Thinking about Thanking

I have blogged several times in the past about the health benefits of being grateful. Our general outlook on life (positive or negative) can have a profound effect on our health and wellbeing.

In the spirit of the holiday, and in the interest of good health, I would like to briefly reflect on those things for which I am thankful this year at Thanksgiving. Of course, I am grateful for my health, my family, my friends, and my general welfare, but I want to discuss a few more obscure blessings in my life.

I am truly grateful for the clients in my personal training business, At Home Senior Fitness. I am truly fortunate to have a great group of clients–not just because they help me pay the bills, but also because I have been able to build great relationships with most of them. I have shared meals with clients, visited them in the hospital, and seen them through joyous occasions and times of loss as well. They have also seen me through ups and downs. I really do care about my clients and that care and concern is returned in spades.

I am grateful for the personal trainers that I had as a client. I always enjoyed the workouts and the results, but did not realize what a huge effect they had on me, pushing me to always do more and better. This has influenced the way that I train my clients as well. I also learned from them the importance of relationships as well as building and maintaining trust.

I am thankful that I have a network that has helped me build my business. Sam Kalamasz, who is working with me, has been a great resource and is committed to helping me grow my client base. ACE (through whom I maintain my certification as a personal trainer) has been helpful and informative. FAI (through whom I have my specialization to work with older adults) continues to enrich my skills. IDEAfit is the main source of my continuing education credits; their on-line resources and conferences are pretty top notch. SCORE (Service Corps of Retired Executives) is also an invaluable tool; they exist in most cities and helped me get organized as I launched my business. I definitely could not have done this all on my own and these organizations have been vital.

As we approach Thanksgiving, I encourage all of us to go beyond the “typical” things we are grateful for and consider some of the other factors that have helped us get where we are. The next step, then, is to try to be the person that others are grateful to have in their lives.

Best wishes to all for a happy and fit Thanksgiving!

6 Month Kidney-versary

Today I have a lot for which to be thankful. I have been blessed in so many ways: an amazing wife, incredible kids, excellent friends, a fulfilling career, a wonderful community, and good health.

I am also grateful that this past year I was able to successfully give the “gift of life” by donating my left kidney to someone with advanced kidney disease. I have worked hard over the last couple of decades to eat right, exercise, get plenty of rest, and practice other forms of self-care. It has paid off. I have always said that one of the best motivations for being physically active and eating right is in order to be healthy enough to help those around you–sort of like the message of the air masks that fall during an unlikely cabin depressurization; I have helped myself first, and then assisted others around me. This has been the focus of my career as a rabbi and now as a personal trainer as well. I never imagined, though, that I would be able to donate an organ (at least, while I was alive)–especially at the age of 58–but all those years of watching what I eat and going to the gym helped make it possible–not only for me, but for the two people and their loved ones who benefited from my donation.

A couple of weeks ago we had a 6-month Kidney-versary dinner here in Cleveland (pictured above). It was great to get the three donors and three recipients and their spouses together. It was even better to see everyone doing so well. I hope that we will continue to get-together as we are able to give thanks for the miracles of modern medicine that make it all possible–along with the outstanding doctors, nurses, and other caregivers. We are now all tied together by a very special bond.

For the first time this year, I feel like I am truly thankful not only for what I have, but for what I am able to give. I look forward to more opportunities to continue on this path…but I do plan to keep my other kidney!

Wishing everyone a happy and healthy Thanksgiving!

The Jewish Thanksgiving…Healthy for You?

This evening we begin the Jewish holiday of Sukkot; in English it is known as the Feast of Tabernacles.

The holiday has agricultural roots; it is the time of the fall harvest and the beginning of the rainy season in the Land of Israel. It is a joyous holiday; in the liturgy, it is referred to as Z’man Simchatenu, “the time of our rejoicing.” It also has an historical connection; it recalls the forty years of wandering in the wilderness between the Exodus from Egypt and the entrance of the Israelites into the Promised Land.

The agricultural aspect of the holiday is commemorated with the Lulav and Etrog–a palm branch decorated with myrtle and willow twigs, and a citron (a relative of the lemon)–that is held during certain prayers. The historical side is commemorated with the construction of temporary shelters called Sukkot (the singular is Sukkah); many people build these “booths” or “tabernacles” at their homes and eat their meals there for the week of the holiday–some even sleep inside them!

You may be wondering why this is such a joyous holiday if the 40 years of wandering was a punishment. According to the Torah, the people panicked after the report of the 12 spies and lost faith in Moses and God. The Lord wanted to destroy the Israelites right then and there but Moses interceded. Instead of wiping out the Children of Israel, they would wander for four decades as the old generation died out and and a new one arose. Jewish tradition teaches that the reason why we are joyous is two-fold. 1. It is the time of the harvest and everyone is happy to have food (hopefully) for the coming year. 2. During those 40 years, God did not forget the Children of Israel; on the contrary, God recalled this as a beatiful time in the relationship between the Hebrews and their Lord. God made sure that the people were protected from enemies, always had water to drink, manna to eat, and were eventually led into the Promised Land. There is indeed much for which to be grateful, which is why Sukkot is often thought of as the “Jewish Thanksgiving.”

Is Sukkot healthy for you? That depends. Like all other Jewish holidays, there is an emphasis on food–and lots of it. It is easy to overdo it, but that is our own decisions and not any fault of the holiday. The focus on gratitude, however, is good for our health. Refer to a blog post from 2019 and another from this past Thanksgiving for more information on the positive benefits of practicing gratitude. It does not just make you feel good in an emotional sense; being thankful can help improve your health.

Wishing all who celebrate Sukkot a happy and healthy holiday!

Gratitude and your Health

Here we are on the eve of Thanksgiving and this promises to be different than any one in the long history of the holiday. The pandemic has changed almost everyone’s plans. For most people, the big feast will be curtailed–not only in the number of people attending, but also in the amount of food being served. It just doesn’t make sense to make a huge turkey, 5 side dishes and 8 desserts for 2 or 3 people.

Perhaps–as I blogged about in a post at the beginning of November–we can try to make this holiday a little healthier, rather than a total lost cause.

When we think about improving our health, Thanksgiving does actually provide us an opportunity to take steps in the right direction. The holiday is all about recognizing the many blessings we have and giving thanks for them–to whomever or whatever you believe/don’t believe made it possible. At the heart of this holiday is a reminder of the importance of gratitude.

We usually think of gratitude as being more of a manners thing or a religion thing. It is, for example, polite to send a thank you note for a gift or simply thank someone for opening a door, helping out with a project, etc. Many religions stress gratitude as a key component to achieving holiness. In Judaism, we traditionally recite blessings before and after eating in order to thank God for the food. Those who pray on a regular basis the Amida prayer also thank God for: health, wisdom, justice, redemption, hearing our prayers, and peace. Judaism even has a prayer to thank God after using the bathroom!

Did you know that developing an “attitude of gratitude” has physical health benefits as well? Do an internet search of “gratitude and health” and the articles and research confirming this come from such illustrious institutions as Harvard, UC-Berkeley and USC. Gratitude has been shown to have the following positive effects on our health:

–Improved quality of sleep;

–Lowering Blood Pressure in those with hypertension;

–Increased levels of energy;

–Reducing stress and symptoms of Depression;

–and actually raising our life expectancey.

Don’t take it from me! The research shows that living with a greater sense of appreciation can make you healthier! Thanksgiving is a reminder to us of our history, but it can also be a catalyst to better–more grateful–attitudes and behaviors in the future.

While being thankful can make us feel better in the long-term, I wish I could say the same about the stuffing, pumpkin pie, green bean casserole….

Wishing you all a happy and healthy Thanksgiving Holiday.

Thinking Ahead to Thanksgiving

Last year I wrote a post before the holiday with tips for how to get through Thanksgiving without hating yourself afterwards for overeating. Here is the link: https://kosher-fitness.com/2019/11/27/how-to-eat-healthy-at-thanksgiving-dinner/.

The advice still holds, but this year there is an added wrinkle to take into account. Most years we are accustomed to having a large crowd, which calls for a large turkey, large casseroles, large stuffing, large, large, large…. In the pandemic, most of us are finding ourselves dining within our “COVID-19 Bubbles.” Generally, this will mean much smaller crowds. What to do?

I learned the lesson the hard way at Rosh Hashanah when we prepared large meals for just the two of us. It was not a pretty picture (although a delicious one)! We ate more than we should have–not a good idea during a time in the Jewish Year when we are aware of our transgressions!

As always, the key is to plan ahead. We’ve got several weeks to plan to downsize the festivities or commit to a plan with what to do with the leftovers.

Here are some suggestions:

–Do not purchase an entire turkey, but rather a turkey breast instead.

–Take out the family recipes now and start halving or quartering the amounts to fit the number of diners at your meal.

–Investigate now places to donate meals for Thanksgiving. There is a good chance that a neighbor or relative or friend may be eating alone this year; how about giving a small part of your meal to them (put together a few plates). Remember to be especially cautious about following hygiene standards.

–Get some freezer-friendly storage containers. If you can only prepare large, right after making everything, divvy it up and put it in the freezer, leaving only enough for the Thanksgiving meal. The leftovers can be used for future meals.

Hopefully this gets the wheels turning and gives you some ideas for how to stay on track. An early Happy Thanksgiving!

Jacob and Esau at Thanksgiving Dinner

I always read Parashat Toldot with extra interest since I am a twin. The story of the rocky relationship between Isaac and Rebecca’s sons, Jacob and Esau, begins in our Torah portion. From the very beginning, we are told that Isaac favored Esau and Rebecca favored Jacob. We are told that this is because of the different lives they led. As we know from the rest of the story, “playing favorites” did not really work out for the family.

As a child, my parents always made sure that they supported whatever my sister and I did. They never dressed us alike; they wanted us to have our own identities. They also made sure that we understood that we could follow whatever path we wanted in life and we would be loved and encouraged. To this day, my sister and I (and our older brother) have a close and loving relationship.

Just yesterday, many of sat down to a festive Thanksgiving Dinner with our families; it may have been wonderful or perhaps less than wonderful. Often, the discomfort comes from events that happened years ago. Sometimes we can repair, but other times–as was the case with Esau and Jacob–we understand that it may not be possible.

All the more reason for us to think carefully about how our actions today can affect the connections we hope to build and maintain in the future.Shabbat Shalom!

How to Eat Healthy at Thanksgiving Dinner

Reality Check: For most of us, this won’t be happening. Those trying to watch their weight or just not overdo it will find that Thanksgiving Dinner is a huge challenge.

Here are some helpful suggestions:

–Stick to healthier appetizers like raw vegetables. If we fill up on those, we are less likely to eat the richer stuff that are part of the entree.

–Drink lots of water; water makes us feel more full and can prevent us from eating too much. Plus, it’s always good to hydrate.

–Fill your plate once…and then don’t refill it. Pile it as much as you want the first time, but then stop. A good way to do this is to remove your plate from the table.

–Eat until you feel about 3/4 full. Our sense of being full is slower than our mouths; if we stop eating at 3/4 (or earlier) we can avoid the overstuffed feeling.

–Choose one or two desserts and then ask for a small serving. Don’t deprive yourself of pumpkin pie or other treats; rather, enjoy with a small portion.

–Don’t fall for the idea of going to the gym and working out like crazy so that you can eat more at dinner. Unless we are running a marathon on Thursday morning (and some of us might be) we’ll never burn enough calories to make up for what we’re about to eat. More likely, we will be hungry from our workout and eat even more. Avoid this trap!

Finally, if all else fails:

If you get on the scale on Friday and the news isn’t good, be kind to yourself and realize that Thanksiving day is one-of-a kind. Don’t get down on yourself for “being weak.” Accept that we all have days when we eat healthier than others. Commit to getting back on the program.

It probably won’t take too long to undo the damage…before Hanukkah and Christmas come in four weeks! Lather. Rinse. Repeat.

Would You Rather Be Happy or Live Longer?

If you had to choose between long life and happiness, what would be your choice?

Guess what? You don’t have to choose. Happy people live longer. At least that is what research is showing. Studies about the connection have been going on for years, but all point to the fact that that happier we are, the longer we live.

Of course, what defines happiness for one person doesn’t necessarily define it for someone else. There are research questions that helped to identify the components that make up happiness. Five main areas are: 1. Having satisfying social connections, 2. Looking on the bright side, 3. Meaning and purpose in one’s life, 4. Spirituality, 5. and what Martin Seligman (co-founder of the Positive Psychology movement) calls flourishing with PERMA (Positive emotion, engagement, relationship, meaning, and accomplishment). For a full explanation of all of these, go to the article from http://www.cnn.com: https://www.cnn.com/2019/09/30/health/happiness-live-longer-wellness/index.html

On this blog, I talk about nutrition, exercise and spirituality and how they can help to improve our health–physically, emotionally and spiritually. It is noteworthy that research now shows a strong link between happiness and long life.

Thanksgiving is just around the corner. It is a time for recognizing the blessings in our lives. That sense of gratitude helps to bring happiness our way. This is not an exercise just for the end of November; Jewish tradition’s mussar movement encourages us regularly to practice gratitude. Rather than focusing on the negative, we should be grateful for all the positives. The research shows: we will be happier…and for longer too!