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Summer Pool or Beach Style

Quote of the day: “The great thing about an attitude is that it’s yours and you can change it.” Joyce Meyer

Hanging out at the beach or pool is not only for the young women, right? And even if you don’t have water nearby, it seems to be one of the popular choices for many vacations! So knowing some great options for your beach style is good for those times.

I introduced Terri in our last post about hiking, and she gives some great ideas if you are an avid water activities person! Even if you haven’t tried these activities, it’s never too late to start!! And then the 3 of us will address the beach outing!!

Terri from Second Wind Leisure:  Terri is the perfect example of an California outdoor girl! And she shows us some photos of her on her paddle board, with her kayak and out in the water.

In Terri’s words: “In this photo, I’m wearing a bikini top from Athleta. The shorts I am wearing (to hide the thigh jiggle) were purchased years ago at REI, but I have never seen anything like it lately. Swim shorts are available in a variety of online stores.  I bought a similar pair last year from Amazon. Some ladies like the longer styles for kayaking and stand-up paddling, since you are up and out of the water. Yes, and I should be wearing a life jacket in the photo, so don’t judge 😊

Normally for stand-up paddling I don’t wear anything on my feet, but I do have a couple pairs of water-resistant, beach-friendly flip-flops (Zealand brand—have arch support for our aging feet), that I wear walking back and forth with my gear.

Kayaking

I own a couple of these white caps for my head. Being a redhead, the top of my head (especially my part) get really sunburned. The hat is also SPF 50+.

The white top is a rashguard/SPF top to wear over a bathing suit or sports bra. Got this from Athleta online. (BTW, Athleta and Title 9 already have some great summer clearances available now—good to get something for the next summer or even now).

The water tights are also from Athleta and also come in a capri. They are not neoprene and won’t keep you all that warm but it does offer 50+ spf sun protection. Plus if your legs are lily white and you don’t want to scare people or get too burnt, then these work, especially in April and May when we paddle at the delta—the water is still pretty cold.

Wet Suits

My first season at the delta in 2009. Most wetsuits that I saw then were mens’ and did not fit well. I did a search online and these are really two pieces, both made of neoprene. The top is a lightweight neoprene vest that can be worn over a bathing suit to keep the upper body warm.

The bottoms are heavier neoprene shorts that slip right on over bathing suit bottoms. These can be worn separately or together, depending on what water activity you are doing. The added bonus about neoprene is it blocks UV rays.

General Footwear—for watersports there are lots of options. You can buy water shoes, Vibrams (the ones with the toes) or neoprene booties to wear depending what you will be doing. For windsurfing, I wear booties because the river bottom at the delta is slimy and muddy. On the SUP or kayak, I just go barefoot. When I first got plantar fasciitis (heel pain), I wore my vibrams, but gradually I got over the condition. I still wear the arch support inserts for hiking shoes or any shoe that has a closed toe. Losing 30 pounds definitely helped with the condition”

Jodie’s (50+), Nancy’s (60+) &  Charlotte’s (70+) Outfits: Here we are enjoying a fabulous Saturday at Chatfield Resevoir with our beach style!

You may not love the idea of putting on a bathing suit or being seen in one, but I do think we need to practice more body love instead of being so critical of ourselves. None of us are perfect, and it’d be too boring even if we were!! So let’s embrace our wonderful bodies as is!!

Even if you don’t go to the beach or pool regularly, I do think it’s nice to have at least one good fitting bathing suit in your wardrobe, for those just in case moments.

The Accessories

What else do you take to the beach? Sometimes the extras make all the difference for this type of outing!

Let’s take the sunscreen for example. One of the lessons I’ve learned is that sunscreen becomes less effective over time. Therefore, it’s one of those items that is worth replacing every year whether it’s empty or not! We tend to buy the kid’s 50 SPF!

I still read magazines, so I brought along my newest edition of my InStyle! And can I tell you how good it was this month? For some reason, most of the articles applied to women my age and were very uplifting!! Some of the clothing outfits are still too “out there”, but it’s fun to check them out!!

For those of you who read a Kindle, do you take it to the beach?? I’ve always wondered if they would get ruined by the sand?

Hats, Totes and Towels

So now that I’m not the sunbather that I used to be, hats are definitely my go-to beach style piece when I’m out in the sun!! And the nice thing is you don’t have to spend a ton of money on these!! My hat was a gift from Chicos (but you can still get your own) when we went out to LA with the Fierce 50 women! I love that the straw hats can be in different colors now, or have decorations too!

Tote bags are an essential, to carry all of the extras we need while we’re relaxing!! My “Beachy” tote was another gift from Chicos, and is the perfect size! Nancy’s bag says “LaLa’s Forever” in reference to her group of friends from high school! It’s more of a sling backpack with the ties at the top! Then my mom brought her plastic bag so it would survive the sand and water!!

Of course, having a good sized towel makes for laying outside so much nicer!! However, if you’ve noticed, there have been some circular towels  that are all the rage lately!! If anyone has one like that, you’ll have to let me know how you like it! Otherwise, I’ve been used to the long, rectangular towels that I grew up with!

Cover ups

Let’s discuss cover ups to wear to and from the beach or pool. I found a large selection of them below, but you certainly don’t HAVE to buy one and wear it just as a cover up, right? Many of the items I found below could easily be worn as a tunic with leggings!

Of course my mom whipped up this white eyelet cover up with some material that she already had in her basement!! Don’t you think it’d be a fun tunic over her black leggings with a big, bold necklace?

Nancy’s cover up reminds me of an oversize t-shirt. So there’s another idea if you don’t have an actual cover up in your closet. Borrow your husband’s t-shirt or buy a men’s shirt when it’s on super clearance!!

As for my cover up of choice, I just grabbed a large scarf and tied it around my waist. I actually used this same scarf for the same idea 2 years ago in a post! But notice, that  I wore the stripes vertically this time!! The other idea is to wear a kimono if you have one because they are basically the same thing!

Bathing Suits

And then there’s the dreaded bathing suit! I think I hear more women complain about trying to buy this item than all other clothing items combined!!

Finding a swimsuit in August in practically impossible in the stores, but this is where online shopping can be advantageous! Who else has needed to buy a bathing suit at the most inopportune times?

I’m sure most of us defer to a one piece at this point, but if you really have trouble getting a good fit, you might look into a two piece. It doesn’t have to be a bikini, but being able to buy one size for the top and a different size for the bottom can help tremendously! Even if you have to buy 2 different suits to get this to happen. that is why shopping when they are inexpensive, it’s fine!

But let’s talk about some of the newer suits out there too! When I asked my question of the day on Instagram Stories last week about how many bathing suits everyone has, Cathy responded 1 miracle suit! I’d never heard of a miracle suit so I went researching. It seems like many companies have one, but here are a couple. If you prefer Chicos, then I love the way this one is designed! But there are also miracle suits with a tankini top and shorts! On top of that you can often find the same suit in different sizing like here and here! Of course these suits are in no way inexpensive, so it’s never a bad idea to check out Target! Just remember you can always order many sizes and then return what doesn’t work!

A day at the beach, is meant to be fun and relaxing! And as long as your beach style works for you, I bet you’ll have a ton of fun!!

And I have to show you how most of these items apply to women of any age. I just read Aditi’s post on this same subject—see if you agree!!

Thanks to one and all of you for your support. It means more than you know!

The Facts

Even if you wouldn’t consider purchasing your clothing online, it can be helpful to look through my links to see what is available! It certainly doesn’t hurt my feelings, if you click on them but don’t like them. Just so you know, one of the ways I make money from this blog is through these linked items.

Keeping in Touch

Are you registered for my email reminders to let you know when a post goes live? I’d certainly love it if you take the time to sign up and make sure all your friends sign up too!! There are other ways to follow my blog. Facebook readers can see my posts by liking my page. Or my Pinterest page has all of our outfits in a nutshell! Then there’s also Instagram! I’m really trying to grow this platform, so if you’re on it, I’d appreciate the follow!

And if you’re new to the party, you can always see our outfits organized by categories, here! Don’t forget to check out the deals & discounts too, on this page!

It’s always amazing to me how beach cover ups come in so many styles & varieties. This could be the time to grab one, if you’ve been searching an addition to your beach style!