What I’m Reading This Summer

by Leigh | Jul 22, 2016 | Stories | 0 comments

The Chaperone
by Laura Moriarty

This has been on my to-read list for so long I forgot who recommended it. I sort of thought I wouldn’t like it, but then I DID. It starts in 1922 and goes almost until present day. It is filled with secrets. Funny, I really liked The Secret Keeper and this has a lot in common, and soon I’m going to start The Husband’s Secret. The Chaperone proves that we can all change, be less judgmental and get second chances. I recommend it!

The Circle
by Dave Eggers

Think George Orwell’s 1984 only Big Brother is not the Government but Corporate America. If you live/lived in Silicon Valley like I have you’ll recognize and be quicky seduced by the fun, cutting edge, rule breaking Circle (Google? Facebook? A combination?) I read this on vacation and even though I wouldn’t call it a summer read, it was a page-turner.

Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking
by Susan Cain

I only recently became aware that I am in introvert. I never wanted to believe that because I think I’m pretty outgoing and social. I have fought against the stigma of being shy and thought I was winning. This book has changed the way I look at everything. I am quiet. I like quiet. And there’s nothing wrong with that.

Next: The Dharma Punx

Staying active on vacation

by Leigh | Jul 14, 2016 | Stories | 0 comments

I obsess.

I’m always worrying about getting out of the habit of working out and eating healthy when I’m on vacation. How am I going to work out when I don’t have access to the things I normally do? Should I pack clothes for running? Should I buy a travel scale? Crazy, right?

Then last month I went on a trip and I actually lost weight. Granted I did a lot of walking, but I certainly didn’t watch my calories. This experience helped me relax a little. I recently read an article about how restrictive dieting causes weight gain and that allowing yourself to eat foods you enjoy can help you lose.

So, along the lines of letting-go-of-how-you-think-you-have-to-be-active, relaxing and enjoying food and having fun on vacation, here are my suggestions for vacationing (in my case, at the Jersey Shore):

• Ride a really old, rusty bike with a basket around as much as possible
• Wear a fitbit
• Take off your fitbit so it won’t get wet in the ocean
• Jump in the waves for hours
• Forget about the fitbit
• Play mini golf
• Go to yoga
• Go standup paddle boarding
• Go for a walk on the beach to clear your head
• Fly a kite
• Go to the arcade
• Have a chin-up contest at a playground
• Do suicide sprints at a playground and accuse each other of cheating

Do all of these things and you can eat ice cream every night. 🙂

How to find a style that works for you

by Leigh | May 19, 2016 | Stories | 0 comments

It’s always the same with me. Same styles, same brands, same colors. I am even guilty of buying the same exact things I already own. Striped shirts, black skinny jeans, ripped boyfriend jeans…

Here is an assortment of recent(-ish) outfit shots. I take photos to remember what worked (or what didn’t.) I feel silly, but it really gives me a better idea, a more objective idea, than if I just looked in the mirror.

Since I became obsessed with Bloglovin’ and started following fashion blogs on the regular, I feel like I can actually put together an outfit! I know, amazing stuff.

I also get a lot of ideas from Pinterest. I save images of outfits I like, of things I think are staples, and some trends. Then I constantly narrow the pins down to what I feel is truly me. My closet gets more and more edited down to just what I like and know I’ll wear.

My Pinterest outfit board: https://www.pinterest.com/leighfeather/outfits/

I am aware of how self-obsessed this is, but I know I’m not alone! Besides, if you grew up with your Dad buying your clothes (and only from Sears) you’d be a little weird too.

p.s. I recently went way more blonde and I love it.

Adidas

by Leigh | May 4, 2016 | Stories | 0 comments

I finally got a pair of Adidas Superstars!*

I am always that kid that wants the cool shoes that all the cool kids have. And at the same time I don’t want to get them for precisely that reason, everyone has them.

So, I wait and deliberate. Finally I talked myself into them. My husband has quite a few pair of Adidas and he was wholly supportive. He even taught me how to lace them correctly. Take a close look at the top picture. They didn’t come like that. That’s custom, baby. You have to lace them through the eyelet from the top. You go top down, across, in through the top and across, making sure that the outside always crosses over on top.

Now go get some and enjoy! It’s okay, all the cool kids are doing it.

*They were not easy to find! I live in the northeastern part of the US. The Journeys near me didn’t carry them in women’s sizes in the store and said the web site was 3 months backordered (which convinced me they were super cool and I had to have them!), Nordstrom didn’t have them, not in the color I wanted. Amazon has them but at $140. Foot Locker’s web site said they had them at a (sort of) nearby store. They didn’t. I finally ordered them through FinishLine. They were $79.99 with free shipping. I sized down a half a size based on a lot of reviews I read.

I checked and a lot of places have them now.

Let’s Get Fit: How to make the number on the scale go down

by Leigh | Apr 8, 2016 | Stories | 0 comments

Salad.

baby spinach & kale, boiled eggs, red peppers, turkey, asiago cheese, hummus, tapenade with olive oil, apple cider vinegar & mustard dressing

That’s pretty much it. I went back to eating really healthy the way I did last spring when I got fit for summer.

Over the last couple months I have been so frustrated with my lack of progress with my fitness and I know that might seem trivial or unimportant but it affects all areas of my life, and well, it’s just important to me. I couldn’t understand what I was doing wrong. I realize now, I was in denial. I was eating poorly.

I have lost 3 pounds over the last 4 days. That’s huge for me. Here’s what I did: I ate 3 healthy meals, no desserts (not even the little dark chocolate squares), minimal snacks, very minimal bread/carbs, no late night snacks/mini-meals. It was hard. But every day the scale went down.

It was encouraging that I got a few new subscribers on Bloglovin’. I really think it helps to fell like I’m doing it “with” you.

The frozen blueberries my kids didn’t finish, greek yogurt (full fat) & granola from I Quit Sugar cookbook.

Let’s Get Fit: Do it Anyway

by Leigh | Apr 4, 2016 | Stories | 0 comments

It’s Monday.

It’s raining.

Whatever you do, you keep (mysteriously) gaining weight.

You can’t decide what to do to workout.

You decide to do nothing.

NO.

You go for a walk. Just around the block. It turns into a run. It turns into a 30 minute walk/run.

This morning I just couldn’t. I tried meditating. I tried journaling. I even tried asking my husband’s advice (I was desperate.) I wasn’t just discouraged about my fitness. I was discouraged about everything. I tried to think, what did I do in the past that worked? I remembered that I shared my fitness challenges and successes with you (the 150 or so who follow me.) And, maybe that’s why it worked. So, here’s hoping it helps. Here’s hoping it maybe helps someone else.

Don’t give in. And don’t think about it too much. Just keep moving.