Christmas Outfit Shopping

Today after tai chi I decided I wanted to get something nice to wear for our Christmas dinner with the family.  I haven’t been shopping for a while and it was a good excuse to go.  I feel like finding the right outfit for Christmas is always difficult because it is still warm here and a lot of the clothing is for the season is for cooler temperatures.  It is also extra difficult because I am still having hot flashes every once in a while, and I definitely do not want to be caught in a sweater in Florida with a hot flash.  But I decided to take on the challenge and I am glad I did.

For some reason it never dawned on me that the mall would be full of people doing their Christmas shopping.  It was so packed; and when I say it was packed I mean I have never seen so many people in the mall before.  I ventured to a couple stores but I couldn’t fight the crowds.

Instead of just giving up I went to the stores around the perimeter.  The last time Clara went shopping with me we went to TJ Max and I fell in love.  It has so many options and you never know what you are going to find.  I ended up finding this really nice cranberry colored top that is flowy and looks great on me.  I also found this beautiful necklace to wear with it.

I thought I was done shopping and was pleased with what I got, but I couldn’t resist going into Kohl’s right next door.  It was pretty busy in there but not as much as the mall.  I was just browsing around and found these pants that looked so comfortable and dressy.  They looked like dress pants but they had some elastic in them that made the stretchy.  I tried them on and loved them.  So obviously I had to get them too.

While I was there I browed through the sale racks and found this very cute holiday scarf.  I don’t know if I will wear it for Christmas but it was a good deal I couldn’t pass up.  There were so many sale and clearance ranks I couldn’t manage to go through them all and as it got later in the day, more and more people started pouring in.  I got out of there at the perfect timing.

I am very happy I found an entire outfit to wear for Christmas.  I was really only looking for a shirt but found pants and a necklace, can’t complain.  Next time I go shopping around Christmas I have to remember to avoid the mall and to go early!

Until next time,

Nancy

Early Birthday Gift- Fitbit

My daughter, Clara decided to come home this morning to have brunch with my husband and me; it was so lovely seeing her. She also surprised me with an early birthday present, a Fitbit. I am so excited! I have been wanting one for quite some time. All the reviews are great and it sounded like something I would really use. Clara even helped me set it up this afternoon!

If you haven’t heard about Fitbit’s, they are awesome little gadgets. The company’s slogan:

“Fitbit is dedicated to helping people lead healthier, more active lives”

… is exactly what I hope it does for me. Fitbit is a physical activity tracker that is supposed to help you become more active, eat a healthier diet, sleep better, and just make you a healthier person in general.

It tracks daily activities throughout the day including the number of steps you take, how far you have walked, and the calories you have burned. It also is able to tell how vigorous the exercises are and how many calories are burnt. What I think is one of the best aspects of the Fitbit, is that is monitors sleep quality. I would love to know how I am sleeping and if it correlates to the days I fell tired.

There is even a feature on it that will send me messages that are supposed to encourage me to keep moving and working hard. A few of my friends from Tai Chi have them too and we are able to become “Fitbit” friends and work together and encourage each other.

The data gets sent to my smart phone when I connect to Wi-Fi, I have gotten pretty darn good at my smartphone since getting it.  Clara showed me how to look at it on the computer and see how much I have walked and all the other features. She is such a digital guru. 😀

I am really excited to start using it and seeing how much I actually exercise and how it compares to what I eat. I am not necessarily looking for it to help me lose weight, but more to help me stay healthy, motivated, and have fun!

I will keep you updated on how I like my early birthday present and how it is working!

Until next time,

Nancy

A Pinterest Addicts New Lifestyle

I have been doing so good keeping up with my exercise routine this week. I got my husband to join me three times this week to go cycling, I’ve been making a point to take the stairs more often, and I did a living room workout twice this week. I may be speaking too soon, but I am feeling healthy and active. There is just something about being active that changes your mindset and makes you have a great day.

I have been trying to eat healthy, but it is just so hard. I am used to making quick meals for the kids that were easy and not necessarily that healthy. I want to commit this upcoming week to eating healthy AND keeping up with my activity schedule.
I am aware of what makes food taste good and how to use fresh ingredients, I struggle in portion control. I need to be conscious of how much I’m eating and pacing my consumption. I read that putting the food in a different room while you are eating, makes you think about how much you’re eating and prevents you from getting seconds or even thirds. And if you do decide to get more, you have to get up and walk to get it. I think this is a great idea; I am going to try that this week and see how it works.
I feel like Pinterest is such a good place to get motivation, workout ideas, and recipes, I think it’s safe to say I’m a Pinterest addict. This morning I pinned a bunch of recipes I want to try and found some great boards on eating healthy. Better Homes and Garden has a board called healthy dinner recipes, it is so many different recipes.

I used to be able to eat whatever I wanted and not gain any weight, but now that I am a woman of menopausal age, it is important to be aware of what kinds of food are going into my body. If I stay motivated and keep going in the direction I am now, I will be managing a healthy lifestyle in no time.

Thanks for reading!

Nancy

From Shoulder Pads to Fabulous

I have never been one to follow fashion trends, I always shop for the best deals and steals.

Because of that, my wardrobe isn’t exactly up to date…at all. I certainly have no idea what is “in” anymore. After my menopausal rant, I decided if my body wants to constantly be hot I need start dressing like a hot mature woman.

My closet hasn’t exactly changed since the 90’s. Every mother knows, especially if you have a daughter, when you go shopping it always ends up about them; five bags for them and one for you, if you’re lucky. Now that I actually have time for myself, it is time to spice up my style. I’m over my funeral home of a closet, everything I own is black. Even my family comments about my morbid hues of clothing. My go to outfit for work is a big boxy blazer, with the 90’s favorite shoulder pads, classic trousers, and a blouse. And guess what color it is…BLACK! I desperately need a pop of color to look alive.

My anniversary with the hubby is coming up, so it is the perfect excuse to go shopping for something new. I am so fashion-illiterate I had to do a quick search on how to dress 50 and fabulous. “Don’t be afraid of colors, dress for your body type, chic patterns are your friend, let go of baggy clothes that weigh you down…” flooded the search results. Well, I guess if I am going to find clothes that look good I’m going to have to try new things, bring it on! I am ready for a little change.

After I built up my courage to go to the mall, it was so freeing walking in knowing the day was all mine. Where do I start? I have always loved Talbots and Ann Taylor but have always been afraid to try things on in the store. I have this fear when I try things on nothing will fit or I will think it looks good but it actually looks terrible. Very irrational, I know.

But, today was my day, I really wanted to step out of my comfort zone and try things on. I constantly found myself gravitating towards the black shirts and pants…NO MORE BLACK! I had to forcefully avoid falling back into my funeral home clothes habit.

After I had an arm full of clothes I went into the dreaded dressing room. Shockingly, I loved it, the store attendant reminded me of Clara when she would help me pick out clothes, she was so sweet. The attendant was helpful getting new sizes and gave me great fashion advice for a woman my age. And the best part was we somehow got on the topic of menopause and hot flashes, she had some advice on what fabrics to wear to wick away the sweat and stay cool. Finally, someone who understands my struggles. 

I ended up with the PERFECT dress for our anniversary dinner, and it wasn’t black! A round of applause for me! I also ended up getting four more outfits that fit my personality and the style I didn’t even know I had. I guess I forgot what it feels like to go shopping and get new clothes. I feel like a whole new person; rejuvenated and sophisticated.  

I will definitely be back to the mall very soon!

Here is the website picture of the dress I got for my anniversary dinner! I love IT!

Until next time,

Nancy