One fashion dilemma solved, one to be solved and an embarrassing "50 Shades of Grey" style encounter (in public)

So when I volunteered to assist the (male) yoga teacher this morning in a demonstration, little did I realise that I would be asked to do the downward facing dog, with him standing behind me, belt wrapped around my hips and him tugging on it whilst the rest of the class watched. It felt more like something that you would read about in 50 Shades of Grey as opposed to something you would witness in a sleepy Birmingham suburb. Oh the embarrassment!

Anyway, moving swiftly on, there's no outfit photo today as I stayed in my yoga gear all day. It even elicited a response from my usually fairly unobservant husband who said "Are you really going out dressed like that. What if someone sees you?" As I am in strict preparation for the Birmingham half marathon tomorrow (eating lots of pizza and running around the conservatory to see if drumstick sweets were easier to pull apart and eat than jelly babies) clothes were the last thing on my mind.

That aside, several of you have asked about the M&S slip that I mentioned the other day which does a fantastic job of smoothing lines. Yesterday my lovely client from Bristol sent me a link to it with the advice that it is definitely best taken off downwards, rather than over one's head.

Marks and Spencer secret slimming light control full slip (£25)

Nervous of committing a fashion faux pas, I have taken advice from a friend on where it's best to pin my race label. It has to be on the front but I wasn't sure whether it was best placed on the belly or the boobs. The answer came back just below the boobs but thinking about it I'm not quite sure how that's going to translate in real life. There's always a fashion dilemma in life isn't there?

Block heels - a success or one for your room 101?

Is it just me, or do anyone else's feet hurt when they look at high heels? Without sounding like an old croc, many years ago I would walk to the tube in heels, walk from the tube to work, walk around all day including up Bond Street at lunchtime and then do it all in reverse to get home again - and I didn't even think twice about doing so. I still own the first pair of heels I ever did all of that in - Marilyn Anselm for Hobbs. Anyone remember her? 

These days? Not so much. If I'm not working, it's pretty much trainers or flat boots all the way for me but if it's a small heel that I'm after, I love a good block heel and I can always rely on Topshop to come up trumps. 

I ordered these Jolene mid buckle shoes from Topshop (£48) a couple of weeks ago but it's only really been today that I've managed to get around to trying them on. They're 100% leather and they also come in black and in this black and white print below. I like the idea of wearing them with cropped kick flares, with wide legged cropped trousers and also possibly to the wedding we're going to in early April. I'm conscious that the wedding is only a couple of weeks before the marathon and as well as abstaining from alcohol, I'm also abstaining from heels (it's fun, fun, fun all the way right now!) These are a great option though - enough height not to feel flat but no so much that my feet will hurt by the end of the day.

This Juno style (£59) is also massively popular at the moment. 100% leather, they come in grey, gold, white and red and your Granny would love them! As to my thoughts on them? Hmmm. Marmite. And personally I'm on the "don't like" side of the fence.  I like a block heel to be accompanied by a pointed toe, or leopard print, or something which stops them from looking too Granny-esque. And these are designed to be full on Granny-esque. Which is fine when you're really young and no where near being a granny but you know, as that age bracket creeps potentially closer? Let's just say they're not somewhere I plan on going.

Even on young feet I'm not convinced! 

For another option, Topshop has the Jensen buckle mid shoe (£49) which come in leopard, black and burgundy with a pale pink trim. The composition varies depending on the colour.

I know that many avoid block heels for the fear of looking granny like. Well having seen the Juno style, I totally understand that particular fear. However, there are plenty of other options which don't make you look as though you're going to be pushing a pram any time soon - and not as the baby's mother. So I would encourage anyone to given them a go. For work with slim trousers, or for casual with rolled up jeans, they're a really good option and more flattering and less dated than a kitten heel. What do you think? Have you had success with block heels or have they been consigned to your room 101?!

Running gear for when the temperature drops...

It was suggested to me by some readers that it might be a good idea to write a post about what to wear when running in the cold winter months, so I rose to the challenge and asked some running friends of mine for their tips and, together with my own tips, hopefully we have come up with some useful suggestions.

Between us we must have run thousands and thousands of mile. The friends that I spoke to have run marathons which include London, New York and soon to be Florence, along with half marathons which include Birmingham, the Great Parks, Stratford, Bath, Long Marston and no doubt several others.

Aside from what clothes to wear I would say that good trainers are a must. Generally trainers come up small so it's good to try them on before buying them. Running clothing can be picked up for a snip at Primark and until you get into longer distances, really great wicking fabrics aren't that important but from day one (I would say) that everyone needs decent trainers - not of the standards of Olympic athletes, but decent.

So what was the advice and what were the suggestions?

One friend always runs in compression clothing and in winter, that includes thermal compression clothing. She sometimes wears the leggings the day after a long run too. Her favourite brand is Skins. Beware, apparently the clothes can be tricky to get off though, particularly the tops!  Having never tried them I can't really comment but if I decided to train for a marathon I would definitely give them a go. With longer distances and colder weather, everything helps.

  

 

I wear capri length running bottoms all year round and I have a couple of GAP pairs that I really like. Something like these from GAP (£15.99) work fine for me, although I do like a splash of colour on them somewhere if possible.

 

Another friend said that she felt that the winter was all about layering. She has a thermal Nike Dri fit top which she loves as it's really soft.

I always start off with a very fitted running vest top, just to keep everything in place and snug - maybe something like this from GAP (£22.95)

On top of that I wear a long sleeved lightweight running top - maybe something like this from H&M (£24.99) or the Helly Hansen range of base layers is really good.

 

On top of that I wear a waterproof/windproof jacket, maybe something like this Gore windstopper jacket (£112.49) which one of my friends absolutely swears by. I have a Reebok one bought from an outlet in Brighton about 9 years ago now for £10 and it's brilliant. Another friend loves a jacket with detachable sleeves so that she can turn it into a gilet for those days when only core warmth is needed.

 

For less expensive options, H&M and as I mentioned earlier Primark, have a good selection of running gear as does Decathlon. Sports Direct has a huge choice of Karrimor running gear, which not surprisingly is made of great fabric.

As to hats, most of the girls find that they make them too hot when running but the neoprene or fleece bands are useful for adding some warmth and keeping unruly, curly, hair under control.

Lightweight gloves were suggested for looking after hands. When it's really cold I run in leather gloves. The pain on a cold day when the feeling comes back to your fingers can be excruciating so anything that can prevent that level of cold in the first place is a must.

Oddly none of us seemed to have different socks for summer or winter running but there again the most comfortable ones are padded and quite thick anyway. One of the girls preferred the double layered ones as they prevent blisters. I picked up four pairs of running socks in GAP when they were reduced to £1.99 each and they have been just as good as some running socks which have cost me £12. After wearing proper running socks there's no way that I could run in anything else. They are one piece of kit that, for relatively little investment, can make a huge difference. 

We didn't seem to chat about bras. I think it very much comes down to the level of support required. Some vest tops have a built in bra which will be sufficient for some.  I always wear a bra too, although not a sports bra which I know I should. However I've never found one that I'm comfortable with. I must investigate them again but frankly I'm not sure that they're going to rescue anything anymore! Here's a link to technical running socks and bras for those interested.

I have one friend who is a real ninja in the Sweaty Betty sale and she picks up some great running pieces. They are really stylish and look great. I haven't quite made it to the lofty height of SB yet, only having bought my first set of "matching" running gear last year, despite having been running on and off since the age of 15.

And one friend swears by leaving layers on her route and collecting them on her way back. Apparently no one ever steals anything from allotments!

H&M workout gear - stylish, fun and functional

Before I start, you may notice that I've had a bit of a blog tidy up. As a result there may be a few glitches along the way - no-one's fault, it's just technology. However if that is the case, just let me know and I'll do my best to sort them out (like the spacing and links for example!) And thank you for bearing with me!

Our eldest came to me the other morning. "Mum" she said "I had this horrible dream last night. I dreamt that you bought me 14 of the same workout tops and you told me that I had one for every day of the week. When I told you that there were only seven days in a week you said that I was working on a two week cycle." Lucky her - 14 new tops!

Which got me to thinking about workout tops (not about the psychological damage I've clearly done to our 16 year old, which is what I probably should have been doing).

As I'm doing quite a bit of training for the London, Marathon, I'm washing a lot of workout gear and to be honest, a lot of my tops are looking a bit tired. Many of them are from Primark and they've served their time, so I thought that it was time for an update.

Which led me to H&M. One of our Birmingham stores has quite a good selection of fitness wear which I love rifling through when I have a minute. There doesn't seem to be a link to the above sports bra which I love  (although I see it more as a cropped top to be worn over a sports bra) but I have linked to the selection of sports bras available. But to be honest it didn't love me at all. It just wasn't substantial enough to cover my less than insubstantial sports bra. Ho hum. I also picked up this 3 pack of hairbands for £1.99 because I loved the colours and my hair is irritating me right now as it's at that yucky in between stage.

I really liked this top in the shop but the thing that I didn't really like about it when I put it on the is that it looks all sweaty around the neckline (see below). Not a good look. Also, although it was £12.99 it didn't seem any better than my usual £3.99 Primark cropped tops. So that will be a return then.

But I did like the vest, below and I've worn it already. Again, it's not on the website but I've linked to the vests that are available. Everyone has really personal taste when it comes to vests but I prefer everything quite fitted, rather than flapping around.

For anyone who hasn't checked out H&M active wear before, it's great for something stylish, fun and functional. Plus there's a great selection of bottoms, jackets and accessories too - so definitely worth a peek.