

But now, after years at a desk, where do you start?

My advice: Start with a simple, progressive program that includes stretching, resistance training, and cardio.

Start with just three days a week, even if it’s only 15 minutes per session.

Find a program that has a clear timeframe—2 to 3 months—and one that gets harder slowly over time. The sets will get longer. The breaks will get shorter. Your body will adapt.

So why do people want to jump into five classes a week right away?

Because we live in a world of instant gratification.

I remember back in high school when our library first got internet access. I waited 10 minutes for the screen to load just to see the box score—and it was amazing!

Try that today—people lose patience after 10 seconds.

But here’s the truth:

Your body didn’t get out of shape overnight.

It’s not going to bounce back overnight either.

Think long-term:

Where do you want to be in 5, 10, or 20 years?

Do you want to have the strength and stamina to daven with kavanah, learn for hours, do chesed, wake up for Vasikin?

Or do you want to be sitting on a couch, low on energy, remembering how things used to be?

It starts now.

And it starts slow.