Going to the Gym: 5 am vs. 5 pm

Life is very hetic these days. So, in order to get the necessary amount of exercise that I need to lose weight, de-stress, and stay healthy, I have to resort to waking up at 5 am (ish) and head to the gym. My friends tell me that I crazy, but truthfully - it is not that bad.  Here is what people say and how I rationalize it:

• "It's Cold Out There!"- It is dark and cold at 5 am and soon enough it will be dark and cold at 5 pm as we get closer to wintertime. So, in my mind, it makes no difference.

• "I'll Never Get Out Of the House!"-
  As long as I sleep in my work out clothes and have my Ipod charged and my keys and shoes by the front door the night before, it is really a no-brainer to get out of the house. 

• "There is no one at the gym at that hour!" Actually, the parking lot is pretty crowded at 5 am.  I was surprised about this too. And even with all of these people at the gym, I've never had to wait for a treadmill or a weight machine.

• "My friends won't go with me." I use this to my benefit. I like to work out alone. It is quality "me time."  And, being at the gym is serious business at 5 am.  Lots of exercising and very little chit chat. If you are getting up at that ungodly hour - make it worth your while to get in a good work out.  Whenever I go at 5 pm, the gym feels more like a happy hour. There is lots of talking and socializing with a little exercise in between.

Although I rarely talk to anyone at the gym, I am very motivated by watching others work out. I get some great ideas and I like the fact that there are fewer people watching, laughing, and pointing at me as I attempt to try new things.

With a husband, two kids, a full time job, loads of activities and dinner to put on the table, there is just no way that I'm getting to the gym at 5 pm. An early morning workout allows me to cross something off my to-do list and start my day with lots of energy and a smile. You should try it sometime. Let me know how it goes. :)

Hello, Yeah It's Been A While...

Welcome to a new & improved

Kvell Corner!

It has been 6 months since I've updated my blog and all I can say is that I am sorry about that.  But, I'm not necessarily apologizing to you (no offense).  I'm forgiving myself for all of the detours I've taken from one of the things that I love to do most of all - writing.

I don't believe in signs but I do believe that things happen for a reason. There are two things that recently happened to convince me to start blogging again. 

First, I took a class on blogging.  At work, we have been playing around with the idea of creating a blog.  Our attempts have been well received but - like many blogs - it went unattended.  I wanted to find out about best practices and how to use blogs to be both a resource and a personal connection to our community.  But, I was also secretly hoping it would be just the push I needed to write again. 

By the end of class, I was so excited about blogging again that I went home and put my new skills to use. (How do you like my new template?).

The next day, I opened my mailbox to find O magazine and the theme for the month is "What Is Your True Calling?"  Normally, I don't have the time to read O magazine cover to cover but I devoured this issue. It spoke to me as if I had my own personal coach. I've been reading the articles over and over again, but my favorite one is written by personal coach and writer, Martha Beck.


She wrote about the GPS in her car. When she gets lost, her GPS adjusts itself to show her how to get where she is going with a soothing tone creating a stress-free environment.  You never hear a GPS say - "you idiot, where are you going?" And we should never hear those words in our own minds either.  In her article, she encourages all of us to listen to our inner GPS, stop punishing ourselves for not following our hearts, and find our true calling.  It's good advice and I'm taking it!

So, I'm back to blogging and I'm so happy about it! This blog is purely personal, but I'm hoping to branch out to blogging in my professional life and other writing pursuits. Writing is not a chore for me. It brings me a lot of joy and satisfaction. It is a calling. It is even more enjoyable when others respond with comments to my posts.  It is nice to know that I'm not just writing for my own enjoyment. LOL!  My next goal is to find a focus for my blog. Right now, it will be random "slice of life" posts, but I hope it will be much more than that - someday.

Tears of joy and sorrow

This has been a week of great highs and lows. I'll start out on a high note. For a little over 3 months, I've been losing weight and working to achieve my goal of finishing a 5K race by spring. I'm proud to say that after waking up at 5:30 every other morning and making the time in my day to exercise, I have accomplished both of these things.

In order to get motivated and train for the 5K, I enlisted the help of a personal trainer - my friend and fellow synagogue member, Rebecca Kahn. (If anyone wants her number, I'm happy to oblige). She put me on a program and step by step I started to get stronger. She coached me through every thought, feeling, ache & pain and promised that I would run a 5K in the early spring. At first, I thought she was crazy, but it turned out she was right. Together, we ran the entire 5K on Sunday. I finished in 36 minutes and 24 seconds. Many finished ahead of me, but I wasn't the last one either. When I crossed the finish line, I am not ashamed to say that I broke down in tears of joy - totally amazed at my accomplishment.

More tears occurred earlier in the week when our shul lost a bright star, Natan - a 13 year old boy who was killed in a terrible accident. Natan means "gift" and he truly was that to our community. A boy whose smile lit up the bima when he sang with the junior choir and just weeks ago as the king in our Purim shpiel (play). His intelligence was beyond his years. In the days following his death, I learned that he had great passion for everything he did in his life from tennis to chess.

As I ran the 5K on Sunday, I thought of him and his "can do" attitude which further inspired me to run that race in his memory.

What happened to the weekend?

It is almost 7 pm on Sunday and I feel like another weekend has passed me by. Weekends are supposed to be for R&R, right? Lately, they are extentions of the work week with errands, kids birthday parties, food shopping, etc.

This particular weekend, I was sick with a terrible cold which kept me out of commission from Wednesday to Saturday. Today, I worked in the morning, played catch-up with the laundry and now I am preparing myself for the chaos that Monday mornings normally bring.

I did have time to sit at the Sisterhood Ladies Tea at the synagogue this afternoon with my daughter which was nice. It was basically the only time that I sat down all day. I should have savored the moment more because 2 hours later I found myself scrubbing down the bathroom.

As I look forward to next weekend, there is nothing on the calendar. Nothing that is until Sunday, when I am going to run in my first 5K ever. I'm excited because it looks like next weekend could be my next chance for some R&R. I hope...