How to Survive Suburbia
Summer and books go hand in hand, along with pools, beaches, and barbeques.
I’ve compiled a list of 44 books from A to Z, most of them published within the last five years, and more importantly, with an average of 4 to 5 stars on Amazon and GoodReads.
Like I’ve said before, I love to research and I do it, so you don’t have to.
Whether you are looking for a summer or vacation read, something new for your book club, or want to compete in an A to Z reading challenge, this list is for you!
We are up to book number 6 for the Virtual Book Club. If you’re just joining us, welcome. Feel free to read some of our past book club discussions. You can always join the conversation at any time.
The book is 448 pages.
Note: As an Amazon associate, I may receive a small fee if you make a purchase through one of my links. While you don’t have to purchase the book through one of these links, I truly appreciate it if you do.
What I missed most when I moved to the suburbs was the walking. Sure, it wasn’t fun when I lived in the city and had to push a double stroller during a rainstorm or carry heavy grocery bags home. But, even on days when I couldn’t make it to the gym, I got a ton of exercise. I regularly reached 16,000 steps on my FitBit without even trying.
Now, I reside in a completely suburban neighborhood, sans sidewalks, and nowhere worth walking to for miles. My kids ride school buses and I drive them to every playdate.
Within in a month of moving here, I googled “Does Living in the Suburbs Make You Fat?” and was amazed at how many search results came up.
In my 40’s, I have to work twice as hard as my city-living days to stay fit.
It got me wondering . . .
Note: Calories below are an approximation, based on a 130-150 pound individual
Like you, I do loads of laundry. Usually, I sit as I fold and watch a TV show. I could burn more calories by standing but what fun is that?
On average, it takes me 30 minutes to fold, which burns about 30 calories. It takes me about another 10-minutes to put the clean clothes away, for an extra 20 calories. Plus, walking up the stairs and back down burns another 5 calories. This doesn’t sound like very much, at .17 calories for every step. Considering I do that I go up and down my stairs 10 to 20 times per day, it adds up.
I wanted to attend 2018 CES (the Consumer Electronics Show) in Las Vegas but couldn’t make it happen this year. Luckily, my in-laws are there, taking notes, sending pictures, and keeping me updated. Of course, I sent them straight to the Peloton Tread. So based on my informants and my own research, along with several telephone conversations with Peloton representatives at CES, here’s. . .
When I joined a gym as a mom, my priorities changed: I needed daycare and I needed a shower. Motivation in place. Little did I know that my son’s poop, cries, and attempts to escape would interrupt my routine almost on a daily basis. My new mom friends invited me to take spin classes with them, but between the coaches shouting out mysterious numbers and the coordination involved, I kindly declined; spin was more than my foggy-mom brain could handle at the time, so I stuck to my elliptical, yoga, and Zumba classes. This pre-dated the Soul Cycle invasion of New York, before cadence and tap-backs became part of the everyday jargon.
By the time my son learned to love the gym, I was pregnant with baby #2. Luckily, my little girl eased into daycare and I soon realized after taking my first spin class that I had been missing out: with its trendy music and remixes blaring in a darkened room, let’s face it, this was the closest I was getting to a night out.
At this same time, the condo I lived in had redesigned its gym, and I convinced management to add a spin bike. But what can you do with a spin bike and no instructor? I downloaded apps and watched YouTube videos, but no good solution existed at the time.
Fast-forward to the suburbs and a house with room for exercise equipment. One day, soon after we moved in, I scrolled down on Facebook and noticed that several of my friends had “liked” the One Peloton page, then called Peloton Cycle. I asked those friends about it, but no one had purchased a bike, yet everyone agreed it was a brilliant concept: a state-of-the-art bike with spin classes live or on demand. The bike, however, comes with a hefty price tag ($1995 plus $250 delivery, plus a $39 per month subscription).
After gawking at the price tag again and doing the math, MacGyver kicked in. I downloaded the Peloton app to my iPad, free at [Read more…]
Who’s ready for book number 5 of the My Purse Strings Virtual Book Club?
The book is 352 pages.
Note: As an Amazon associate, I may receive a small fee if you make a purchase through one of my links. While you don’t have to purchase the book through one of these links, I truly appreciate it if you do.
We’ve all been there. We’re on a good streak of working out and then . . . we lose all momentum.
The first time I heard about an electric bike, I’m sure I rolled my eyes. Why would someone need an electric bike?
Nearly everyone could benefit from an electric bike including:
Electric bikes get people who may not otherwise ride a bicycle, outdoors, active and biking.
For others, it motivates them to go further, cycle longer, and ride harder.
Biking reduces stress, gets your heart pumping, burns calories and adds muscle. With an electric bike, if you don’t pedal, you don’t move.
In the United States, many think of biking as a weekend past time or something children do. In Europe, it’s a way of life. In Denmark, only slightly more than half of the population owns a car, while 90 percent own a bike. And the number one selling electric vehicle in the world just happens to be the e-bike.
When you choose to bike rather than utilizing other transportation options, not only do you eliminate car emissions, you also reduce damage to roadways and eliminate the need for an expensive separate infrastructure like those for cars and trains.
What if I told you that you don’t need to buy an electric bike? That you could use the bike sitting in your garage and transform it into an e-bike in minutes.
We are four months into our online, Virtual Book Club, and I’m having a blast.
The book is 352 pages.
Note: As an Amazon associate, I may receive a small fee if you make a purchase through one of my links. While you don’t have to purchase the book through one of these links, I truly appreciate it if you do.
*If you are here for our book club questions, scroll all the way to the end of this post and you will find our complete discussion. Remember, you can add to our chat at any time.
I became a fan of Splendid Spoon years before I understood their philosophy. I regularly ordered their soups from Fresh Direct, an online grocery delivery service in New York. I began to substitute their soups, packed with nutrients, for my dinners a few times per week. However, Fresh Direct has a limited selection and I wondered where else I could buy them. I researched the company and learned all about their programs.
I’ve never embraced cleansing or trendy diets. I believe in clean eating and long-term lifestyle changes, as does Splendid Spoon.
This post contains affiliate links. See disclosure policy for more information.
Splendid Spoon is a vegan, plant-based food company, located in Brooklyn, New York, that delivers nationwide. However, unlike other meal plans, you supplement with your own healthy dinners and snacks. This plan works for vegans, vegetarians, and meat-lovers.
With your order of the Splendid Spoon 2.0 Program, you receive a six-day supply of smoothies and soups. One day, you “cleanse,” drinking and eating soups throughout the day. On another, you “wander” and take a day off. When you wander and cleanse is up to you. With a rotating menu, you can order as often as you want without repeating the same foods. There’s no cooking, other than heating the soups.
