Greetings listeners! On today’s episode Moo and I discuss rest. What is rest again? I’m not quite sure, but I know I’m not getting enough and I need more. Moo shares how annoying she finds rest and yet how necessary it has become. I talk about a recent LifeKit episode that explores seven kinds of rest! 7 kinds! We get into our own relationships to rest (especially at this age... in bed by nine anyone?), what kinds sound most helpful and how we can make small, real changes in our own lives to help us rejuvenate. My face is aging exponentially if I don’t get some rest. See below for the LifeKit episode link. It's a great episode. And thanks for listening!

7 Kinds of Rest (other than sleep) from NPR's LifeKit

Hi guys! This week on the FitSister Podcast, we go old school and I bring Moo a list of questions. Some are health and fitness related (what is the point of squatting with your heels raised?) and some are not (where do you go for an affordable, quality sports bra?) We talk workouts, food, hydration, supplements, good books and more. Join in for the fun!

Here on the FitSister Podcast we have not really embraced the world of body-driven New Year's resolutions, but we have seen gym goals emerge as a topic on social media and other outlets. Earlier this week I heard two ideas in the health and fitness space that I wanted to take up with my fit sister. We also get into the pros and cons of going to classes instead of standing looking at the free weights and treadmills and wondering what in the world to do. If you are moving or exercising regularly and it’s 11 degrees outside, you are winning. You are the champion of the world. Much love to all! Thanks for listening!

If you live in the Midwest, winter is a beast. Like a house guest that stays way too long, she has moved in, taken over every inch of my life and makes all daily tasks more challenging. I start this conversation with Moo listing a lot of legitimate reasons why I am less active and how I do not want her Miami, Florida insights on how to cope with winter. But Moo gently and expertly gets me to the place where I can find solutions to keep moving and build in some boundaries so that I don’t completely give up on health and fitness this winter, which, to be clear, I am very tempted to do. Can you blame me? The weather is brutal. It is screaming at me to stay inside, stay in my pajamas, snuggle down, make another cream-heavy coffee, eat cookies and stay in bed until spring. But I know this is not the path and Moo helps me find a new one. Stay warm out there, people!

Listeners! Welcome back for a special guest episode with author John Kenney. John is the author of I See You’ve Called in Dead, a novel about a middle-aged man who is forced to redefine his identity after a very public (and very funny) self-sabotage experience at work. Moo and I both read the book and loved the themes of redefining self in midlife, specifically in the midst of loss and change. What do we do when things don’t go our way,  when we question our life choices and when we are not sure how to find a way out. I See You’ve Called in Dead seeks to explore those questions while also making the reader laugh along the way. In this episode, John discusses male friendship in middle age,  the life events that inspired the book, and of course, why humor is essential in the face of grief and suffering. Life is hard! But good books make it better. John, thanks for joining us! Readers and listeners, thanks for being part of our first unofficial FitSister Book Club meeting. Enjoy!

The time of year has arrived when the sky is the same color as the faded snow and we look at our weather app only to realize that it’s not going to be sunny until next Thursday. At least if you live in the midwest. For Moo in Miami, winter means darkness at 5PM, which can still be a challenge. Regardless of where you live, we are all fighting the urge to put on our pajamas at 4:30 and go to bed. In this episode Moo and I talk about our best ways to combat the winter blues. It’s a long gray season everybody, so we all need some strategies! Thank you for listening! Also, if you have a great strategy for beating the winter blues, please report to Moo on social media at FitSisterOfficial. Have a great week!

Happy New Year! As we all know, the start of January brings with it the idea of resolutions and revisions. And honestly, I am ready for some change. I have been on a diet of mostly coffee and sugar cookies and I am ready for regular gym visits, more water and seasonal vegetables. But instead of making big promises that I know I can’t keep, Moo and I are making tiny resolutions. What are the smallest changes we can make that will move us forward? What is the small habit that we know we can fix but we just haven’t yet. Moo and I share our three tiny resolutions and we invite you to think of your own. Thanks for being with us as we begin the new year!

Have you ever set a goal and then reached it and then realized that balloons did not drop from the ceiling and there were no confetti canons like you imagined? I set a goal at the beginning of the school year to establish a consistent gym routine. Moo and I discuss how I am doing and how managing expectations around goals is necessary and kind of annoying. We all know we could achieve more, but there’s that small problem that we have very real restrictions on our time and money. Real goals and real life can be unglamorous even when we achieve them. We end with a philosophical discussion about daily miracles. Thanks for listening and happy holidays! We will be off next week, but get ready to dive into the new year with FitSister!

Guys, no one is more of an expert at self-help than me. I have read all of the books, listened to all of the podcasts. I am the eternal student of self-optimization. Oh, but wait, did I mention, I’ve never really changed all that much in my self-help adventures. I still have a drawer full of single socks with no match among other issues that annoy me and most likely the people I love. In this episode, Moo and I talk about self help-- does it work or is the illusion of a solution? Does anything work? I think therapy works. Go now, everyone. And Moo loves a good life coach. We disagree on this! Hit us up on social media to give us your take.

Have you ever felt like your brain is a flood of negativity and anxiety? Have you ever wondered how to get your brain to empower you instead of being your biggest critic? In this episode, Moo interviews her friend and former life coach Muneer Al-Busaidi about the power of our thoughts on why it is important to talk to ourselves the right way. They discuss how to control thoughts, the power of self-talk, creating positive identities, visualizing success, and the impact of gratitude. Muneer shares practical techniques for overcoming limiting beliefs and emphasizes the significance of asking empowering questions to foster growth and self-awareness.Here is a link to Muneer’s YouTube page if you’re interested in more information!