Chana Faiga: Scarves and Squats: Covered & Confident/Strong, not Skinny

Meet Chana Faiga, a newlywed first-year corporate attorney who is redefining what it means to be strong, modest, and unapologetically Jewish at the gym. In just seven months, Chana Faiga has grown her Instagram account, Scarves and Squats, to over 2,500 followers — inspiring frum women everywhere with her tagline: coverd and confident / strong, not skinny.

In this episode, Ellen and Chana Faiga discuss:

• How she navigates the gym in a tichel and skirts — and why modest doesn't mean you can't be cute
• Her journey to deadlifting 200 pounds (yes, really!)
• Her favorite workout brands and what works for tzniusdik exercise wear
• Bringing spirituality into fitness — from Asher Yatzar to finding bracha in movement
• Balancing long hours as a lawyer, newlywed life, and late-night gym sessions
• Her healthy relationship with food and body image
• Working out with your husband — and why it's surprisingly romantic
• Navigating chagim and cheesecake season without derailing your fitness

Plus — a giveaway with Qualify Protein Powder (Chalav Yisrael certified!) and a shoutout to Gift of Life bone marrow registry.

#FrumWomenInMotion #ScarvesAndSquats #JewishWomen #TzniusFitness #FrumFitness #ModestFashion #StrongNotSkinny #JewishPodcast #FrumLife #WomenWhoLift

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:01

I think Ada is a corporate attorney. I knew she is the creator of Scars and Squads, an Instagram platform dedicated to helping women feel strong and confident while showing that modesty and fitness can coexist. She lives in New York with her husband and is building a life rooted in strength, faith, and purpose. Join me now to hear her story. As Firm Women, we're always running for our families, our work, our communities, and our values. But what if fitness could be more than just another thing on the to-do list? I'm Ellen Z. Goldberg, and on this podcast, we explore how movement can bring us closer to the best version of ourselves and closer to Hashem. Because when we build physical strength, we build spiritual strength too. Join me now for From Women in Motion. Thank you so much.

SPEAKER_01 1:05

Thank you for having me.

SPEAKER_00 1:08

Let's focus the spiritual energy of this interview. Who is there somebody that you're diving for that we could all dive in with you?

SPEAKER_01 1:14

I would just dive in for all the women who are looking for Shadukim to find them and find their perfect match and find them soon.

SPEAKER_00 1:27

A main, a main. Alright, everybody, insert personal name here. And I think that's great. So I also like to start all of my interviews with like a paso that really spoke to me about the person I'm interviewing. And for you, what really came to me was from Tihilim Perik Haftet Hashem Ozliamo. Hashem gives strength to his people. And that is just what you are doing is showing how Hashem has given you strength and using it so well.

SPEAKER_01 2:02

Thank you. I do think that strength and physical strength is also very spiritual, and taking care of your body is the first step to being able to do any other mitzvah.

SPEAKER_00 2:13

You started on Instagram in October, and in only seven months, you now have more than 2,500 followers of your Instagram account, Scarves and Squats. I love that name. How did you come up with the name?

SPEAKER_01 2:27

I actually came up with the name before the account. I was at the gym lifting an Atichl and I thought of the name Scarves and Squats, and it just sounded like something, so I decided to make it an Instagram account.

SPEAKER_00 2:41

I love it. So you're a newlywed. So you hadn't been at the gym in a tickel for very long. When did you get married?

SPEAKER_01 2:51

I just got married this August.

SPEAKER_00 2:54

Oh my gosh. Shannarishona Mazaltov. Okay. Oh, so you're and you are in your first year of working as a corporate lawyer.

SPEAKER_01 3:04

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 3:05

Gosh, you are a busy woman.

SPEAKER_01 3:07

Definitely.

SPEAKER_00 3:08

How what fills your day? Like how do you juggle all of this?

SPEAKER_01 3:12

I think I think the key is just not to do everything at once. So if I have a super busy day at work, maybe that's not a day that I'm able to go to the gym. If I have a day where I'm working late, but I did get a lot of sleep and I ate well, then maybe I go to the gym late night. And if if I if I don't feel well enough, then I just don't do it. And I think that's the key to balancing everything at once is you can't be good at everything at once. You can be bad at everything at once. So I just try to balance by focusing on different things at different times.

SPEAKER_00 3:49

Makes so much sense. That's all we can do. You know, Hoshem only gave us 24 hours in a day, and we can use them to the best that we can, but we can't make a 25th hour in there. So your tagline for your account as covered and confident, strong, not skinny. I love it. Tell us more.

SPEAKER_01 4:09

I think some people assume being covered or being modest with not being confident. So that was the first piece. I wanted to show that being modest doesn't mean being meek. It can just be the way that you represent yourself. And strong, not skinny is just the goal of working out. I think sometimes people work out with the goal of being skinny, but my personal goal is just to build strength.

SPEAKER_00 4:33

So the gym you go to, is it a men women gym or is it just single gender?

SPEAKER_01 4:39

Yes, it is a co-ed gym. If it was single gender, then I wouldn't have to wear all these things.

SPEAKER_00 4:44

That's a good point. I didn't think about that. You're right.

unknown 4:47

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 4:47

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 4:48

So and is this the same gym that you went to before you were married?

SPEAKER_01 4:51

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 4:52

And has anyone commented like, wow, you look different now? Or what what's with the thing on your head now?

SPEAKER_01 4:59

I don't think I've gotten too many comments. One old lady told me that I look a little Amish, but that was when I was wearing pretty much all black, so try to have pop a color.

SPEAKER_00 5:11

Ah, the classic religious Jew, are you Amish thing? Has it affected your working out? You work out at the same gym as you did before you were married. Has the difference in your style affected your working out at all?

SPEAKER_01 5:23

I think it is an adjustment to work out in more layers, and I think it's mostly trying to balance what's practical and what is your SNEA standards because working out in long sleeves can be really hot. So I've chosen to wear short sleeves sometimes because it's just too hot to lift heavy weights in long sleeves, but some people choose to wear long sleeves. I find that it's just as practical to work out in a skirt as long as there's leggings or shorts attached, and then again, the the tickle adds an extra layer, so I try to get dry fit, breathable scarves so that I don't overheat and faint at the gym.

SPEAKER_00 6:06

I love that. Okay, so you had a recent post, you said you can't be cute and modest at the gym. Bet, and you just did this whole like awesome fashion show about like what you wear to the gym. What are some brands that you like? I find that our listeners always want to know specifically what brands women are wearing that work well to exercise in.

SPEAKER_01 6:26

So I think B7 Active is a really cute brand. And a new one that I really like because it's so girly and feminine is the Hannah Gabrielle shop. They have a Pink Pilates princess fit, but make it modest.

SPEAKER_00 6:42

You gotta check this out. The Pink Pilates princess outfit was like totally amazing.

SPEAKER_01 6:48

Thank you. And I'm trying to think of other brands. There are so many. I did a collab with typical skirts, and they're they're fun because they have workout skirts with pockets.

SPEAKER_00 7:00

I was just gonna say, and they have pockets. You can always tell what's designed by women because they have pockets because you Hannafega, one of the things that I love about looking at your account is I always find myself nodding my head when I see what you've captioned your posts. Like you had one from Tvarim, you said you had the quote, take great care of your health from the Torah portion, and then you wrote, caring for your physical body is a spiritual responsibility. Like, are there things that you say before you start working out, or how do you really take that spiritualness and bring it into your working out?

SPEAKER_01 7:37

I think that people are not always as grateful to their bodies as they can be. People tend to be very critical of their bodies, particularly on how you look and how your body changes. But your body is such a bracha, such an amazing gift from Hashem, and being able to take care of it is a mitzvah shot from the Torah. And I think people focus on other mitzvah, but sometimes neglect their physical health. A another idea that I I really like is uh Asher Yatzar bracha, like after the bathroom, because just being able to have a healthy functioning body is is such a huge bracha, and I I think that people in their observance don't tend to focus on it.

SPEAKER_00 8:32

That is so true. Now, as a Balashuva, when I first heard of the Asher Yatzar bracha, I was kind of blown away. Were you raised observant?

SPEAKER_01 8:42

I was raised probably more traditional or on the modern orthodox spectrum. I I feel like I have grown in my observance, but in in such shades of the same color. I grew up keeping Chavez, I grew up keeping kosher, but I wore pants in high school. And so SNEAS is one of the mitzvah that I have grown in. One of the reasons that it's really special for me.

SPEAKER_00 9:09

That's great. Was there a time that you went to the gym and you didn't wear skirts?

SPEAKER_01 9:13

Yes. So I used to work out in leggings, but I think when I decided to wear skirts only at the gym is after I got married and I started covering my hair, and it felt a little incongruent to have pants and a tickle. Even though people do it, and I think that's a perfectly beautiful way to observe, it just didn't feel right for me, so I decided to figure out how I can feel as modest as I want to be at the gym. And so I got to explore different looks.

SPEAKER_00 9:42

I am so glad there's such cute styles out there for you to wear these days. And so tell us about what do you do when you go to the gym? Scarves and squats, what el what are you doing with those squats and what else are you doing?

SPEAKER_01 9:53

I really like weightlifting. I wish I liked cardio more. I think it's really good for you, really good for your heart and your lungs. But weightlifting is also great for you. But I enjoy squatting, deadlifting, I'll do hip thrust. I've been working on doing pull-ups recently. That's my new fitness challenge for myself. I just like building muscle and gaining strength.

SPEAKER_00 10:17

I love that. Okay, it's been great following your journey on the pull-ups. Now, what is that machine you're using? I've, you know, we have a pull-up bar that my husband attached to the outside of our house. And if I go out there, I just sort of hang there for about 10 seconds and then go, okay, this really hurts, and I'm getting off. But you have this fabulous machine in your gym. What does it do?

SPEAKER_01 10:37

I I have an assisted pull-up machine, which I love. I think it's a little controversial because some people much prefer the bands that assist you in your pull-ups. But it's basically a machine where you select a counterweight and whatever weight you choose subtracts from your weight when you're pulling yourself up.

SPEAKER_00 10:55

Oh, so you can start at a low weight and give your body the learning experience to work its way up to full body weight?

SPEAKER_01 11:02

Yes. So I'm currently about 40 pounds for my first pull-up, which is exciting, but those 40 pounds are really, really heavy.

SPEAKER_00 11:12

Well, that is amazing though. Can you explain for those of us who are not exactly sure, like what exactly is a deadlift? How do you do all these things with weights? Are you using hand weights or those big barbell things with the weights at the end? Some different women from lots of different situations. We have to, you know, mostly me, coming from zero education. So educate me and everybody else.

SPEAKER_01 11:34

So I want to say first, I am by no means an expert. I am not a personal trainer. I am a lawyer who likes to lift. And so I'm not an expert in any of this, and you should not follow me for, you know, personal training advice, just general motivation. But what I like to do at the gym is deadlift, which is a hinging motion where you lift weight focusing on your the back of your legs, your hamstrings. I like squatting, which focus on your quads, which is the front of your legs. Hip thrust is sort of a weighted glute bridge that focuses on the glutes. Then there is bench press, which focuses on your chest and pectoral muscles. And then for upper body, I generally use, other than chest, I generally use free weights, so dumbbells, to do bicep curls, shoulder presses, things like that.

SPEAKER_00 12:30

And for the rest of the exercise you mentioned, you're using like what is that called? The big weight? It's called a barbell.

SPEAKER_01 12:35

So the the big, the long big bar is called a barbell, and the smaller weights are called dumbbells. And something that not a lot of people know is that the barbell at the gym actually weighs 45 pounds. So before you add any weight, you're lifting to start 45 pounds. And that's how I started deadlifting was just the bar.

SPEAKER_00 12:57

Wasn't that very hard? I mean, 45 pounds is a really significant weight, and you are not a big woman here.

SPEAKER_01 13:03

It's definitely a weight, so it took some time before I could add the 90 pounds to the side and then continue to go up from there.

SPEAKER_00 13:11

That's a lot of weight on all the exercises you're doing that, or are there specific ones? There must be different muscles that are stronger for you.

SPEAKER_01 13:17

So lower body is definitely stronger, so my legs are a lot stronger than my arms. I think that's for most people, but men tend to work out upper body more and not focus on their legs as much. So for deadlifts I can rep, which means do multiple rounds of 185 pounds, which I think is intermediate. And for squats, I can squat 200 pounds, which is exciting.

SPEAKER_00 13:47

200 pounds? Okay, you had this on your Instagram where you said that you gaslit yourself into like a personal record. Is that how you found out you could deadlift 200 pounds?

SPEAKER_01 13:58

So that's what I was talking about with the bar. I forgot to count the 45 pounds of the bar, so when I added weight on, I told myself that it was a very lightweight, and I got confused why I couldn't lift it, so I just lifted it.

SPEAKER_00 14:13

That's great. There was a time where you were lifting in pounds as many followers as you had. Now that you have 2,500 followers, I don't think I would recommend that anymore. But how did you decide to do that?

SPEAKER_01 14:24

I thought it was a cool idea because every follower could kind of add a pound to what I was lifting, but no, I cannot lift 2,500 pounds, unfortunately. There is something called the 600 pound club that I think would be cool to join, which is where you lift 600 pounds among three different exercises. So between squat, deadlift, and bench press. And I'm not there yet, but I think that could be cool.

SPEAKER_00 14:51

When did you start lifting weights?

SPEAKER_01 14:53

Probably three or four years ago.

SPEAKER_00 14:57

Oh, it's not even that long. Did you get a personal trainer? How did you know what to do when you first went to the gym?

SPEAKER_01 15:02

So I started with a personal trainer to get into lifting, and I highly recommend, I know that's not in the budget for everyone, but if it is, even if you could do three or four sessions, I highly recommend having a personal trainer teach you proper form because if you lift really heavy weight and you don't do the proper form, you can injure yourself and not be able to work out for months, and you're better off just lifting light at that point with higher reps.

SPEAKER_00 15:32

And do you still do the same exercises that the personal trainer gave you in the beginning? You just do them with higher weights now?

SPEAKER_01 15:38

Yes. So the two ways to make an exercise more intense is either do more reps or do more weight. So either I will do a lighter weight for more reps or add more weight and do fewer reps.

SPEAKER_00 15:51

What do you feel is the difference for you about those two things?

SPEAKER_01 15:55

I think that when you do lower weight, higher reps, it can be more cardio. Makes your heart race a little bit more, but both of them are excellent ways to train and grow muscle.

SPEAKER_00 16:05

That's great that you are doing so many different things to help your body. I I loved when you posted that you tried running with a nice Jewish runner, so shout out to NJR. But you said, nope, not for me, but it was fun to be with the people.

SPEAKER_01 16:18

I I would go again. I think they're an excellent group, but they do run, which I'm bad at, in the morning, which I'm also bad at. I'm bad at running and I'm bad at morning. So that's it's a little bit of a hard combination for me. But it's an open thing.

SPEAKER_00 16:33

Okay, I get it. Yeah. Folks, Hannah Fega and I were set to talk at 10:30 p.m. New York time and 5.30 a.m. Israel time. And we we were a little bit off schedule. She said, Oh, I'm just coming back from the gym. I'll be I'll be on in just a minute. I was like, oh my gosh, she's at the gym at 10.30 at night. Wow. Is your gym far from your home?

SPEAKER_01 16:54

No, it's literally in the basement.

SPEAKER_00 16:56

Oh, perfect. Okay. Now, are there oftentimes other people there or or are you usually alone?

SPEAKER_01 17:03

Sometimes I get a private gym, which is my favorite, but sometimes there's four, five, six people at the gym when I'm there too.

SPEAKER_00 17:12

Wow. That's impressive for a building gym. And it looks like a really nice gym, by the way.

unknown 17:17

Thank you.

SPEAKER_00 17:18

Okay, so when do you find that your clothes has have started to fit differently since you've been working out with these high weights?

SPEAKER_01 17:24

I think that's one of the best parts about lifting is the body recomposition. So since I started lifting about three, four years ago, I don't think I've lost any weight. But it does You're gaining muscle. Exactly. But it it does change your shape and the way you feel. I think your body shape is one of the awesome perks of lifting. I've definitely noticed a difference with energy levels. So lifting keeps me more energized. I don't get exhausted as quickly, and it's counterintuitive. You'd think that working out would make you more tired, but it actually gives you energy.

SPEAKER_00 17:59

I actually just saw something from B.D. Deutsch Marathon Mother, and she I think she wrote, If you don't exercise, you're going to be tired. If you do exercise, you're going to be tired. You're going to be tired anyway, so you might as well exercise. And on the mornings where I find it hard to motivate myself to get out and go for my run, I said, you know, it's not going to make that much difference in how tired I am at the end of the day. Days are long, days are hard, and I'm going to be tired anyway.

SPEAKER_01 18:28

I I feel that with exercise, with sleep, I always will choose sleep over something else because sometimes you're tired and the only thing that can fix it is sleep.

SPEAKER_00 18:37

I feel like sleep is really the new it thing in physical fitness that we're really starting to understand the benefits of sleep and how much we've all been, you know, kind of sassing it over the years and just not giving it its due. How many hours of sleep do you find that you generally get per night?

SPEAKER_01 18:54

I'm not sure what I generally get, but I find it very hard to go to the gym on less than seven hours of sleep.

SPEAKER_00 19:01

Do you find that you can come home from the gym and get in bed shortly thereafter?

SPEAKER_01 19:05

Usually I'm awake for a few more hours.

SPEAKER_00 19:08

One of the things that you said on your post that I loved, you said, what a bracha it is to be able to move your body. And as I was going through your account, I was like, oh, I love this, I love this, oh, I I just jive with everything she says. What I really liked also is that you don't hide that you're Jewish. You're you're just out there. What a brach it is to be able to move your body. You say the word bracha, you say the word blessing, you have from Dvarim about taking good care of your health. And have you ever had anybody who hasn't been so nice about the Jewishness, either in person or online?

SPEAKER_01 19:43

Thank God I haven't gotten so much anti-Semitism on my account. I think if you're online, you're gonna have a few not great comments, but generally my audience has been very positive. I feel like the negativity that I've gotten on my account, more than anything anti-Semitic, is just modesty shaming, people saying, Oh, you're too modest, or you're not modest enough, or just judging the way that I dress, which I never really understood the need for kosher phones, but I think some men might need it.

SPEAKER_00 20:18

Oh my gosh, is it men who are is it men who comment?

SPEAKER_01 20:22

There are some men who think that it's not SNEAS for women to exercise, and I am very passionate about the idea that women should exercise. Uh if SNEAS is a value, you should dress SNES while you while you exercise, in the way that that means to you, but I think the idea that it's not SNEAS to exercise is so harmful.

SPEAKER_00 20:39

Absolutely. Good for you, and let's get the word out about that. So I want to ask you, like about your relationship with food. I love your tagline, strong, not skinny. I feel like the word skinny is such a loaded word for so many people. Or how in general is your relationship with food?

SPEAKER_01 20:59

I definitely think of skinny as a negative thing because I think of it as opposed to muscular and healthy and strong. I think people think about skinny as the ideal body, but it can also just be a very unhealthy state in the same way that having too much excess fat can also be very unhealthy. One of the things that I love about lifting and exercising is that the only way to be able to do it is you have to eat. If you don't eat before you exercise, you will just pass out. You won't have the energy to exercise. And so I think that one of the things I love about exercise and lifting is that food becomes fuel and not a question of, oh, did I eat too much? You're like, great, I have extra fuel and now I can use that for my workout.

SPEAKER_00 21:45

That is perfect. You it sounds like you have a very healthy relationship with food. Has this been through your life? Have you always had a pretty good relationship with food?

SPEAKER_01 21:54

Thank God I never struggled with that. My biggest struggle has been with body image. And just the way that I see myself. But I think lifting has also improved that by literally changing my body and bringing it to a place that I'm happier with, but also mentally changing the way that I see myself. I've had moments at the gym where I see a role while I'm lifting or squatting, and for a moment I get distracted and I think that maybe I don't look so good, and then I redirect and realize that I just threw 180 pounds around and I'm not so sad about it anymore.

SPEAKER_00 22:34

That is terrific. I just love this seeing yourself as just such a strong woman. It's so beautiful. So one of the things I noticed on your Instagram account is you love to do a call out to the brands that you like. You are not private about it. And you had such a great post recently. It showed you you had your morning coffee and you said, just a girl at her emotional support salted caramel protein coffee. Tell us more about that. It really made me laugh out loud seeing that.

SPEAKER_01 23:08

Firstly, I'm totally addicted to coffee, so I need my coffee every morning. But one of my new favorite discoveries, I do not gatekeep, is qualify protein powder. It is 25 grams of protein per scoop, and I can just throw it in my morning coffee and get 25 grams of protein in my morning coffee. It's the great way to start your day energized and keeps you full until your next meal. Can't recommend it enough.

SPEAKER_00 23:37

So qualify protein, they have two versions. They have a plant-based version that is certified kosher parav, and they have a whey-based version that is, ladies, get this, halov Yisrael. I reached out to Qualify Protein, and they're going to do a contest with us. Hanafega, they they love you and are really delighted to help get the word out about qualified protein powder. Ladies, please see the From Women in Motion Instagram account for full details of how you can enter the contest. Now, Hanafega, what are your favorite flavors that you would recommend?

SPEAKER_01 24:11

So I love the salted caramel, and that I can throw in my coffee, and it's delicious. They also have a pistachio flavor, and if you mix it with Greek yogurt and chocolate chips, you have like a little Dubai chocolate treat that's high protein and super delicious. And I've also tried their vanilla flavor, and I think that might be my husband's favorite flavor. I am less of a vanilla person, but not because it's not delicious, just because I'm more of a chocolate person.

SPEAKER_00 24:44

Fair enough. You wrote on one of your Instagram posts that failure is part of the journey. Tell us, encourage us, go deeper on that.

SPEAKER_01 24:52

Sure. I said it in relation to my attempts to do pull-ups. I have been working on that for a few months and I still haven't achieved my goal. And I think that people find failure at the gym pretty easy to accept. Everyone understands that not being able to do something is part of the process of becoming able to do that. And then in other aspects of people's lives, they judge themselves very harshly for failure, whether it is on your career journey or your religious journey or any interpersonal situation. I think people take failure as an end and as as a very difficult moment when it's really just a learning experience and a growing experience and part of the journey of becoming better at something.

SPEAKER_00 25:46

Are there any phrases that you say to yourself, like before I start running, I always say, thank you, Hashem, that I can stand, thank you, Hashem, that I can walk, thank you, Hashem, that I can run, and thank you, Hashem, that I can do it all in Eras Israel. When I do out and back running, and so when I'm on my way back, I always know when I turn around or I'm on my way home. That's when I say, like, Hashem, how can I be the best basmelah? How can I be the best daughter of a king today? How can I really elevate myself? Are there things that you say to yourself before you're in the gym or when you're in the gym or when things get hard?

SPEAKER_01 26:18

I think that's so beautiful. I don't really have a mantra. I think that I tend to appreciate the ability to move my body the most after I've been sick or after I haven't been able to go to the gym for a little bit, and then I am just filled with so much gratitude for the ability to move my body.

SPEAKER_00 26:40

I love to give the people the opportunity to make a donation in honor of my guest. So is there an organization that's special to you that you would like people to make donations to?

SPEAKER_01 26:50

I think it would be amazing if people donated to Gift of Life Marrow Registry. There are two ways you can donate. You can either donate money to help patients battling blood cancers, or you could donate by getting a cheek swab, and if you're a match for a patient in need, you could donate marrow or stem cells and save someone's life.

SPEAKER_00 27:15

That is terrific. I love that organization. I have been swabbed. I hope everybody listening either has been or will be swabbed. And how did you get involved or how did you hear about it?

SPEAKER_01 27:26

I volunteered with them as an ambassador. So they're a special organization to me, and I've also had close personal blood cancer and just cancer survivors in my life. So I just think the opportunity to give someone a second chance at life is unbelievable. Makes such a huge difference for that person and for their family and their friends and their community and everyone who knows them.

SPEAKER_00 27:50

So Hanafia, you're a newlywed. Does your husband also go to the gym or does he exercise?

SPEAKER_01 27:56

Yes. So on our first date, I actually spoke to him about the gym and I said that it's really important to me to be a gym couple, a couple that works out together, because if you're not a gym couple, you have to choose between going to the gym or spending time with your partner. And that's a really, really difficult choice to make, and I think I would choose to be lazy with my partner. So I love that we get to go to the gym together and make a date out of it.

SPEAKER_00 28:25

Does he spot you or help you? How does that work out when you go together?

SPEAKER_01 28:30

Yeah, sometimes we can alternate. His upper body's a lot stronger, and my lower body's a little stronger, so sometimes he can do chest press with my squat, and then I can squat his chest press. That's a fun activity, and we just like to share music so we can listen to the same songs, and it's it's really romantic.

SPEAKER_00 28:51

I love that. Yes, it's romantic. My husband and I, we used to go Motze Shabbat in the winter, we would go on 10K runs together near the highway, and it's dark and secluded. I would never ever run there by myself, even during the day. I don't think I would feel comfortable, never mind, at night. And we would do 10 kilometers, which is like seven miles, and it's just what you said that like he's stronger and faster on the uphill, but I'm stronger and faster on the downhills. And I remember we're running along and huffing and puffing. I said, This is so romantic. So, ladies, if you have the opportunity to work out with your partner, give it a try. It's great, it's a whole new dimension to your relationship. You're a new corporate lawyer, it must be incredibly intense with your hours. How do you fit in going to the gym as the first-year corporate attorney?

SPEAKER_01 29:40

Yeah, it definitely gets really busy. I think the key is what you prioritize, and I think I need to move my body in order to do everything else in my life. It is the precursor to everything else. I don't think I would be able to go to work and bill all these hours if I wasn't taking care of my body and exercising. I also find that exercise is an amazing tool in managing anxiety and mental health. And I think that on the most stressful days, coming home after a long day of work and letting out that energy, and it it's an amazing stress reliever to be able to lift heavy.

SPEAKER_00 30:25

So you said you're not a morning person, so do you always go to the gym at night?

SPEAKER_01 30:29

Yeah, I'm a night gym person. I think ideally I would be an 11 a.m. gym person, but it's a little bit hard with a job.

SPEAKER_00 30:39

Yeah, okay. So Janafega, how do you work in your fitness schedule? There's so many chagimes. We're right now coming right up on Chevrolets. We're about to eat cheesecake for two days, and we just finished Pesach with all of its wonderful, yummy, interesting foods. How does that work for you with your schedule, with your weightlifting?

SPEAKER_01 31:01

Yeah, it's definitely not easy to balance everything and work around all the chagim, and our holidays aren't the most conducive to eating healthy. But on Pesach, my biggest tip is to try not to eat matzah as much as you can. People think you have to have matzo in every meal, but you can just eat sweet potatoes and chicken and broccoli. That's allowed also. And eat cheesecake on Shavuot, eat your cheesecake. I think some people get nervous that one meal is gonna change their life or their body, but your body is built on habits and what you do over the chagim isn't really gonna change you in any significant way.

SPEAKER_00 31:52

Really appreciate it. Thank you so much for being a guest on From Women in Motion. I really appreciate it. Thanks so much for joining me on this episode of From Women in Motion. If you'd like a copy of today's show notes with links to what we talked about, plus photos so you can put faces to the voices, follow on social media or send an email to fwim613 at gmail.com. And if you are a From Women in Motion, I'd love to hear from you. Maybe you'll be my next guest. Until next time, keep moving forward.