Exercise should be about learning what feels good for your body, about discovering how much stronger and more energetic you can be and about finding the joy in movement.

But for so many of us, it’s not. And you can change that.

The Challenge

In a world that’s constantly urging us to pursue thinness, often unrealistically, exercise is commonly associated with weight loss and guilt-inspired motivation. And while this may incentivize us to get on that elliptical for a couple of miles or join a local gym, after a while that elliptical becomes a very expensive clothing rack and the gym pass starts collecting dust.

When change is inspired by negative motivation, it simply doesn’t last. 

Currently, the workout DVDs and online videos that are available to us are ones that encourage us to move in order to burn calories, to feel the fat melt away or to “make up” for eating at the family BBQ yesterday.

But that’s silly. We should be working out because we feel good when we do.

The #FitJewessDVD Solution

When I realized that there is no body positive fitness dvd created by and for Jewish women in existence, I decided that it’s time for that to make one.

Because when we change why and how we exercise, our feelings towards working out change as well and health takes on a whole new meaning. 

It’s time to focus on the beneficial aspects of physical movement. And this DVD does exactly that!

This DVD has four completely different workouts so you’re not tied to one specific mode of exercise and you’ll hear talk of strength, energy and body confidence instead of weight loss, burning calories and fat melting away.

Why You Should Partner with Us

Trying to convince yourself to go work out when you know you should, but really don’t want to is an uncomfortable place to be in. It’s quite likely that you or someone you know has been in that very spot. And that’s not fun.

This DVD aims to replace that “blah” feeling with an excitement for working out.

By partnering with us and helping bring this DVD from idea to reality, you have the opportunity to help hundreds of Jewish women finally recognize the true importance of why we work out (to feel good!) and to discover the joy of movement (woohoo!).

This concept is starting to gain traction in the secular world and now is your time to be a trendsetter in the Jewish world. We deserve this as much as anyone else!

So, How You Can Partner with Us

Alright, so we’ve established that you should collaborate with us and the cool thing is that actually following through is super easy.

We’d like to invite you to contribute to our campaign by checking out the reward options on this page and finding the one that most resonates with you. From simply donating a few dollars to co-producing the DVD, there’s something for everyone.

Sharing this campaign is incredibly helpful too. Every pair of eyes that this campaign is presented to is another potential partner and that’s invaluable. Shoot your friend a text message, send your friend an email, let your social media network know that you support us.

And of course, there’s always room on our team for that special someone who is passionate about body positivity and fitness and wants to help us take this project to the next level. Just contact us and we’ll make our partnership official.

Where the Funds Go

The $18,000 that will be raised will be used to fund the production of the body positive DVD.

• Video production is no joke and the companies I’ve discussed working with range from $7,500-24,500. Yup, it’s quite a range, but obviously, the higher our budget, the better quality the product. We’d definitely prefer to go with the more expensive option as we believe you deserve a top notch DVD, so our hope is that we will exceed our current goal and reach our stretch goal of $30,000.

• Beyond production costs, we have to pay the people who are working intently on all the behind-the-scenes stuff, as well as the real life models (read: the regular superwomen who you will see in the video). This adds up to about $4,500.

• Additionally, we’ve got the actual product costs (such as the DVD itself, the DVD case, shipping costs – just because we give it to you, doesn’t mean we don’t have to pay it!) which we’re estimating will total approximately $2,000.

• And lastly, we must account for processing fees as well. That shouldn’t be more than $1,600.

The Team

Obviously, this project is no one-(wo)man show, so here’s some of the awesome women who’ll be participating in the production of this DVD.

Sara Kupfer

Hey! I’m Sara, CrossFit L1 Trainer and founder of Fit Jewess. I get an actual high from lifting weights and helping my clients discover how amazingly capable their bodies are! I think it’s time to bring back body positive movement to the Jewish community and there’s no better time than now! In other news, I love to talk, enjoy meeting new people and can easily make conversation with a wall. Oh, and I’m very ambitious and always up for a good challenge, be it physical or intellectual.

Nomi Laio

Hi! I’m Nomi. I’m a personal trainer. I have always loved encouraging people to get out there and MOVE. Exercising has so many benefits because our bodies were made to constantly move and get stronger. Let’s embrace that and take advantage of all those benefits! As Jewish women, it’s really important to take care of ourselves and feel good so that we can properly fulfill our important roles! I also enjoy baking yummy sourdough bread for my friends and community.

Tirtsa Quinn

Hi! I’m Tirtsa, wife, mother, speech-language pathologist, teacher and newfound exercise nut! I’m honored to be a part of a proud chain of Jewish women who want to influence the next generation to be healthier people; spiritually, emotionally and physically. I enjoy finding ways to be able to care for my body so that it functions optimally, can perform everyday functions with ease, can enjoy more brisk exercise without feeling like I’m dying.