The dress and trainer look is still going strong and I love it, this trend changed my whole outlook on wearing dresses, finally I could feel comfortable, do away with the formality of heels and now my dresses can be dressed up or down.  I love the casual vibe of a dress and trainer outfit.

For my daughters generation it is hard for them to imagine a time when trainers with dresses (or any other outfit) wasn't a wardrobe staple.  But for us Gen X's it was all so much more formal, high heels to the office, dresses were saved for special occasions and only those blessed with a taller, slimmer statue dared wear flats.  At 5'2" I just felt too frumpy, too short or too casual, and so it was that I'd wear a skirt, blouse and jacket or a suit with high heels (usually stilettos) to the office and for my regular lunchtime sojourn into the town centre.  How on earth my feet survived all day I will never know!  Although I do have the bunions to show for it, I couldn't do those lunchtime walks in heels now!

So I'm delighted the dress and trainers trend continues, take them away from me at your peril!  I'm always on the lookout for the best trainers to wear with my dresses from spring to autumn (I usually lean towards boots in the winter months).  

The athleisure trend has kept dresses and trainers as an everyday essential in (nearly) every woman's wardrobe, from the top designers to high street style, the white trainer remains a capsule wardrobe must have.  And we are utterly spoilt for choice, whatever your budget, there is a white trainer for you. 
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Most women complain they have gained weight with age, I know it is a regular topic with my girlfriends, and my own struggle with hormonal imbalances have resulted in slow weight gain, my fat distribution is certainly different and the hormonal belly fat is real.  But why, why do the hormonal changes of perimenopause and menopause mean that the weight gain and fat cells end up on the belly?  Weight gain doesn't have to be inevitable, the earlier we make lifestyle changes and introduce new habits the better, in fact new research suggests that making changes early in the perimenopause years (around age 45 on average) can play a significant role in helping us maintain a healthy weight.

The best way to take control of extra weight and look after our overall health is to make sure we have a healthy diet, incorporate regular physical activity, get enough sleep and manage our stress levels.  But understanding why we gain weight at this time in our lives can be reassuring and helps to give us the motivation to make the changes needed!
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I've just returned from a fabulous short break in the UK, me and my daughter took a gamble on the weather and travelled to the Isle of Wight for 3 nights. We were keen to avoid airport delays and flight cancellations when we only had a very short window of opportunity to get away.  The gamble paid off and we were blessed with amazing sunny weather.  And a bonus that it wasn't the heatwave the rest of the UK got, we had perfect temperatures of around 21 degrees and the most fabulous views of the beach and sea from our Airbnb apartment.

Packing for a UK break can present quite the dilemma, trying to cover all eventualities with unpredictable weather, from heatwave to rain, balmy days and cooler nights.  Of course the benefit of a UK break is that we often travel by car, which means we can throw extra layers in without cluttering up a suitcase.  I had a raincoat, a blanket, beach towels and a brolly just in case!  I tend to travel with everything but the kitchen sink!

The Isle of Wight was really fabulous, easy to access via Red Funnel Ferries from Southampton to Cowes and then a short drive to Totland Bay where we were staying.

Read on to get some inspiration on what to pack for a UK break from the Afibel summer collection ...

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