Blue and Pink Floral Off the Shoulder Top

Blue ots top, black maxi skirt, floral sandals

I'll admit it. It's been a long time, like a really long time since I last worked out…

THE STORY

…I'd say well over a year. Not so unusual considering lots of people fall off the workout wagon, right? The thing is though, I wasn't a casual excerciser. I was pretty hardcore for many years. I got into working out the year after my son was born when it became apparent that, no, I had not given birth to a 40 pound baby, therefore I would have to work to get rid of the extra 40 pounds I was carrying around. Eventually it became my thing. I was a total gym rat. I looovvved the iron. And I didn't lift like a girl. I threw around some weight let me tell ya. I even dabbled in competitive bodybuilding for awhile.

The last several years I've been working out at home. I have everything I need here plus I acquired various workouts like Insanity (definitely aptly named), P90X and Jillian Michaels Body Revolution. I used to scoff at home workout dvd's being a gym rat and all, but these are no Jane Fonda workouts my friends. Anyhow, somehow I gradually stopped working out. Honestly, I think a lot of it had to do with blogging. I always worked out in the morning before work and that's now when I do a lot of my blog stuff. Not an excuse I realize, but it is a reason.

It has been nagging at the back of my mind and my doctor has been all up in my business about it as well, but I still hadn't done anything about it. A few weeks ago though, the day after a particularly vigorous day of getting our yard and outside living area in order, I felt like I had been hit by a really large truck. I could barely move. For real. That entire day I did nothing because I seriously couldn't. Back in the day, some serious yard work would have been nothin', but the combination of being 51 as opposed to 31 and not working out had conspired against me. Hells no. I am not an old lady and I did not appreciate feeling like one.

When I was younger, my primary motivation for working out was purely vanity. That and the fact I liked doing something that most chicks didn't do; throwing around the heavy weights. Now the motivation is straight up health related. Health and fighting off father time. I started up again the other day and you know what? I liked it. Not the workout part per se. The feeling. My body was like, "Ya, that what's I'm talkin' about. I've missed this." Muscle memory is definitely a real thing. My body took to it like a duck to water. And now the pain in my muscles is the good kind. The "I got my ass kicked with a workout" kind not the "I carried a pile of weeds across the yard" kind.

THE OUTFIT

My current obsession with off the shoulder tops continues obviously. This blue off the shoulder top c/o Shein is my latest acquisition. It's a nice summer appropriate lightweight gauze material with that just right amount of floatiness that I love. And the color? How pretty is the bright cobalt blue? I have to say, Shein is really killin' it with off the shoulder tops this season. They have a huge selection and the prices can't be beat. For whatever reason, I don't often wear maxi skirts or dresses, nor do I own many of them. But I really liked the way the black showcased the vividness of the blue off the shoulder top. I knotted the corner of the skirt to show off the fabulous floral sandals and to shorten it up a bit as to not overwhelm me. They have a tiny wedge for some lift, but are still super comfortable.

THE TIP

To change the look of a maxi skirt or dress, throw a knot in it. The knot can be to the side, like I did here, or in the front. This time instead of knotting it on the outside, I gathered the material on the inside and secured it with a hair elastic. It adds a whole new look plus it's a fast and dirty way to shorten a skirt that is a bit too long.

THE LINK UPS

Check out the weekly link ups I participate in for even more fashion and style ideas…

Blue ots top, black maxi skirt, floral sandals