Weekend: Workouts and Eating

My friend Jessie and I went to yoga in Millenium Park again this Saturday morning, this time armed with yoga mats. I know this seems like a dark outfit, but the walking sneakers and blue hoodie came off as soon as we got there, so instead I had on the red Gap tanktop and black yoga shorts. I don't know why it took me so long, but I finally broke down and pulled back my hair in that piecemeal way I see so many people wear: clips for the bangs and an elastic for the back. Not the best look ever, but after a 12-hour day in relentless sun and heat, it did the trick!

Pulling my hair back also helped when I was seeing the world like this:



HEE! The whole set is on my other blog.

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In other news, I have been making more of an effort to eat better. I'm not 100% there yet, but my new cute Bento lunchbox is definitely helping. This was its inaugural lunch:



-Seeded bread with natural peanut butter and Babybel cheese
-red and green grapes
-strawberries
-non-fat yogurt
-granola bar

I'm trying out The Abs Diet, from the freebie I won from Helen at Doing a 180. Thanks, Helen! The book has a lot of interesting ideas about powerfoods, and I am working on incorporating all of them into my meals. It takes some getting used to, but so did the Core plan for WW, and I loved that one. My goal is just to eat healthier, and I know that will make it easier for the pounds to come back off.

The lunchbox idea I stole from Diana at Smiles Go with Everything. She has been posting her Bento lunches over the weekend lately, and they look so appetizing and refreshing (and OMG that box is cute), I decided to get one of my own. I have an assortment of lunch carriers; I like to make my food as appetizing as possible. It inspires me to EAT IT instead of going out. (Or so I tell myself!)

Long weekend

It wasn't until I downloaded all my photos that I remembered that I did actually go to work on Friday. I taught a class to some new users, then worked on various projects until I could scoot out to start my weekend downtown!



Brown short-sleeved Loft cardigan, brown Talbots dress, coral Caslon cardigan, silver Seychelles sandals. I changed into a different Kohls empire dress and a cropped blue cardigan, but I forgot to have Hubby take a photo at the hotel. It was a cute outfit, I will be repeating soon!

Saturday my friend Jessie and I did yoga at Millenium Park. So. Cool.



Then Jessie took some goofy shots of me dorking around a sculpture series known as Agora. I love those rusted giant headless statues.








(This was the only way I could do any of the balancing moves we learned at yoga. I am a total klutz.)

Later I met up with Shopping Friend for the architecture tour conducted via the river and lake. Such a gorgeous day for a boat ride! Forgot to get a full-length shot, but I wore my new DKNY cargo shorts and this adorable pink-and-red striped shirt from Lands End.



That and my bronze BOC sandals held up well for the rest of the day's events, which included a concert at Soldier Field and then a long, long walk back to the hotel late at night. (We saw Keith Urban, the Dixie Chicks and the Eagles. Great shows from all 3 groups!)

Sunday we woke up bone tired. I put on another cute sundress and leggings, and we made our way down to breakfast.



Once we got back home, we all lazed around, read on the patio, and recovered from the fun and sun. It definitely feels like full-on summer now. Hurray!


OH! And Shopping Friend got the CUTEST Sperry boat shoes for the summer. Angie at YLF had talked about boat shoes making a comeback back in May but it wasn't until I saw these on SF's feet that I started to want a pair of my own. Aren't they awesome?



More photos of my weekend are here.

Thursday: Under the Influence

Yay, so glad people liked the new Max & Cleo dress! I couldn't decide if it was too curve-inducing but I am glad I went for it.

ANYWAY, then there was Thursday.



I have a couple more of these fabulous Target Merona Fit skirts on backorder; now that I remember to pull them down in the bathroom (*waves to Shelley*), I am crazy about it. :) The lines are so straight, and take on just about any kind of top very well. This one is a Loft number from 2009, in that mesh-knit fabric like Sweet Pea tops. I don't wear it nearly enough, but it is perfect for summer. There enough going on with draping around the chest and the cute sleeves it that I can keep the rest of the outfit simple. Just my new-favorite Clark Laguna Reef sandals (BEST SANDALS OF THE YEAR), and some jewelry, and I was good to go.



I remarked on the YLF forum yesterday that my outfit was heavily influenced by the members there. I don't wear a lot of lace-edged camisoles (even though I own a stack of them from ON) because even though I have non-lingerie colors -- navy, forest green, orange, purple, etc -- it feels a little too racy for work. But Angie did a post on the topic last week, and it inspired me to try the navy one with the Loft top. I really liked it! Then I recalled Michelle from Eyeronic inquiring about delicate jewelry's appropriateness, and that influenced me to wear an old silver-and-pearl-like stone necklace. Once I had that on, the final accessory just *had* to be the sweet delicate flower bracelets from Laura!

In the end, I think the whole thing emanated a "pretty" vibe, don't you? I'm not really one to go for the romantic, sweet look, but this is as close as I can get to it comfortably.



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Oh, so I must be committed to this Dupa Project because:

1. I actually went walking for a half-hour before meeting up with Shopping Friend for dinner
2. I am already starting to look ahead to increasing my types of exercise and even considering some food modifications
3. I am willing to post this horrible photo for all of the internet to see.



I just bought those shorts yesterday from Lands End; they're sweatpants material so I thought they would be good for lounging at home in the summer. NOT for wearing outside, but maybe for exercise. Man, I wish I had seen this photo before I met Shopping Friend for dinner -- because I would have realized I should have stuck with my plan to not wear these outdoors. OY.

I am sticking with my fitted cropped and long running pants in the future, that's for sure! (Not to worry, Rose; I only wear the long pants when it's cool out. Which is still is here in crazy Chicago-land in June!)

Oh, the things I do for my dupa!

Monday: Dressing Marathons

It seems impossible, but I just didn't have the right shoes to go with today's outfit! I ended up with my new Seychelles silver-gold sandals, which were okay, but I think a heel would have worked better. My husband would probably disagree, since a huge pile of heels were stacked up in the middle of the bedroom, rejected during the daily Dressing Extravaganza. Clearly it wasn't for lack of trying that none of my heels worked!

How long does it take you to get dressed, on average? I can be anywhere from 10-40 minutes, usually clocking in a good 25 minutes. I know it's excessive, but I've built in the time to my schedule to do so. To me, it's often my one chance at creativity for the day; I get to play with colors and textures, ensuring everything from the accessories to the shoes creates a cohesive ensemble. It's fun, and I try to make the most of it.



Today's outfit started out as a totally different dress, but the fit was not right (I'm super-bloated this week) and it was driving me nuts. Then it became a goal of hiding my pooch without bundling up too much; it's a meat locker at work but it IS mid-June. I can only concede so much to the cold before I rebel. I ended up with my Target cascading cardigan tied with a plain black cotton tie from some other outfit. I liked how the pointelle stitching let the bright colors of the Jones New York dress peek through, and the sandals kept it summery enough.

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Well, the majority ruled! 66% of the voters asked for daily workout outfits. As Sheila pointed out, public accountability is probably good for me again, and I will admit it is much more fun to do it this way than listing out my dieting goals and how I failed at them every week.



I went walking after work yesterday, a first for me. It used to be if I couldn't get in my exercise in the early morning I skipped it for the day. But I've got the time in the evenings since it doesn't get dark for a long time, and there's nothing interesting on TV right now. I've never been much of a walker, so this is a new experience for me; every day I am exploring a new path in my area. Very fun!

Old Navy provided the tops again: a striped tank from last summer, and a hot pink hoodie I bought on super-clearance over the winter. I think I need to pick up some longer tanks for The Dupa Project; I love the colors of this, but it keeps riding up as I am walking and exposing my belly to the world. Trust me when I tell you no one needs to see that! :)

My bathing suits come from Lands End soon; I cannot wait to hit the pool again! Laps are the best summer exercise of all. :)