Hello, and welcome to Forever 35, a podcast about the things we do to take care of ourselves.I'm Dori Schafrir.
And I'm Elise Hugh, and we're just two friends who like to talk a lot about serums.
And this is a mini episode where we hear from you, we share your comments and your thoughts, and we answer your questions to the best of our ability.But please remember, we are podcast hosts.
We have expertise in some areas, but definitely not in others, like mental health or even really physical health. So we might suggest that you consult a medical and or mental health professional as needed.
How is your physical health lately, Dora?
You know, I'm always loathe to ascribe things to like the vitamins that I take because who the heck knows?
Yeah, but knock on wood, I will say I've been pretty healthy lately.
I haven't gotten any colds or another bout of COVID or anything.
Is it the vitamin B?Is it?I don't know.That's a thing.That's a thing.Who knows?No one knows.Who knows?
I don't wanna attribute it to the vitamin D because I've been taking vitamin D for years and I've definitely gotten sick in that time, but I haven't been sick in a minute.Now, granted also, my son has not been sick in a minute.
And I do feel like when you are the parent of a five-year-old, a lot of times your sicknesses come from your child.So I feel like the fact that he has not really been sick is probably helping my attempts to also stay well.
Yes.Yes.And just staying out of crowded places like train stations, which we don't really go to in Los Angeles.
Well, you know, I did have the thought that like going to high holiday services, I was like, Oh, I, I might get COVID from this.Like, I mean, we were like packed in there like sardines.
So it was a little like, Oh boy, but, and everyone's like singing and you know, it's like, it's a very, uh, A lot of germs able to spread in that environment.But so far, again, knock on wood, so far, I seem to have not come down with anything.
But what I was also going to say is I'm feeling like physically pretty good.Like my tennis elbow is so much better.It's like almost totally gone.Awesome.My knee pain, I had like a little bit of knee pain on and off.That seems gone.
So I'm like, okay, you know what, for being my age, I'm feeling like things are okay.But also I feel like if I take my eye off the I was going to say, if I take my eye off the gas, you know what I mean?
If I just stop doing whatever I'm doing for a little while, then my arm might start acting up.Being in your 40s requires so much maintenance.
Yeah, or maintenance at all.For the first time, I really could tell around the change of my decades where I was like, Man, I get hungover now.It was, I think, my 40th birthday where I was like, oh no.
Yeah, I mean, alcohol, I almost never drink anymore because I found that even when I had a glass of wine, I couldn't sleep.I felt sluggish the next day.
And it was just, it was a real eye opener because I felt like in my twenties and thirties, you know, I lived.It didn't affect you.No, it didn't affect me so much.
And I, you know, I didn't, I don't think I ever like a few times, of course I drank to excess, but like typically if I went out, if I went out to dinner, let's say I would have two or three glasses of wine, feel great.
go home, wake up the next day for work, no problem.I was always like, okay, four is where I cut it off.Now I'm like, four glasses of wine, what?Isn't that a bottle?Four glasses is a bottle.Yes, a thousand percent.
But I feel like there were a lot of dinners Like just where you know, the bottles of wine just kept coming.That's true.You know what I mean?And then you turn around and you're like, Oh, I actually like drank a bottle.Yeah.Yeah.
But that does not happen anymore.I'll tell you.
So and you are physically well, so maybe there's a correlation there.I mean, honestly,
I mean, alcohol is so interesting because it is one of those things where, I think you were talking about this recently, where it's like every year a different study comes out and you're like, I don't know what to believe.Right.
Remember for years it was like moderate drinking, especially red wine.Red wine, yeah.Because it has resveratrol.
Yes, and now I feel like the pendulum is kind of swinging back and all these doctors are like, you should not drink any alcohol whatsoever, which is a very different message.Yes.
Yes, there's like, there's now these doctors who are saying like, Hey, remember when we said it was like, good to drink a couple glasses of wine every night, just kidding, which is like... Yeah, this is my whole beef with caffeine.Yes, exactly.
Because every once in a while, yeah, this is one of my soapbox outrages.Yeah, I feel like you've definitely talked about this.Are we supposed to have coffee or not have coffee?
Right, exactly.Come on.Anyway, how are you feeling physically these days?
Oh, I still have, you know, I have my nagging knee issue.
And I'm just waiting for it to, I don't think it gets better.It could potentially get worse, at which point I might need to get surgery.But so far, so good, you know, or so far, so stable.But, you know, I've just been, I,
But I've had a little bit more time at home as I've been training the puppy and things and have also, knock on wood, managed to not get sick.So that is a blessing.
And then we had puppy training this week, which was – yeah, because his brain was empty.His brain was empty.He couldn't do – he didn't like know any commands. Obviously, because he was like 10 weeks old.
For the first time, we had somebody come to our house and just talk us through.I feel like puppy training is kind of human training, like they're training us.
Rob needed a lot of training because he likes to get down and rehearse the kinds of behaviors that we don't want the puppy to be doing with the kids.He really wants to roughhouse with the dog.
And then so the dog gets really excited and starts nipping at him and stuff, which Rob is happy to have happen.But then when it happens to Luna, the seven-year-old, she is not.And so then it's like, okay, let's get on the same page here.
We have to do some norms, which having an outside trainer here to help with has been great.It was really fun.But it's a little far afield from your question.Overall, I'm fine.I just have a lot of like, I'm frazzled, right?
I have a lot of like stuff going on and having the puppy around and possibly making noise right now.
We actually had to deal with our editor, Sammy, heard the puppy squeaking, like the squeaking toy, like going really hard with the squeaking toy in the background of one of our casual chat episodes, I think.
And they were like, yeah, love it, but very hard to edit around.So I needed to take the squeaky toys away from Oscar during those particular recording sessions, or all recording sessions.Oh, Oski. Already, already a little bit troublesome.
A little bit of a troublemaker.
Well, you know, you were talking on a recent episode about how he's gotten so much bigger.Yeah.And then you posted a picture on Instagram of you holding him and I was like, oh my God.I know.
I feel like two seconds ago he was like this tiny little puppy and now he's like.
I know, even his face is different, right?
Yeah, he's like this big boy.
Yeah, yeah.He's doubled his weight since he came home.I have been doing one selfie a week just to kind of mark his growth because it's like the pregnancy photos I think we joked about in the mirror, but I'm holding a puppy.He's enormous already.
He's doubled his weight since he came home three weeks ago.
Do you know how big he is supposed to get?
75 pounds.Okay. So the same weight as Isa, my nine-year-old.
Oh, sure.You know that my dog is almost 90 pounds?
So you don't lift him up with one arm, I assume.
I was actually thinking about this.I was like, how do I one arm him when he's 75 pounds for myself?
No, you don't.Yeah, you don't.You don't. Have you seen those TikToks of people who have taught their pets to quote unquote talk using those like buttons that they push with their paws?
Yes, it's astounding how expansive a dog's vocabulary can be.Do you think that's real?I asked the dog trainer about this and she said an intelligent dog has a vocabulary of about 200 to 300 words, which actually sounds high.It does.
But some of the dogs who not only recognize the word but can also point to a card with the photo of the word, And, like, form a sentence.And make that association.Right, right, right.
Those might have a vocabulary in the thousands, and that is possible with dogs, but it takes, like, 12 years of dedicated work and training.Oh.Interesting.So it is possible with a lot of dedication.
Also, like, what's the payoff?You spend 12 years for him to tell you he wants to go for a walk?I mean, he, like, my dog already knows how to do that. You know what I mean?
You can do that without a sentence.
Right.Exactly.Exactly.Like it's a fun parlor trick.But I'm like, they're kind of good at like, they don't have a ton of needs.Their needs are like, I'm hungry, I'm thirsty, I need to poop. I'm tired.That's kind of it.
And they're pretty good at expressing when they need something.I don't know.Call me crazy, but I'm like, is this really necessary? Well, we should take a break, Elise.
But before we do that, let's just remind everyone that they can call or text us at 781-591-0390.Please call and text us, actually.You know, these mini-apps run on your emails and voicemails and texts.
So if we don't get any, you know, you just have to listen to us, the app, which is like... It's a much lesser episode without you.Yeah.
And you can email us at forever35podcast at gmail.com.You can visit our website forever35podcast.com.We have links there to everything we mentioned on the show.Our website is newly redesigned.It's very pretty.You can go check that out.
Even has a functional search now. You can follow us on Instagram at forever35podcast.We also have a newsletter at forever35podcast.com slash newsletter.And you can shop our favorite products at shopmy.us slash forever35.And Stace Project.
It's almost election day.Almost election day.It is almost election day.Link is in our show notes and on our website.Please donate whatever you can.We are so grateful.Okay.We're going to take a quick break.We'll be right back. Okay, we are back.
And before we get to our listeners, we just want to mention one thing, which is if you remember a few months ago, we had the amazing makeup artist Rachel Goodwin on the show.And she answered so many of your questions.
And we said that we were going to have her back to respond to more questions.She actually had more questions that came in like after we recorded the episode that we didn't even have a chance to get to.
And we thought it would be great if people wrote in with more questions, even more questions for Rachel for an upcoming episode that we will tape in a few weeks.So please write in, call, text us with your questions for Rachel.
No question is too big or too small.
Skincare, makeup, she is so up to date on all of the products because she gets to test everything and she's always testing things on her celebrity faces that she works on.Most notably Emma Stone, who is her most frequent client and collaborator.
I've heard of her.Have you heard of her?Yeah, I think I have too.She's been in a few things, a few things. And Rachel agreed to come on with us quarterly.So it's time for her to come back.We're so excited she will.
So call in with your questions because she was very popular among you listeners and for good reason.You know how to reach us.Send in your questions for Rachel.
Okay. All right, we got a question.This was actually left by someone on our Patreon, but we thought it would be a great question for everyone.So we asked if it would be okay to read it on the main episode and this listener graciously said yes.
So thank you so much. and they wrote, hi all, needing some boot slash shoe wrecks for a trip to Boston in a few weeks.
We have nice dinner plans a couple of the nights that are either very close by our hotel or we'll take a lift or the T, but the rest of the time will be lots of walking.
Dora, I feel like you're my shoe friend.You're my shoe expert friend.I am?Oh my God.Yeah.Wow, okay.I feel, I defer to you on shoes.You do? Yeah, because I'm just not a shoe person.I'm way more of a bag person than I am a shoe person.Oh, interesting.
My eldest daughter is a bit of a shoe person.She's really into her hokas because she's Gen Z, beginning of alpha, and I guess the young kids really like the hokas these days.
Rob also really likes his Hocus.Our recent guest, Amanda Mull, wrote a whole article about how the Gen Zs are only wearing comfortable shoes now.
Or products.Yes.So this listener didn't specify too much. in here besides they have nice dinner plans.
So here's what I'm going to- Oh no, but she's saying mostly she's gonna be walking though.I'm interpreting the question differently.
Right, but I guess what I'm wondering is, is she asking for one shoe rack?Like something that she can walk in and go to dinner in?Or does she want a dinner shoe rack and then separately a walking shoe rack?You know what I'm saying?
These are two different things.
Well, how would you answer the question, Dor?Okay.Both questions.
If you want something that is going to be good for both, I suggest a little old website called aerosoles.com.So my like former impression of aerosoles, no offense to aerosoles, was like kinda like not like stylish, right?
Like just like comfortable shoes.And let me tell you, aerosoles, this is not an ad.Aerosoles has stepped it up.Aerosoles has really stepped it up in the last few years. Yes, it's true.Oh my God.I didn't even think about that.
And they have some really cute shoes, really cute boots.The price point is not that expensive.It's like what you would spend at like Macy's.Most of their boots are, I would say, between like $75 and like top top is maybe like a little under $200.
Most are in like the $99 range. They have waterproof shoes, they have a lot of options, and I have found that their shoes are indeed very comfortable.Now, the other brand that I'm like, oh, they actually have some cute shoes, is Naturalizer.
Yes, I'm in my 40s.Yes, I'm in my 40s.But they have some cute shoes.And their shoes are like, legit comfortable.Like I got a pair of shoes from them for like a black tie thing.
And these like, they were like strappy silver high heeled sandals, like the kinds of shoes that normally you would wear for five minutes and then like have to take off.Yeah.
And they were so comfortable.So I'm like, I don't know what you're doing with these.So for boots that will look cute for a nice dinner out and that you can walk in, I would suggest Naturalizer or Aerosol.I'm looking at their website right now.
And of course I wouldn't wear every single one of these pairs of shoes, but there's multiple pairs of shoes that I'm like, those are cute.Those are cute.Those are cute.I would wear those.So I would check that out.
Now, if you are looking for walking shoes, not like nice dinner shoes, I think hokas are the way to go.I love a hoka.You and 12 year old Ava. 12-year-old Ava also loves a hookah.
So that's, that's two recommendations right there.Um, yeah.Okay.This is awesome.And then listeners, obviously we want to throw this out to all of y'all too.
So if you have suggestions for yes, however you want to take this question, whether it's dressy or walking, we're all ears.
Call or text us.We are all ears.Okay.Um, Elyse, I believe this next text is in reference to your anecdote about chickens.Do you remember this?
Oh, yes, the chicken diapers, uh-huh.
Yeah, how Rob was like, I need to get the chickens diapers because they are shitting everywhere.
Yes, okay, so this listener writes in and says, first they put the laughing, crying emoji and said, had to pause the pod. Chickens have no sphincter muscle, so they go when the spirit moves them, lol.They can't be trained to go in one place.
Good for lawn fertilization, bad for soccer.
Yes, yes.This is, and Rob would agree, this is why he wanted the diapers but couldn't get agreement on it.
This is so funny.I never thought about, like, an animal not having a sphincter.
Yes, this is going to be my today I learned at dinner.
This is definitely a today I learned.
Because often at dinner we share, like, today I learned.Oh, you do?Yeah.
That's really cute.That's really cute.Well, now I learned.Now I know a lot about how chickens poop.
Do all birds have no sphincter?That would track, actually.
Yeah.Well, all the cars and people and anything underneath that's getting shat upon.
Yes.I mean, not that they care, you know what I mean?Not that they care that they're shitting on a car or a person for that matter, but like, it is just like, oh yeah, they probably like, they just poop when they poop.Yeah.Yeah.Okay.
Well, you never know what you're going to talk about on this podcast.I got to tell you.Okay.Let's take another short break and we'll be right back. We are back.
A listener wrote, loved the discussion about strength training at the end of your recent episode with Delia Kai.I started a strength training plan in the spring of this year at the suggestion of my physical therapist and I've come to love it.
I work with a personal trainer who I know through boxing classes I took pre-COVID, and she set up a plan for me to follow each month.It has become such a confidence boost for me.
I also feel so cool and strong whenever I see a guy in the gym and I'm using heavier weights than him."Smoking emoji.
This strength training is a theme of Miranda July's book, All Fours, which I know a lot of you listeners have read about how she had no muscles and decided she wanted to get toned.
She started working with a trainer and she ends up working with very, very heavy weights as her arc proceeds in the story.She gets stronger and stronger and feels really empowered from it.It reminds me of that.
That's very cool.I finished my glutes and legs program.Yay.I'm not giving an update.I did not finish every single one of the classes like on time.I did 10 out of 13, like when I was supposed to.And then my program ended on Sunday.Today's Wednesday.
And then yesterday, which is Tuesday, I did one of the classes that I hadn't been able to do.So I'm going to finish it out and then I might do it again.
Why not?Why not?Yeah.I do feel stronger.And plus you can keep your glutes from getting amnesia.
Yeah, I was going to ask you about your glutes when we were talking at the top of the show about how we felt physically.How are your glutes feeling these days?
Well, you know, I'm convinced I have dead butt syndrome.Yes.And that's why I sometimes have lower back pain and knee issues because like my whole back chain is affected by having weak, I think it's medial glutes.And, you know, I'm working on it.
I work on it in my megaformer classes.I guess that's my souped up Pilates classes.We do a lot of clamshells and lunges and things like that, but I hate it.I actually, I hate working on that part of my body.
It's very painful and not an exhausting, and that's why I don't do it.Plus, I lay prone most of the time.I don't work at a standing desk.I barely work at a desk because I even take meetings from bed.I often work from bed.
You probably know this because You have seen me on our Forever 35 team meetings and usually I'm in bed.That's like my desk.And so when my kids make fun of me, they're like, why are you in bed again?I'm like, this is my desk.
You need to respect this is my desk.
Most of my book was written there.I feel very productive in my space, but what it does is nothing for my glutes.It does nothing for my glutes at all.In fact, probably weakens them.I'm working on it.I'm trying to walk more.
I'm trying to do more strength stuff.It's just going to be like you are saying.Essentially, at our age, you just basically have to keep doing it. Yeah.You can't really stop.
Right.It's not like you get to a point and then it's like, right.And then it's like, OK, you're done.Yeah.Yeah.It's like now.Yeah.Not done.
But loved hearing that message from our listener.
So, yes.Thank you all.That was so great.All right.Well, Elyse, do you have any Costco or Trader Joe's recs for this week?
I never bought that giant wolverine for spooky season, even though you had tempted me.The problem with that is the storage.Totally.Am I going to keep that out in the front yard?
Somebody did say that they wanted to get it and then dress it up for various holidays.You would have a wolverine in your yard, and then when it was Christmas time, it'd be like a Santa wolverine.
And then when it was Valentine's Day, it'd be like a Cupid.
You know what that's like?It's like the people who have those like banners outside of their house that change with the holidays and the season.I feel like people don't have those so much in California or LA now that I think about it.
Yeah, I don't really see that in LA very often.
But that was a very like Northeast thing.
Yeah, so you could have done that for the Wolverine.
Right.Like, oh, it's Easter.I'm going to put out my Easter egg banner.Oh, it's, you know, it's like, it's kind of festive and fun.
Anyway, so I haven't been to Costco and I still think about the Wolverine and that missed opportunity.At Trader Joe's, my one recommendation right now, as we are still in the throes of spooky season, is the La Colombe cold brew, canned cold brews.
They have the pumpkin ones in stock right now.
They have the pumpkin flavored ones.I like them.
I like them.Yeah.And it's only for a limited time too.It's not too sweet.It's subtle.I don't like a really sweet drink. Every time I see it around this time of year, I'm excited to see it and they're back.So that's my big Trader Joe's update.
I'm trying to think if I've bought anything new recently that I haven't mentioned already on the pod.Oh, I did.I haven't tried it yet, but I did buy the Cubano bowl, chicken and rice and beans.
Matt is Cuban, so I might make him try it for authenticity's sake.Okay.Okay.Like, how does this taste?Yeah, I did.I was saying, I told Elise, I already told you this, but I was heating up a shawarma bowl recently.
And you know, they say you can like heat it up in the microwave or you can put in the oven. And I was like, well, let's see what happens if I put it in the oven.Will the extra time be worth it?Because it takes like 40 minutes to cook in the oven.
And my verdict was not worth it.
Microwave is just fine?Just stick it in the microwave.
I wasn't going to attempt the 40-minute wait for Humble anyway, but I'm very glad to hear it.
Yes, you did it for me.Thanks, Laura.
Thank you for your service.Anytime.
All right.Thanks, everybody.Talk to you next time.Bye.
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