Good morning! It’s a beautiful, sunny summer day here in Philly. I just got back from a walk, which was lovely. I forgot my AirPods, so I found myself enjoying the early morning quiet of our neighborhood with sounds of nature and the pitter-patter of Savannah’s little feet on the pavement as she trotted along behind me.
I know it’s healthier to walk without music or a podcast playing in my ears, but I always feel like I need the entertainment to keep going, which simply isn’t true. At least, not when I’m walking. Running is a different story, but I don’t do much of that these days.
I still think I’d like to get back into it at some point, but I’ll need some type of goal, like a race of some sort. I miss those! I haven’t done one since Covid. I would need a training plan and some accountability, like a friend to do it with me… maybe I’ll look into a 5K for fall.
Meanwhile, I’ve registered for a private Pilates session to see how I like it. If I do, I’ll sign up for some group classes. I feel like I need something in addition to strength training to focus more on stretching, balance, posture, and core strength. I’ve done yoga in the past, but I’m thinking I might like Pilates better. Plus, I can do these classes with a friend, which will help keep me motivated.
Speaking of friends, we had some over last night for dinner on the deck, and we spent a while in the pool before that. Paul made us Aperol Spritzes, as we talked about our trip to Italy. It was threatening rain the whole time, but we were able to enjoy a good amount of pool time and then some appetizers on the deck before the sky opened up and dumped on us. At that point, we were happy to move inside for dinner, with the comfort of air-conditioning and where the flies couldn’t harass us. They were getting bad out there.
Our friends told us about these fly fans for your tables that basically keeps the flies away. How did I not know about these before? We immediately ordered them, and thanks to the efficiency of Amazon Prime one-day delivery, they will be here today by 5PM! I can’t wait to test them out.
Well, that’s about all I’ve got today. We’re going to be taking it easy this afternoon after church, resting up for the week ahead, and I have a new book I want to start reading. One of you recommended it to me – In Alexa’ Shoes. Not exactly a summer beach read, but it looks good, if you like historical fiction. (I do!)
Have a blessed Sunday, and I’ll be back tomorrow with my annual Fall Fashion Trends: What’s In and What’s Out. You won’t want to miss it!
27 Responses
Thanks for the book rec…it looks good! Thanks for the fly fan rec too. I’m hosting a major milestone birthday party soon for a family member and we’re going to be outside on the patio weather permitting. Hoping these will keep the bugs away!
I’m excited for the fall fashion trend post. They really help us plan our purchases. Speaking of purchases, I’m looking for cashmere sweaters but not Nordstrom as they don’t ship to Canada.
I’ve found beautiful colors, styles and quality cashmere at sundancecatalog.com. Not sure if they ship to Canada.
Thank you! I’ll check them out and see if they ship. Do you find then tts?
Hi! What type of espresso maker do you have? I noticed it in your Instagram story yesterday and wondered what brand it was and your thoughts on it. I didn’t see a post on it in your search bar but could have missed it. Thanks!
That espresso maker was my husband’s Covid project, lol. ECM is the brand. It’s a beast, but it does make amazing coffee. I just make Americano with it, but he knows how to do lattes and other fun drinks.
I take Pilates classes twice a week at our local community center, and I really enjoy it. It might not seem like you are doing much, but your muscles will tell you a different story the day after!
Looking forward to tomorrow’s post, thanks for all of your hard work.
Unite for Her cancer support organization is hosting a 5K in downtown West Chester on September 23! Come run and support a very worthy cause!
DONE! I just signed up. I found one of my friends listed as someone I can support, too.
I’m excited for you to take pilates, reformer or matt? As a Pilates trainer I have seen so many women completely change their body with Pilates combined with other things of course – sorry but it’s still 80% diet and 20% working out and I know no fair. …. We do a 5k every November Thanksgiving morning to raise money for local food banks, even though I’m not a runner, I don’t ever train and am always surprised how fast I finish
Yep, you can’t outrun a bad diet. I definitely need to get that under control, but I also need more movement. I have no idea if it’s reformer or matt, but I think reformer. I know they use machines? LOL! One of my best friends goes regularly and loves it. I used to always do the Turkey Trot but now I host Thanksgiving dinner. I miss the race, tho. It was always such a fun way to start the morning.
Hope you enjoy Pilates! It’s harder than it looks.
Pilates is AMAZING! For me, it has been a win/win/win program I’ve found (at age 44) to include in my -attempt, lol!- toward maintaining a fitness regimen at this point: building core strength; feeling, literally, like all the stress in your arms and leg muscles MELTS AWAY and just flows out of your body; and, the culture of the class is soooo much more normal and unpretentious than how (well!) Tik-Tok obsessed brats have taken over most yoga studios now 🙁
I think signing up for a 5K will be just the right motivation for you . I did just that & ran a fun 5K in Indy with 2 of my friends at the end of June. We made a girls weekend out of it. Was so much fun to do a race again!
Hi, I noticed your coffee maker on IG stories I was wondering the brand. I’ve been to Italy and definitely notice the difference in coffee wondering your thoughts from one coffee drinker to another. Thank you
That espresso maker was my husband’s Covid project, lol. ECM is the brand. It’s a beast, but it does make amazing coffee. I just make Americano with it, but he knows how to do lattes and other fun drinks.
If you’re free on Saturday mornings you could try the ballet for fitness class I’ve been taking. The teacher is a wealth of knowledge on healthy aging. There are plenty of people who have never taken a dance class in their life before.
That sounds interesting!
We’re off the next two weeks because the teacher is taking vacation but if you’re ever interested it’s 9:30-10:30 at the Phoenixville Rec Center. Let me know if you want to come!
Would love to hear more about your Pilates class and about your weights routine. I know this is a fashion blog but …
My blog has always been a bit of a mish-mosh, depending on what I’m into at any given time. I always shared my race victories (and woes) back when I was running regularly. My weights routine is that I work with at trainer 2x a week, so there isn’t much to share b/c I just do whatever she tells me to do. It’s always different. I’ll be happy to share about Pilates if I decide to stick with it.
Gradually work back into running– you’ll be ready for a fall 10K
Some church attendees sure could use attire ideas from you.
If there’s parkrun in your area you could start going to that on Saturday mornings. It hasn’t taken off in the US much but generally has a wonderful, supportive community. If you want to run you need to be consistent and want /love to run – if its mainly weight management you will do it for a few months and then peter out.
I don’t know about that but our local running store has running groups. I’ve never gone, but I probably should. I am usually a solitary runner, except for when I started adding on mileage to train for a half marathon. Then running with friends saved my sanity! I don’t have any plans to do those distances again, I just want to get back to doing 5K and maybe up to 5 miles for my “long run” each week. It’s always fun to meet up with friends for races.
If the social side motivates you then definitely look into the group runs – do one of those once a week. As I said, parkrun is really wonderful – 5km, once a week, you get “results” emailed to you, and generally has a great social side to it. It hasn’t really flourished in the US – being free and no medals/tshirts has apparently been an issue? The mental/emotional balance running gives me has been a godsend- I’m a year older than you – combined with a few minor tweaks I’ve trimmed off the midsection pudge that was starting to develop
Ooh so excited to hear you’re trying Pilates! I’m an instructor and it’s my passion. At first you may not feel like it’s “working” and it’s “easy” but trust me
it is working and it gets harder, much harder! That’s the fun part. I hope you like it.
Hi Jo-Lynne! I have been following you for several years and am usually not one to comment. But you mentioned Pilates in this post, and I have to tell you, it’s magical. I’m 54 and it’s been amazing for strengthening my core, it’s almost zero impact on my joints, and the stretching is doing wonders for my posture. Highly recommend!