30 Chic Days - days 13, 14 and 15

I'm continuing with the challenge to become more chic, along with Fiona and Juhli, and have now reached half-way. Click on their names above to see how Fiona and Juhli are progressing,

Day 13 (Thursday)

Outfit - day 13

This was the outfit that I wore for most of the day. In the evening we went to a school graduation ceremony, where our friend's daughter received her leaving diploma, and afterwards a group of us went with them to celebrate with some tapas. I wore a red patterned dress for the occasion, however it was late by the time we had returned home and taken our dog for a walk, so no photos this time.

Although no definite plans had been made to have tapas in the evening (as nobody knew what time the graduation ceremony was going to finish) we had decided to have a filling lunch of pasta and vegetables, just in case. That proved a wise decision, as we went for tapas but didn't actually start eating until after nine thirty. Luckily the tapas that everyone chose, which were put in the centre of the table to share, were mainly fish, When some meat empanadas were brought out, I was given my own tapa of potato topped with a quail's egg. That's what I call good service!

I managed to clock up 10,651 steps, even though some friends kindly drove us home. It's lucky that we have our dog Lisa to walk several times a day, which makes it easier to reach my target. The focus of the day was on trying to understand more Spanish as the graduation ceremony was in a local Spanish school. The baby crying behind us didn't help to make this easy!

Day 14 (Friday)

Outfit - day 14

I woke up to depressing news: the UK voted in favour of leaving the EU. I don't mention politics on this blog as it's supposed to be about fashion, beauty, lifestyle and similar topics for those of us who are over 60, however it's also about being "over here", as we live in Spain. Although any changes are unlikely to affect us for the next two years, it still makes our future here uncertain. Anyway, back to 30 Chic Days. My first choice of outfit for the day was a navy top with these trousers, but I decided I needed to try and feel more cheerful, so wore a red top instead. 

We met our Spanish friend Juana María and her daughter Marta for coffee and immediately they saw us they mentioned the Brexit, so there was no escape from the subject. Luckily we had more cheerful things to discuss such as weddings and clothes (my poor husband just has to put up with this!) and as always when we meet Juana there was a lot of laughter too. 

Lunch was a pitta bread with hummus and tzatziki dip followed by fresh apricots. Dinner was fresh salmon and herbs with a selection of vegetables. The extras you already know about!

Movement wise I had a good day with 12,297 steps. My reading was, not surprisingly, all about the Brexit. (For any readers who don't know what I'm talking about - just google it.) The focus of the day was on trying to feel more positive, as well as working out the implications of leaving the EU for Brits like myself who live in Spain.

Day 15 (Saturday)

Outfit - day 15

I wore another colourful top, this one being orange whereas I wore red on the previous two days. Do you find that the colours you wear affect the way you feel? I was aiming to feel more cheerful and optimistic and wearing these bright colours certainly helped a bit.

This was the day that I said I would check my weight. The good news was that in spite of so many meals out and celebrations I hadn't put on any weight. I hadn't lost weight either but, as I said at the beginning of this challenge, my target is to eat more healthily and not to diet. By recording what I eat, I have become more conscious of the number of "extras" that I eat over the course of the day, not forgetting my glasses of wine and chocolates! So what did I eat on Saturday, apart from my yoghurt breakfast? Lunch was scrambled eggs and smoked salmon, with apricots for dessert. Dinner was avocado as a starter, then fresh salmon with vegetables, accompanied by a glass of white wine, and a chocolate to finish my meal. I didn't count the calories!

Over the course of the day I walked to a local café for coffee in the morning, down the road to a supermarket for a bit of food shopping, plus several walks with Lisa, totalling 10,250 steps.

The focus was still on making healthy choices for my meals. I should also add that I drink water regularly throughout the day, which is becoming even more important now that summer is here.