“Exercise grants me mental calmness.”

“I never used to think I needed to exercise,” Kari says, “but I notice that I am irritable if I don’t. If I didn’t exercise, I’d be much crabbier and would probably have bigger temper tantrums than my three year old.”

Exercise always has a positive effect on Kari’s mood. “It’s not something I notice right away,” Kari says, “but if I haven’t worked out in a week, I am more edgy and trivial things will bother me.” In fact, her husband can often tell if Kari has missed a few days of working out because he’ll ask her, “Have you exercised lately?”

Kari used to worry that she was being selfish when she would take time for herself to exercise. Like most moms, she would have moments of guilt, thinking she should be spending time with her kids instead. But now Kari simply reminds herself that she is a better, more patient mom when she’s had a chance to exercise.

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“Exercise is my source of energy.”

“I exercise so that I can live an active, healthy, and energetic lifestyle,” says Nisreen. For her it’s a feedback loop: the more she exercises, the more energy she has—and the more energy she has, the more she wants to exercise.

Before having kids, Nisreen often skipped her workouts in order to meet the demands of life. However, she soon came to realize that the results of doing this were worse than if she had failed to meet some of the lesser demands and taken the time to exercise. “The energy it took to get over the dilemma of ‘should I go to the gym or not’ was very little compared to how much energy I got back from exercising,” Nisreen explains.

Nisreen has a very active life. She manages properties, manages her husband’s consulting business, is a part-time real estate agent, and recently launched Mmm Chocolates, Inc. One day, Nisreen found herself up against an imminent deadline. Just when she needed to make a strong, final push, she ran out of steam. Her kids persuaded her to go to the gym. She did, and came back feeling rejuvenated. She was then able to finish her task in time.

Exercising also helps Nisreen keep up with her two young children. “Most women have times where they are dragging by the end of the day—but if I exercise, I have extra energy to enjoy the evening with my family.”

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“I wanted to learn the right way for my body to exercise.”

Turning 40 is a major milestone in most people’s lives—a time for self-reflection, re-evaluating priorities, or buying a sports car. For Penny, this is when she decided to drastically change her exercise routine as well as her eating habits. The tipping point for Penny was having her sweet five year old innocently say, “Mommy, you’re fat.” That’s when she realized that she weighed the same as she had five years earlier, when she was pregnant.

Penny hired a personal trainer so she could learn to work out to her body’s full potential. “I just needed someone to push me harder than I would push myself.” Penny had been running and taking cardio classes, so she thought she was in decent shape. She was humbled when her new trainer informed her that she had plenty of muscle—it was just hidden under a layer of fat.

For a time, Penny had thought, “I can’t afford a personal trainer.” True, trainers are expensive, and Penny didn’t have a great deal of money. However, she decided the expense was worth it, so she prioritized, and reduced her spending in other areas. She invested in healthy food and her trainer; no manicures, pedicures, or sometimes even haircuts. This was a new level of commitment for Penny, but exercise was her number one stress reducer. She has no regrets.

It took about two years for Penny to see the results she had hoped for. “The best was when I started to see muscles, new muscles, ones I didn’t even know could be seen, on my body.”

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