ashleyd /

Friday Favorites – August 3rd, 2018

Brooks Mesh Ghost Leggings

Happy Friday! I hope you all have had a wonderful week. After lots of travel the past two weeks, it has been so refreshing to be home this week. I’ve focused on spending time with Bo and Katie, getting lots of sleep and catching up on errands and work.  Other than a long run date with Melissa, we don’t have any plans this weekend. Since Katie loved our bike ride adventure so much, I think we may ride to Prospect Park Zoo. Do you have any fun plans this weekend? Also, in other news, it’s no surprise but I’m already down looking forward to fall weather. The August heat and humidity is not my favorite time of year in New York City. In fact, I took two showers today just to rinse of the sweat and stickiness.

Now, let’s dive into this week’s edition of Friday Favorites, including recipes, articles, posts and other things that caught my eye this week.

  • Okay guys, the hype is real. I am so impressed with the Beautycounter Overnight Resurfacing Peel.  I’ve only been using it nightly for a week so I can’t tell you whether it has help improved my melasma, but I can tell you that I wake up each morning with brighter, smoother skin without the sting and chemicals of other options. The name is a bit confusing as it does not peel your skin nor do you peel it off. Instead, it “peels” off dead skin by dissolving dead skin cells which helps resurface skin to reduce dryness, dullness and discoloration. Once it absorbs, I apply the their No. 1 Brightening Facial Oil and Countermatch Eye Rescue  cream. As I mentioned last week on Instagram, I know that chemicals may be required to truly improve my melasma, but my dermatologist recommended that I come in for a follow-up visit in late September, after summer, to assess next steps. If you want to see more of my favorite Beautycounter products, check out these this post.
  • Over the past month, I finished Educated, The Identicals and When Life Gives You Lululemons. This week I picked up Marriage Vacation, The Perfect Couple and The Wedding Date from the library. Once I make it through those books I’m going to switch back to one of the memoirs or historical novels on my reading list.  I’m hoping to do a full review of last month’s books in an upcoming book review post. Until then, what’s on your reading list?
  • During the summer months, we tend to get fruit flies in our house when we have floral bouquets or fresh fruit on the counter. I finally made some of this apple cider and soap concoction to put on the counter in hopes of killing the annoying little guys. Guess what!? It worked and after just 24-hours we had over 15 of them captured!
  • Bo and I have been doing a great job of cooking during the week, due in part to making sure we have a well-stocked pantry, freezer and fridge each week. I owe you guys a full post with more details, but a few of the items we have been consistently loving are Banza, Rao’s Homemade Sauce, perfect roasted green beans, homemade turkey burgers, and frozen shrimp from Costco.
  • I was so surprised to slide my feet into these adorable, block heels and realize that they are not only comfortable but also very cute! For $24.99 you can’t beat these tan block heels as a staple for weekends, business and weddings alike. I’ll be wearing these for both of the upcoming weddings I’m in this fall as well as pairing them with jeans and fun skirts or dresses in between. I recommend ordering the wide if your feet tend to be wide as they run pretty narrow but otherwise, they’re great!
  • Recently, I feel like Brooks gear has become so fun! While it’s always been a great, reliable brand especially for running gear, their colors and cuts have taken a step towards being more on trend and fun while still delivering the quality you’d expect. I ordered these mesh leggings after seeing them on a few of my fellow ambassadors when we were in Seattle and have quickly FALLEN IN LOVE with them. The mesh makes them the perfect weight for summer running, walking or Pilates classes as well as more fun that my usual black legging. Unlike a few of the mesh leggings on the market, the mesh on these leggings is flattering.
  • I realized last month that my wardrobe was missing two staples – a blazer and a pair of flattering work pants. I’ve worn the few business dresses or skirts that I have on repeat for customer and team meetings over the past couple of months and was craving a change. I ordered this flattering, updated blazer to add a bit of polish to my dresses and jeans. I knew I wanted to get a pair of pants that I could wear year-round so I opted for these slimming crops, which are perfect paired with nude heels and a bright top in summer or a sweater and flats in the cooler months. I hope that J.Crew continues to offer so may Tall styles on their site!

 

Disclaimer: This post is not sponsored and instead is a list of the things of my favorite things this week. As normal, it includes lots of beauty and fashion items which means there are a few affiliate links via ShopStyle. It takes time and money to maintain a blog so I thank you for the support and few cents that come from clicking through the links!

Share Button
Follow:
ashleyd /

Workout Recap – July 23rd – July 29th

Last week, while I was traveling for work, I received a number of questions about maintaining a healthy lifestyle and workout habits while traveling. With those questions in mind, I thought it would be helpful to share a peek into last week’s workouts. I am currently training for the Brooklyn Half Marathon on October 20th. Even though I still have eleven weeks of training before I cross the starting line, I’m very focused on my goal.  My goal on October 20th is to cross the starting line strong, mentally and physically, so that I can push myself to a sub 2 hour half marathon!  In addition, I’ve continued to make some “small” but impactful changes to my everyday routine as I continue to focus on feeling my best during an especially busy time period.

I’ve continued to increase my DAILY STEPS by making it a focus each day. Some days this means taking the “long route” to drop Katie off at nanny share or meander a bit on our way home while other days, I’ll take a conference call outside, especially if it’s primarily listening versus active engagement.  My average steps continue to be around 9,500 which is a huge win versus where I was though I’d still like to hit 10k each day. When I was traveling last week, I logged more than four miles of airport walking each travel day due to long delays.

My philosophy for maintaining healthy habits during business travel is to treat it like a regular week. That means that as much as possible, I wake up at 5:30 to workout just like I would in Brooklyn and I eat moderately. Sure, at our work happy hour I had a cocktail and I couldn’t pass up the delicious margarita at the Mexican restaurant, but I don’t treat work travel like a vacation, indulging in every local delicacy. I eat a healthy breakfast and lunch to ensure I have the energy to make it through long days and then at night, I enjoy dinner and drinks with co-workers. Staying as healthy as realistically possible while I’m traveling also allows me to return home with energy versus being exhausted for Bo and Katie.

So, with that said, let’s dive into last week’s training, twelve weeks out from my half marathon.

Monday: Even though I didn’t go to sleep until 1:30 AM Monday after horrible flight delays, I made it to the gym before my meetings started. This was a perfect example of a day when I knew that a run would provide me with more energy throughout the day than multiple cups of coffee. I ran 3 miles in 27:50. 

Tuesday: I spent 45 minutes in the hotel gym doing a runner’s strength workout that I found on Pinterest and then hopped on the treadmill to sprint a mile at an 8:34 pace.

Wednesday: Luckily, I have the opportunity to work with some like-minded people so Wednesday morning I had the treat of running and working out with co-workers. Our run towards a local lake included gorgeous, sunrise views and cool temperatures. As an added bonus, my colleague, Jim, provided me with some running form coaching during our run which reminded me how important running the tangents and keeping form in mind is during a run. I tend not to “pull my leg” through the run, stopping my stride short. He gave me a few tips that I’ve been able to easily leverage during runs since then. When we finished our 4 mile run we did 10 minutes of core work, including spider push-ups, planks, and v-ups.

Thursday: My anxiety around more than 9 hours of travel delays didn’t make Thursday a very enjoyable rest day. I ended up logging almost four miles of walking throughout the day as I listened to podcasts, conference calls and music while passing the time in Arkansas and Atlanta airports.

Friday: Similar to the way I started the week, I ended the work week with a 6 AM tower Pilates class even though I was exhausted from the previous day’s travel and late night. Molly’s tower class always challenges me, especially the ab series, so it felt great to be back after two weeks away from Pilates due to vacation and work travel.

Saturday: I knew that some yoga would be a beneficial way to work out some stress that my body was holding as well as loosen things up before Sunday’s long run. The 65 minute Yoga Vida class I took was a bit harder than I expected but I really liked the teacher and continue to be impressed with the Dumbo studio.

Sunday: I knew that I wanted to conquer some hills and distance during Sunday’s long run. Luckily my friend Melissa was game for the challenge and recommended that we include Brooklyn Bridge in our route as it provides over a mile of hill training and beautiful views. I covered 7.5 miles and maintained a 9:38 pace which was exactly the confidence boost I needed especially since it was a hot day and we were talking throughout the entire run.  I think this week we are going to head to Prospect Park for more hill training and a change of scenery.

I’m proud of last week’s workouts and the only change I would make in hindsight is to make my weekday runs a bit longer. Ideally, my 3 mile run would have been a four mile run and my four mile run would have been five miles. As I continue my training, I know that my week day mileage is just as important as my long run, so want to continue to increase the mileage in line with Theodora’s coaching plans.

Your turn – Are you running any upcoming races? How is your training going? 

Share Button
Follow:
ashleyd /

Avalon, New Jersey Beach Vacation 2018

Avalon, New Jersey
Last week we enjoyed a week of gorgeous weather, sunshine, laughter and relaxation in Avalon, New Jersey. Even though Bo was born and raised in Savannah, he grew up spending at least a few weeks in Avalon, New Jersey each summer. His grandparents always rented a summer home where the children and grandchildren could relax and experience beach life together. We were able to visit Avalon two years ago with his family but opted out last year since Katie was so young.
Being able to drive to a beach vacation versus fly made things so much easier! We were able to bring some of Katie’s favorite things without stressing about squeezing everything into a checked bag. Driving also allowed us to bring our bikes and have flexibility in the time we headed down and returned from the beach.
I wanted to share a few highlights from our week as well as the items that made a beach trip with a one-year-old easier and so fun.
Avalon, New Jersey with a one year old
The weather was truly incredible – unseasonably cool but warm enough for beach days and swimming in the bay. The low was 65 and high was around 80 each day. We only had rain once and it was during the evening hours.
Katie loved riding around Stone Harbor and Avalon in her bike seat! She smiled as she felt the breeze and constantly pointed at things as we passed them. I was surprised that neither the seat or helmet annoyed her!
Bo’s dad purchased a giant family-size float which held five adults and allowed us to leisurely relax in the bay. Katie hung out on the float with us when wearing one of her life vests and loved playing in the small amount of water around her. I am still amazed that it could hold so many of us!
We cooked or grilled dinner each night, falling into a rhythm of Bo and his dad grilling while his mom was in charge of the sides. While they cooked, I gave Katie a bath and did the bedtime routine so we were able to sit down to dinner each night around 7:30.
Bo has become quite the mixologist the past few months, studying and perfecting a different cocktail every few weeks. The cocktail of this vacation was definitely frose aka frozen rose! Did you know you can make frose using an ice cream maker?
Before our trip, I was pretty anxious about how Katie would react to the beach. I’ve heard so many nightmares that I think I just assumed she’d hate it. Well, luckily it was the complete opposite. Now, that doesn’t mean that every second was easy but with some preparation she enjoyed it and by the last day, we spent almost the entire day at the beach.
I was able to disconnect during the trip, only checking work emails and social media a few times per day and only opening my computer two times during the entire trip. This was such a wonderful way to ensure I fully relaxed and engaged with everyone around me instead of falling down the social media or email rabbit hole.
I loved running and working out in Avalon and was able to log miles either bright and early, before Katie woke up, or while she was napping since Bo’s parents were able to watch the monitor. The workouts were sweaty and humid but it was so nice to enjoy a little beach breeze, admire the gorgeous homes and have miles of sidewalks and bike lanes. I even had two blog readers stop and say hello!
Our beach essentials:
  • Rufflebutts Swimsuit for Katie – This adorable swimsuit is not only cute but it is also comfortable and built-in sun protection for Katie’s sensitive skin. Slathering sunscreen on an infant isn’t easy so I’m thankful that the UPF 50+ material meant that I didn’t need to do her arms or chest/stomach area. The snaps and zippers made it easy to change diapers and remove when it was wet and sandy. We have ordered 3 of these so far and love the brand!
  • Summersalt Swimsuit for Me – This swimsuit gave me the confidence to go without a cover-up for 90% of the trip. The flattering cut was also comfortable and it stayed in place even when I chased Katie around the beach or dove into the waves.
  • Mini blowup swimming pool – Neighbors let us borrow their tiny blow-up swimming pool for the trip after they said it made their trip so much easier. We filled the pool with ocean water and carried it back to our beach area. Katie was able to play in the water, splash and stay cool all while under the shade of the umbrella. This was such a great idea!
  • Baby powder – So many people told us to take baby powder to the beach and sprinkle it on Katie’s body to get rid of the sand. I was very skeptical but WOW it worked wonders!
  • Gallons of clean water – We carried a gallon of water with us to use for rinsing Katie’s face, hands and refilling her sippy cup while we were down at the beach.
  • Bob Running Stroller –  As you all know, we bought this a few months ago to use as a running stroller but never realized that it would also make an amazing vacation stroller when we’re at the beach. It easily tackled the soft sand and sandy paths each day while also providing a TON of storage room for sandy toys. One day, Katie even took a nap in the stroller when it was pushed under the tent since the stroller seat reclines!
  • Mac Sports Heavy Duty Collapsible Folding All Terrain wagon – My father-in-law bought this amazing wagon for the beach trip and it was a game changer. It held SO much stuff and navigated the sand and walk from the house to the beach with ease.
  • Wet Dry Bag – We used two of these daily to store everything from snacks and milk to dry diapers and wet swimsuits.  The clip made it easy to hang on the stroller for easy access.
  • Sport-Brella XL Portable All-Weather and Sun Umbrella – None of us could believe that this HUGE and easy-to-use umbrella was less than $50! It provided a 9-foot canopy and held up wonderfully even on the windy beach days. This is especially wonderful if you visit a beach which doesn’t allow tents any longer as it gives you the 3 side protection with an open front which allows for a great breeze. Four adults were able to comfortably sit under the tent and it’s shade canopy in beach chairs.
Share Button
Follow:
Share:
Comments Off on Avalon, New Jersey Beach Vacation 2018