Smith System

With Rosh Hashanah coming up, a lot of us naturally start thinking about what we want to improve.

For many busy Jewish business owners, health is one of those things that keeps getting pushed aside.

Work gets busy. Family needs your attention. Life happens.

And before you know it, another few months go by.

I’m looking to help 5 men who want to:

✅ Get back into a consistent exercise routine
✅ Have more energy throughout the day
✅ Feel stronger and more confident again

We’re opening a few spots for our Smith System Launch to help you understand where you are now and build a realistic plan around your life.

No extreme overhaul.

Just a clear first step and the support to get moving again.

If getting back on track has been on your mind, DM me READY and I’ll send you the details.

SmithSystem

“I hate cardio so much.”

A guy said this to me in the coffee room in shul.

I laughed.

“I used to feel exactly the same way.”

Then I told him I had to run and I’d give him the Torah another time. 😂

So here’s the Torah.

For years, I saw cardio as a fat-burning tool.

Something you suffered through to get leaner.

And when that was the purpose?

Cardio sucked.

Then my perspective changed.

There’s nothing wrong with wanting to look good. But if appearance is the entire purpose of exercise, we’re missing something much bigger.

Exercise is an opportunity to practice the abilities we don’t want to lose.

Strength is our ability to move, lift, push, pull and control our body.

Cardio is our ability to keep doing work for an extended period of time.

Suddenly, cardio had its own purpose.

I wasn’t running because I was fat.

I wasn’t being punished for what I ate.

I was training an ability I want to keep for the rest of my life.

We have the privilege of moving today.

Let’s train so we can keep doing it tomorrow.

And strangely enough…

I don’t hate cardio nearly as much anymore. 😄

Is nutrition becoming a belief system?

🥩 Eat meat.

🥗 Eat plants.

⏰ Eat every 3 hours.

🚫 No, fast for 16.

📊 Count calories.

🙅‍♂️ Calories don’t matter.

Spend enough time online and eventually nutrition starts to sound like you’re choosing a team. 😄

But nutrition isn’t a belief system.

It’s a science.

Look at the evidence.

Understand the principles.

Then apply them to your life.

Try it.

Look at the results.

Does it move you toward your goals?

Do you feel better?

Can you actually sustain it?

You don’t need another nutrition philosophy to believe in.

You need to figure out what works for you.

And if you want help navigating that process, that’s exactly what we do at Smith System.

“Unless I’m paying you, your suggestions aren’t welcome.” 😂

The first time I heard that, I judged it.

I thought it was ridiculous.

There are so many people we can learn from. Why would you shut that out?

Today, I understand the wisdom behind it a lot more.

Everyone has an opinion about how you should live.

What you should eat.

How you should exercise.

What you should prioritize.

What’s “right” for you.

And when you allow every voice in, eventually it becomes difficult to hear your own.

That doesn’t mean stop listening.

Listen. Learn. Be curious.

But be selective about who gets a voice in your life.

Take what serves you.

Leave what doesn’t.

The same is true with your health.

There’s endless advice about the “right” way to eat, exercise and live.

You don’t need to follow all of it.

You need to find what works for you.

At a networking event today, I shared something I often say:

There are hundreds of excuses not to exercise.

But there’s one reason to exercise.

Because your life is better when you do.

The person sitting next to me smiled and said,

“There’s another reason. It’s a mitzvah.”

I paused.

He was right.

I spend a lot of time talking about the benefits of exercise.

More energy.

Better health.

Greater confidence.

A longer, healthier life.

But this reminded me of something deeper.

Taking care of our health isn’t just about what we get from it.

It’s about being good stewards of the body we’ve been entrusted with.

The amazing thing is that when we take care of ourselves, everyone around us benefits too.

Our family.

Our work.

Our community.

Our ability to serve Hashem.

Sometimes one sentence is enough to shift your perspective.

👇 What’s your biggest reason for exercising?

“How much should I lift?”

It’s one of the most common questions I get.

My answer?

“I don’t know.” 😄

Not because I’m trying to be difficult.

Because you haven’t told me the workout.

Before choosing the weight, first decide:

✔️ Reps
✔️ Sets
✔️ Rest
✔️ Tempo
✔️ Time under tension

Only then do you choose a weight that challenges you to complete the workout exactly as prescribed.

Not so light that it’s easy.

Not so heavy that your form breaks down.

The weight doesn’t determine the workout.

The workout determines the weight.

Why 6 reps instead of 12?

Or 30 seconds of rest instead of 90?

That’s a conversation for another day.

For now, remember this:

Weight is the last variable you choose.

👇 What’s the first thing you think about when you pick up a dumbbell?

Stop mowing the lawn while the house is on fire.

That’s what so many people do with their health.

They debate…

Which sugar is worse.

The perfect meal timing.

The best fat-burning supplement.

Whether one diet is better than another.

Meanwhile…

They’re overeating.

Eating inconsistently.

Sleeping too little.

Living under constant stress.

Rarely exercising.

They’re obsessing over the 1%…

While ignoring the 99%.

Health isn’t built on hacks.

It’s built on fundamentals.

Before you worry about optimization…

🥗 Eat nourishing foods.

🏃 Move your body regularly.

😴 Prioritize sleep.

🧠 Manage your stress.

Master the basics first.

Then optimize the details.

First put out the fire.

Then mow the lawn.

👇 What’s one health detail you’ve spent too much time optimizing while overlooking the basics?

💬 Share it below. Your experience might help someone else focus on what really matters.

Nutrition is simple.

Eat food that supports your goals.

Most people already know that.

The challenge isn’t knowing what to eat.

The challenge is doing it consistently.

There’s no shortage of nutrition advice.

Keto.

Low carb.

Intermittent fasting.

Carnivore.

Mediterranean.

The real question is…

How do you know what’s actually worth following?

That’s a conversation for another day.

Because even the perfect nutrition plan won’t help if it isn’t implemented.

Knowing what to eat is one thing.

Actually doing it day after day is another.

Healthy eating isn’t complicated.

Implementation is.

The gap between knowing and doing is where most people struggle.

Lasting results don’t come from learning more.

They come from building systems that make healthy choices easier.

👇 If implementation is something you struggle with, comment below.

💬 And if you’ve found a system that’s worked for you, share it. Someone else might benefit from your experience.

—

Today I went for a drive, and something hit me.

I’ve been so focused on the scoreboard…

That I stopped focusing on today.

I told myself I was being results-driven.

But the truth is…

The scoreboard was easier.

The scoreboard lives in the future.

Today is where I have to face myself.

The hard conversation.

The uncomfortable decision.

The discipline.

The work I’ve been avoiding.

The scoreboard tells me where I am.

But today determines where I’m going.

That’s the paradox.

The scoreboard matters.

But it’s never changed by staring at it.

It’s changed by what I choose to do today.

One call.

One workout.

One conversation.

One decision.

One promise kept to myself.

The scoreboard tells you where you stand.

Today determines where you’ll finish.

Most people think exercise is about the workout.

It’s not.

Exercise isn’t about building muscle.

It isn’t about burning calories.

It isn’t about sweating.

Those things may happen.

But they’re just byproducts.

The real purpose of exercise is to prepare you for life.

To build the strength to carry your children.

The energy to lead your business.

The resilience to handle life’s challenges.

The ability to keep doing the things you love for years to come.

Every workout is an investment in the future version of yourself.

When you stop seeing exercise as punishment and start seeing it as preparation, everything changes.

You stop asking,

“How do I get through this workout?”

And start asking,

“Who is this workout helping me become?”

Because the goal isn’t simply to exercise.

It’s to build a body that allows you to fully live your life.