27 March 2012

Style Inspiration: A Winter Girl Sheds Her Wool

I'm a winter girl. 100%. Give me a sweater, scarf, corduroys, tweed, tights, boots, knit hats, leather gloves...you get the picture. The practically no-snow winter we had here in DC? Downright depressing for me.

And yet? I can't wait for summer this year. Just can't wait.

I can't wait for the air to change, for the breezes to blow, for the sandals to come out, and for...hold on to your fair-skinned-hats...for bathing suits.

Those of you who've been following me lately certainly understand my newfound bathing suit enthusiasm. I've been working really hard at my #healthyme goals. I've already lost just over 10lbs by eating better, eating smarter, and getting more active, and am hoping beyond hope that this week's weigh in (Thursday, people, Thursday!) gets me to 15lbs lighter. It's taken a heck of a lot of focus, focus that's difficult to find at times in this crazy, Bean-infested - I mean delightfully busy with joyful Beans - life.

UPDATE! JOYFUL UPDATE: 16+ pounds of Extra Me gone as of this morning at the gym. There are also stats about how many inches and such are gone, but I won't bore you with those. Just trust that there are many.

But I'm doing it. And my long-term goal, or one of them, anyway, is that I want to be "that mom"* down tha shore this June. We spend a couple of weeks every year at our Jersey Shore place. Last year, after a minorly successful attempt to lose weight, I ended up living in the same gym shorts and too-tight Phillies Ts on the hot days, my now beloved beach patrol sweatshirt (yes. I said it. I love a sweatshirt.) on the cool days.

This year, I'm going to be the one they look at and think - or say just too loudly on the beach because they think we can't hear them (preferred, quite frankly) - "She has 2 little kids? Wow."

So in grand anticipation, and as I alluded to in Monday's post, I've been doing a little advance shopping. The full experience, shall we say, is over on my SeasidePoolside pinterest board. Here's a little taste of what's inspiring me - my virtual yellow-polka dot bikini hanging on the refrigerator, so to speak. (I have, by the way, actually hung a bikini in my kitchen as motivation. I was 25, single, and living alone. It was blue. It didn't really work. Yoplait lies.)

There's a little bit of breezy, a little bit of preppy. There's a little bit of sexy practical, and there's just plain sexy (I will always, always lust after the deepest v-necked one-piece suits known to man). There's a little bit of glam, and there's a whole heck of a lot of retro. Let's just say that this girl, who grew up in swim lessons, swim teams, as a swim instructor and a coach, and even dabbled a teensy bit in synchronized swimming, well, this girl loves her some Esther.


If you're not already following me on Twitter, please do. @DCCeline. If you want to see where I am on my get-healthy goals, look for #healthyme on Twitter and on this blog. If you happen to be a fellow Weight Watchers devotee, I'm also over there, blogging about getting healthy again.

*I give all due credit to Joyce Neave, the true Be That Mom, for the phrase. She truly is That Mom.

2 comments:

RosaLovesDC said...

Great job lady. I am so happy to hear that all that hard work is paying off and I know you will look fabulous this summer. I honestly think that eating smarter and getting active are key to staying healthy. As you read my blog, you know I like food, but I don't eat like that all the time. I eat healthy and keep my portions to reasonable sizes most of the time and then I do like to indulge once in a while. And of course, lots of walking in the District, specially now that the weather is warmer.
Keep up the good work and we need to schedule a shopping trip for a red lipstick to go with your fabulous summer outfits.

Alison Santighian said...

Thanks, Rosa! I agree. To live the way we like to live - and eat what we like to eat - we need to do so with a heightened awareness of what those foods are - and also find joy in things that are good for us - cheezball - like fruit. I could eat pineapple till the cows come home.

I absolutely want a red lipstick for my next goal reward - I'm hoping to hit it next week or the week after!