Keren Hezkiya
- 3 days ago
- 4 min read

Keren Hezkiya's Journey from Surviving Nova to Founder of Fitness Studio

Hi, I’m Keren Hezkiya, a Fitness Instructor and Personal Trainer born and raised in Israel. I’m passionate about training women with heavy weights to shape glutes and the feminine shape of the body.

My Journey and Inspiration

I stumbled into sports by mistake. As a child, I used to get panic attacks, and running became my escape. It helped me manage my anxiety, and I fell in love.

I believe the gym should be a safe space for women to lift heavy weights. It’s a place to feel strong, powerful, and super feminine. I see it as a way of respecting both God and the body He gave me, building a body capable of moving, lifting, doing things.

Being in this space with other women, helping them build strength, feels as much for me as it is for them. Fitness has always been a constant in my life, especially when navigating challenges and anxiety. After the Nova Festival on 7th October, I couldn't function. I shut down my business and avoided training. Every quickened heartbeat would scare me into thinking it would trigger another panic attack.

It wasn’t until I tried neurofeedback that I realised how much fitness calmed my mind. When I thought about training, my amygdala settled, and I felt less anxious. At that moment, I understood. Fitness isn’t just something I do—it’s been my refuge, helping me with my symptoms. My panic. My nightmares.

My Approach

I believe everyone needs to train, not just for physical health but for mental well-being too, especially women. Traditionally, women have been guided towards activities like dance or Pilates, but now more are embracing strength training. Women can lift 100 kilos. That's what we're focused on here—building strong, empowered bodies.

Overcoming my own struggles allows me to connect with others on a deeper level. Sharing my journey shows people that transformation is possible, which motivates them. It has also taught me how to empathise with those who may not even realise they’re going through something difficult just by criticising themselves when they can't do a movement. When you learn things for yourself, it becomes easier to recognise them in others and offer the right support.

For me it's all about simplicity. Many studios struggle to accommodate a wide age range, but I’ve developed a straightforward program that works for everyone, focusing on upper body, lower body, and aerobic conditioning.

The goal is not to look good for Instagram but to truly build strength. A squat is like my Torah. A squat is a squat—you cannot touch it. Progress comes from heavy weights and proper recovery. Every person who comes to my studio gets a personalised program based on what she wants, not what society says looks feminine. I encourage women to define their own strength, and decide for themselves what they see as beautiful.

Making a Difference

I’ve worked with women in other studios, many of whom come from a mindset focused on tracking calories and obsessing over numbers, on their Apple Watch. I take the time to re-educate them, helping them shift their perspective on training and body image. One woman in particular came in thinking that losing weight would make her love herself more. I helped her understand that if she didn’t love herself now, losing 20 kilos wouldn’t change that. Having been through similar struggles myself, I was able to connect with her on a deeper level, and over time, she started to focus on building strength rather than just shedding weight. I understand what they’re going through.

Beyond the Practice

I love anything sport! Anything that gets my adrenaline going—yoga, water sports, bungee jumping. I also love parties and just to have fun. But when I really want to slow down, I love reading books—it’s one of the few activities that doesn't involve me jumping around.

Introducing my Brand New Studio

My studio, Peaches: Strong and Feminine, opened in September. We offer classes for women at every fitness level, whether they’re just starting out or have been training for years. We have four main classes:

Peaches focuses on the lower body,
Hourglass targets the upper body,
FB is a full-body workout perfect for beginners or those short on time, and
Killer, which is aerobics and abs—the name explains it all. It's intense! We’ve also introduced a nutrition program to complement the training.

The studio is open every day with both morning and evening classes. And, it’s in Petach Tikva, about a minute from the light rail, making it easily accessible from anywhere.

Sharing Your Wisdom

One health tip I always share is the importance of adding music during training.We’re suffering during sport and music makes a huge difference. Music helps me switch off negative thoughts, focus on the workout, and let the energy flow. For me, you create a party when you train—put on a good playlist, so there’s no room for self-criticism, and it’ll make it so much more enjoyable.