Welcome to our weekly “walk and talk,” where we bring our weekly walks to you. Our walks are a time to catch up on family life, share online shopping hits and misses, exchange recipes, discuss our newest Netflix binge — all the stuff that friends share with each other. And now we’re sharing with you!
Did you miss a walk? Find all our walk and talks here.
What We’re Watching
We can’t begin this section without first mentioning the 2023 Academy Award nominations that were announced this week. How many have you seen? Any guesses on which film will take home Best Picture? Anything that surprised you?
CHRISTA : If it’s a vampire show, then you can bet I’m probably watching. Let the Right One In (Showtime) is about a 12-year-old girl living life as a vampire and her dad, who is desperately searching for a cure while trying to provide what she needs to survive. I’m only a few episodes into it, and I am hooked! I probably should save this for a “treadmill-only show” because then I’ll definitely get in my steps!
MEGAN : Wednesday (Netflix) was my most recent show to work out with. Having a show that I ONLY watch when I’m on the elliptical helps insure I get it done. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but it was really good. The cast was amazing (hi Christina Ricci — that was a fun easter egg!). Eight episodes about 45 min. each is perfect. I found myself looking forward to exercising so I could see what happened next. A light murder mystery with lots of action that is still PG.
What We’re Wearing
MEGAN : You saw the coat last week. Now here’s the whole outfit for traveling for our ski vacay.
SHOP THE LOOK
Because it’s a New Year…
CHRISTA : We can’t let January go without talking about organizing — something I LOVE to do. If you’re in the mood to clean out closets, declutter your desk, reorganize inside cabinets or clear out your pantry, here are some great products to get you started. (I know you’ll like them because they are all from my Amazon order history.) When you create a system and make things easier to find, it’s that much easier to stay organized all year!
Not sure where to start? Pick a room or small area, and then tackle a new area each week. It’s all about small victories! Maybe this week it’s a bathroom cabinet, next week it’s the pantry and the week after it’s the hall closet. Or maybe you just have time for the junk drawer. Don’t tackle it all at once because then it’s overwhelming!
Not sure which items to buy or how to organize a particular space? Message me — I’m happy to help!
GET ORGANIZED WITH THESE AMAZON FINDS
MORE ORGANIZING PRODUCTS (YES, ALL THINGS I HAVE AND USE!)
What We’re Reading
CHRISTA : Not feeling motivated to workout today? Here are a few tips to get in that workout even when you don’t feel like working out. We (of course) like the second tip!
MEGAN : My book club is reading the new Barbara Kingsolver, Demon Copperhead: A Novel. Lot’s of hype for this book. As an aging English major I like the nod to Dickens’ David Copperfield. Anyone else reading it?
Something Just for Fun
MEGAN : Any of you read The Spare? I know, I know this is it — I promise I’ll stop talking about it. BUT, I found this in my bathroom cabinet and I had to share. IYKYK or if ya read the book ya know. I use mine on dry skin and cuticles. Harry used his somewhere else.
CHRISTA : What’s in your bag? Love this honest peek inside Jennifer Garner’s bag! 😂 And can we pause a moment to consider the bag itself? It’s a perfect option if you need a new travel tote.
Friends Share the Good Stuff
Have something you can’t live without? Did you find a great deal? Well, do tell! Share with us and we’ll pass it along…because friends share the good stuff!
Walk and Talk…with Friends!
Our stylish and very fit friend, Sharon is joining the “Walk and Talk” today. Sharon is a busy mom with two high schoolers, and enjoys crafts, crocheting, yoga, and marathons (not the Netflix kind!). Plus she’s an entrepreneur with her own personal training business, Rising Sun Fitness.
Since most of us start the New Year with fitness and weight loss goals, we invited Sharon on our walk and talk to answer a few questions for us. (Our “walk” was really just “talk” at Starbucks because it rained, so we’re rescheduling with Sharon soon!) Thank you, Sharon, for sharing your expertisetoday. #friendssharethegoodstuff.
Q: TELL US ABOUT YOUR BUSINESS.
SHARON : Rising Sun Fitness is 16 years old this year! I do a variety of health coaching, personal training, triathlon and run coaching, yoga for kids and adults, online coaching…and of course now zoom classes as well! I love that I have such a variety — I have trained five year olds in kids yoga classes all the way up to 90 year olds! Beginners to Ironman athletes! I am lucky to be able to do what I am fully passionate about in life- moving, keeping people healthy, feeling ALIVE and energetic!
Q: WHAT’S THE BEST TIME TO EAT WHEN WORKING OUT? BEFORE? AFTER? FASTED?
SHARON : There is so much involved in this question. Many people think that if they have fasted overnight and do a morning workout without eating, they will burn fat. This is not true — what you burn in a workout is primarily dependent on the intensity of the workout. And if the purpose of your workout is intervals and any type of strength or intensity, you cannot train or exercise at the appropriate levels that your body needs without FUEL (calories!).
So, some of this depends on the purpose of the workout. If you are doing an early morning workout and need some calories, I recommend eating anything easy and light on the system — even a few bites of a banana. Secondly, there are so many variations in what people will tolerate with their GI system before a workout, so that can be tricky as well!
After a workout, especially after a strength or high intensity workout, it is absolutely clear: you recover best if you eat within 20 minutes of competing the exercise (definitely within 30-60 min) with a carbohydrate/protein combination of food. This doesn’t need to be complex — it could be a yogurt with berries. It could be a hard boiled egg with a piece of whole grain toast. So simple, but so important!
Q: HOW MANY DAYS/WEEK FOR STRENGTH AND FOR CARDIO?
SHARON : Everyone should do a minimum of 30 minutes of aerobic exercise (this can be walking) every single day. If it needs to be broken into two 15 minute segments, that is okay, but without question, we need to move 30 minutes/day. At a minimum, every person should also do strength training 2x/week. The GOOD NEWS is that strength training can be very efficient and you can get a good amount of work done in a short amount of time.
Q: WHAT’S A GOOD, BALANCED WORKOUT PLAN WHEN YOU’RE APPROACHING OR IN MENOPAUSE? AND FOR WEIGHT LOSS DURING MENOPAUSE?
SHARON : Approaching or in menopause, the same recommendations for a minimum; however it is even MORE important to do strength training and incorporate some high intensity training into your cardio sessions.
For weight loss, everyone needs to do at least a long aerobic/lower intensity workout each week, and a shorter interval/high intensity/uncomfortable workout each week! And STRENGTH! Combine that with healthy nutrition — you cannot out-exercise unhealthy nutrition!
Q: 10,000 STEPS….IS IT STILL A GOOD MEASURE OF ACTIVITY?
SHARON : Everyone LOVES the 10,000 steps. However, this doesn’t take away from the 30 minutes of aerobic activity and strength training recommendations. It is better to be active (getting 10K steps) than not active. However, it is BEST to be FIT — getting in some scheduled 30 min sessions, some intervals/changing intensity, as well as strength!
Christa’s Links
- 2023 Academy Award nominations
- Let the Right One In (Showtime)
- home organization
- Jennifer Garner’s travel tote
- a few tips to get in that workout even when you don’t feel like working out
Megan’s Links
- Wednesday (Netflix)
- Travel outfit, ski trip edition
- Barbara Kingsolver’s Demon Copperhead: A Novel
- The Spare, and Harry’s “special” cream
What’s Happening on the Blog
Did you catch our Valentine post? We shared some outfit ideas for wherever your plans take you (including the couch!). Next week we’ll have some fun finds for Valentine’s Day decor and gifts.
We’re getting very close to our blog-iversary, celebrating one year of “walk and talks” with all of you. Look for a few changes coming soon — but don’t worry, we’ll be continuing with the same content you love and we know you’ll like what we’re planning!
We earn from your purchases made through Amazon and Shopstyle affiliate links in this post, at no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting our work.
Subscribe today and don’t miss any fabulous finds. Our posts are delivered right to your inbox each week. #friendssharethegoodstuff
If you’d like more more style, decor, beauty, recipes and other fun finds, you can follow us @styleamongfriends on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest.
Cheer and applause to the not exercising your way out of a bad diet!
Thanks Sharon!
A reminder we all need to hear! 🙂