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!
Rites of Passage play an important role in our youth. As we grow our parents, communities and religions signal our movement from one phase into another. But what happens in adulthood? We change throughout our lives, but gone are the ceremonies, events or experiences. Sometimes it feels like we could use something to signal our movement as we shed certain skin and take on new roles. In this episode, Moo and I discuss the role of rites of passage in adulthood. Why might it be important and what might it look like? From JLo to journaling in she-sheds, we cover it all. Tune in for our spiritual sit-down on what to do with midlife milestones.
Friendship is a simple concept with huge benefits, but it is often overlooked in the chaos and business of modern life. In this episode, I recap my recent trip to Florida where I met Moo’s friends. Moo shares her insights on the importance of friendship in our forties, especially when family lives so far away. But Moo’s mantra is: “there is no friends and family, there is just family.” The people she has spent all these years with, the women she has raised her kids alongside, the friends who have stepped in for help with carpools, sports and big events-- these people are her family too. We end today’s episode with a call to action: instead of spending the holidays worrying about the extra calories, let’s spend the holidays filling our cup with the friends in our lives who mean the most.
Listeners, welcome back to a special episode of The FitSister Podcast. On today's episode, Moo interviews her longtime best friend Ashley Litwin Diego about her recent decision to run for State Representative for the state of Florida. Ashley is a mom of three and a cancer survivor who, now in her 40s, has decided to enter the political realm. What happens when a mom decides to listen to her lifelong ambitions? How did she know it was time for something new? And of course, what about the kids? Ashley and Moo talk about Ashley’s mindset around work, family, career goals and how she plans to take care of herself along the way. After I listened to this episode, my big takeaway was that age doesn’t limit us; it only brings us more possibilities. Enjoy this interview with Ashley Litwin Diego.
If you are interested in learning more about Ashley and her campaign for Florida House District 106, click here.
Friends and listeners, welcome back. In this episode I confess the bizarre ways social media has hijacked my brain and why I decided to make major changes to my social media diet. Moo and I cover the ways in which social media distracts us from what really matters and turns us into binary thinkers. Life is complicated and nuanced and social media insists on making it two-dimensional and over-simplistic. We end with why social media and influencer culture is particularly harmful in our over-40 phase of life. Listen along and join the conversation on Instagram, or don’t! We love you and thanks for listening.
In this episode, I candidly talk about an Amazon purchase that I thought would be a gamechanger. Let me guess, you already know how the story ends. It changed absolutely nothing. Moo and I discuss how overspending is not only wasting our money, but it is preventing us from finding real solutions to our actual problems. Join us on a journey as we unpack why so many of us believe we are one purchase away from our ideal selves. Less is more, but more is so easy! Thanks for listening!
Friends! Welcome back. This week on FitSister Moo and I talk about the issue that all of us face-- the attack of overscheduling. Ironically, Moo and I are both simple people who would like to lead simple lives, but the world we live in has made this exceptionally challenging. Moo shares her tales of a travel baseball mom and how she has recently left the world of travel sports. How much is too much for a family? How do the hopes and dreams of moms and parents fit in with a busy schedule? These are complicated questions and we personally feel like social media isn’t helping us get any closer to the answers. What are the questions we can ask of ourselves and our partner to help us figure out what to do when life gets busy. Join us as we think critically about the issue that matters most-- how we spend our time. Thanks for listening and we hope you have a great week!
Friends. Family. Distinguished listeners. I did it. I solved the dinner dilemma. I truly would never intend to oversell a podcast episode and I am morally against using clickbait to gain followers. But I did it. This is not a brag; it’s just the truth. In this episode I tell Moo about my new strategy, which I am calling the Repeat Meal Schedule. And, in typical Nat fashion, this episode is not just about dinner. It is about rejecting the myths and lies surrounding what it means to be successful in the role of parent and provider. Because we’ve been lied to, people. And I am here to tell you that I have simplified my life around the topic of dinner and as a result, I got part of my brain back. Join me as we make our lives easier by rejecting so many of the silly ideas we’ve been sold. Thanks for listening and bon appetit.
Welcome to The FitSister Podcast, the show where women in midlife come together to navigate the ups and downs of health, fitness, and identity. If you're in your 40s and feeling the shift in your body, mind, or soul, you're not alone. Whether you're wondering how to stay fit in an aging body, how to eat healthy when you have no time, how to redefine who you are as your roles change, or just seeking support during this time of transformation—this podcast is for you.
This week Moo hosts guest Karen Geiger to discuss the transformative power of journaling. Karen is a certified book coach and journaling coach as well as a speech and language pathologist. As we enter this new phase of life, Karen walks us through how to use journaling to discover who we are now and how to get the most of our lives at this stage in the game. The stories we tell ourselves about ourselves have a tremendous impact on where we go and how we get there. If you are wondering who you are now instead of who you have been, join Moo and Karen on a conversation about writing your story forward.
For more information on Karen Geiger and her coaching services, check out her website. To join her writing community, The Write Remedy, sign up for her Substack here. Information on her two-day Voxer is linked here!
Thank you for listening!
Hey hey! Welcome back to The FitSister Podcast, people! In this episode Moo and I explore the theme of having fun in your 40s, which already sounds like an oxymoron. (I can see my teenager rolling his eyes already. I’m fun, right? Right?!) Let’s just say, having fun is more complicated than it used to be. We talk about the importance of non-performative activities, setting personal goals for joy, and creating meaningful experiences that align with our interests.
Now that we’ve pivoted, I can finally nerd-out on the podcast. In this episode, I reference a Art of Manliness episode where Brett McKay interviews Kevin Hood Gray about his book, Why Boredom Matters. It’s a great episode!
We love you all, listeners, and we wish you a great week as we all return to the grind!
Guys, we’re pivoting. We’re adapting. We are rethinking, retooling and broadening our scope. In this episode we discuss a new direction for the FitSister Podcast. Thanks for being with us on this fun and crazy journey of making a podcast. We hope you’ll stick around to see what we’re up to next.
Listeners, you are in for a treat. In episode 51, Moo hosts her first guest and guess what, it’s another sister. Haley might be our little sister, but she is definitely the wisest sibling in the family. Haley is a licensed therapist and after a career in school social work, she started working in private practice. In this episode Moo and Haley delve into the pervasive issue of negative self-talk. They explore its definitions, sources, and the patterns that contribute to it, particularly in the context of midlife challenges. Haley emphasizes the importance of recognizing and reframing negative thoughts, understanding the roots of these feelings, and developing practical strategies to combat them. She encourages us to celebrate small wins and seek support when needed. Don’t let your negative self-talk define your experiences. Thanks for listening!
On this fiftieth episode of The FitSister podcast, I share my frustrations and questions about the current strength training messaging that is targeted at women over 40. Beginning a serious, effective strength training regime at middle age is serious business, and I might not be all that interested. Moo weighs in on my annoyances and offers some sound advice. Then, we chat about snacks-- one of my favorite topics-- and discuss how to get the most out of our mid-day meals. Don't forget to subscribe to Moo’s newsletter and follow @FitSisterOfficial on Instagram. Thanks for listening!
Hey there listeners, Nat here reporting from the front lines of trying to workout while also working a job and being a mom. Just like you, I’ve had some wins and losses. My 5:30 AM workout routine is working (currently), major win! But in other news, I pulled a calf muscle going down stairs, major loss. Moo and I discuss this over-40 trend of seeing success and then being sidelined as a result of an injury from an extremely basic everyday activity. Then, we get into an interesting social media post that had Moo thinking. And finally we discuss why a celebrity’s weight loss journey is sending some of us into a tailspin.
As a teacher who is about to start school, I am at peak delusion as to what I am capable of this year and how my in-school habits will turn out. There’s nothing like the optimism of late August right before the reality of September sets in. But Moo is here to guide me through what to do when my plans fail. It won’t even be a fail! It will be information followed by an adjustment. Moo takes me through some “back on track” strategies as we all get ready to jump back into the school year.
Here is a link to Moo's newsletter! Thanks for listening!
In this Summer Series episode, Moo and I set resolutions for the new school year. We discuss our individual goals related to fitness, nutrition, and mindset, emphasizing the significance of morning routines, simplifying family meals, and overcoming negative self-talk. Our conversation highlights the challenges and strategies involved in making meaningful changes that will ultimately result in a more fulfilling and balanced lifestyle.
This was a great mental exercise for both of us, and we encourage everyone to try it out. Sign up for Moo’s newsletter to receive a step-by-step guide for your own New School Year Resolutions.
Moo has been in Michigan for the week and after working out with me in my garage, we had some thoughts (and an idea) on in-home workouts. In this episode, we debrief on the pros of the in-home workout and Moo offers guidance on basic movements for a person who wants to try strength training in the privacy of their own home. Also, we talk about how a lot of us have a random assortment of workout equipment in our garage or basement or closet, but we’re not sure what to do with it. If this is you, send Moo a DM on Instagram and she’ll create some daily workouts for you to try based on your goals and equipment. Thanks for listening! Stay cool out there!