Amy's Summer Picks: 9 Summer Favorites I Can't Live Without

Summer 2023 Favorites

Hey there, I'm Amy Connell. Welcome to Graced Health, the podcast for women who want simple and grace-filled ways to take care of themselves and enjoy a little chocolate. I'm a certified personal trainer and nutrition coach who wants you to know your eating movement and body don't have to be perfect.

You just need to be able to do what you're called to do. Okay, today is a good news, bad news kind of day for you. Last week I announced that this week was going to be a season 16 recap. So it is bad news if you are looking for that recap. The good news is that is coming on June 27th, so I, this is the deal.

I had two more episodes in me for the rest of this season that I really wanted to get out. So the good news is, Or unless it's bad news to you, but I think it's good news. The good news is we have two more episodes, uh, that are totally different, but I think you will enjoy both of them. Today's, I wanted to just share with you some of the things that I am loving for summer.

Some of this is health related, some of it is not. But you know, when you find products that you like, you wanna tell people about 'em. So that's really what I'm doing. I have been pulling this list together for probably about a month as I'm just going through my day, as I am prepping for the warm weather, the humid weather that we have here in the Houston, Texas area.

And I've just been making notes. So these really and truly are all things that I enjoy. That I use, that I recommend, and I think that you will as well. I often put little bits of things like this in the monthly newsletter, so if you don't get my monthly newsletter, make sure that you, uh, subscribe to that.

But I wanted to have one place that I pulled everything. Now, I will tell you upfront, I will link to the products in the show notes, which you will be able to find. Through my web website and full transparency, um, anything that is linked to Amazon is an affiliate, which means I get, uh, 1%, one whole percent of the cost, and it doesn't, anytime you see an affiliate link, You're not paying anymore.

It's just a small percentage is going back to that person. So it does help me when you do that. I have a couple more that I will tell you that are affiliate links. Again, it's no increase in cost to you. It just helps me out a bit. But, and I hope we know each other well enough, and I hope you can trust me on this.

I am only putting this on here because I love them. There are plenty of other things that I could be pitching to you and I'm not going to because I don't believe in them or that doesn't make sense for this. So this is truly just like from me to you, friend to friend. I want you to know the things that I'm loving and I think you will too.

So let's go ahead and dig in. The first thing is spanks. Twill shorts and specifically, I like the ones that, in my opinion, are the absolute perfect length for me. And that is six inches, I gotta say. I mean like people are walking around with these three inch shorts and that's great. If that works for you.

That was great. My legs are too muscular. To be able to handle any of that because they rubbed together and then they chafe. And I don't want that. And I don't wanna constantly be pulling down my shorts when I'm standing up from a sitting position or when I get out of the car. I mean, I'm just, I don't, I'm not interested in doing that.

I want something to cover my leg, but I'm also. I like to show my legs a little bit, so this to me is just the, the most perfect length possible. They do also have a four inch, if you like to do the four inch and your legs don't keep your shorts riding up, but I. I gotta tell you all, I just tried these on a whim because I had been out shopping with my mother-in-law and I said I am desperate to find some shorts that fit me that, um, are a little bit higher wasted because I've been trying to implement the things that Katherine Suzette recommended to me, which is wearing a bit higher waist and I couldn't find anything.

And so I stumbled across these. I'm not really sure how, and I. Love them. I am sort of embarrassed to tell you I have three pair of these shorts now. They are not cheap. So the, they are full, what do they call it? Full, like full retailer, whatever, $78. But if you will get on their, um, text list, they send. Um, they send offers all the time, and so like I just got another pair for 30% off, which pulls it down into a more reasonable, um, a reasonable price range.

And in fact, I'm pretty sure I have not paid full price on any of these. As a side note, if you like to wear white, I mean there is something about Crisp White that is so. Just refreshing. During the summer, they have like, what do they call it, like opaque ultimate opacity technology. Uh, and you don't, you're, you're.

Underwear doesn't show through, so it's wonderful. Anyway, I have just really enjoyed having these, and they wear well because it is spanks. They do have a little bit of compression in there, but it's not too much. I mean, personally, I don't love shapewear. It's just, it's uncomfortable. It's like, It's com It's too much, it's too much for me, so I don't wear that a lot.

This has just the right amount of just kind of like, just kind of sucking things in, but not too much that everything else is poking out, if you know what I mean. Uh, if you've worn Shapewear, you probably know what I mean. But, uh, anyway, the stretch twill shorts from spanks. I am loving for summer. These are, I put, I wear them almost every day.

One of my three pairs. Okay, the, and I will put those in the, I will put, I will link to those in the show notes. The second one is, Uh, ELTA md tinted moisturizer. Now, there's a good chance you have had a dermatologist or a friend recommend this before. I have been using the saint, um, oh, what are they? They call it, it's like pressed cream or something like that.

Makeup, and I love it and I still use it, but what I'm finding is I just need something lighter for summer and quite honestly, I'm not looking to, to just do up my face quite as much. So I discovered Saint from when Stephanie Leonard was on the podcast, and I will link to that again in the show notes. Uh, and I still love it and I still use the eye makeup and I'll use the contouring stuff and all of that, but I just want a little bit less on my skin.

And this is the other thing, if I don't put a moisturizer on in the morning, then I'm not doing any. Favors with all of the other stuff that I am trying to do to keep my skin have, you know, just aging a little bit better if you wanna say that anyway. Like, I gotta wear sunscreen. I gotta wear sunscreen on my face.

And so I have found that I do enjoy this, the tinted moisturizer it is. Extremely sheer. It is not oily, it just soaks right in. And in fact, I have used the saint if I need to like put more makeup on or put more of a face on, I'll just use that over it. So that has been a really simplifying way of putting myself together in the mornings when I don't have to look like really put together.

So again, link in the show notes. Number three, rocking green detergent. If you are on my monthly email list, and I really hope you are, you got a stink peek to this. This is a, um, it is a powder that you just put in with your clothes. Now what I use rock and green for is my athletic gear, and I have been meaning to do a.

A YouTube video on what I, how I clean my stinky athletic clothes, because trust me, stinky, athletic clothes are part of like, just my existence here, especially in the summer. But in, um, the very high level is whenever I wear clothes and if I'm, if they're, if I'm outside and they get really sweaty, I hang them dry.

You can use a hook. You can use one of those things that collapses and pulls it out so you can lay it flat. I have one that attaches to my wall and comes out, but however that works, hang it dry. Then when it's dry, or if you're lazy like me, the next day when you have stinky clothes again, drop those in your hamper and repeat again.

So then I will try to wash my gym clothes. Probably every five days. I would like to say twice a week. That just doesn't happen. But I use that rock and green. And then I will put my washing machine on, um, extra rinse and pre-soak, so it kind of goes in there for a little bit longer. And I am telling you, let me tell you how well this stuff works.

I have gym clothes that I'm kind of tired of. But they still keep working because number one, the quality is so good. Uh, if you've been with me a really long time, you know that I was a skirt sports ambassador for a long time and a lot of 'em are skirt sports. And I'm like, I've had these for six or seven years, and they are still fine because the quality with the skirt sports is so wonderful.

And rock and green gets everything clean. And when I say everything, I mean everything. And if you're a woman, you know what I'm talking about. So rock and green has been a lifesaver. And in fact, sometimes I have clothes that are like the dry fit, um, not necessarily gym clothes, but they start to get a little icky.

And I will use rock and green on that too. So highly recommend that. Uh, rock and green detergent. Next step along the lines of Stinky is, okay, I, I hope I'm gonna pronounce this right. So this is number four. Lume, Lummi, Lum, I don't know. L u M e. Uh, deodorant. I'm just gonna call it Lume. Lumay caught my eye.

Because they had hysterical ads for a long time. I don't see 'em as much anymore on Facebook, but they say their products are for pits, privates, and beyond, and. This stuff works. Now I have found that the unscented really works the best, and I will use that and I actually just get, it comes in a tube. So some of them will come in like a, a typical deodorant stick, and then some of them will come in a tube.

And I just get the tube because it's cheaper and put a little on my fingers and put it under my armpits and it works so well and it's, so this is the deal with it. When it goes on, it smells a little weird. It's like a little funky. It's not like this fresh scented, you know, secret scent or anything like that.

But when it dries, it dries, and then there's just no smell. Like it's just n, there's just nothing. It is the absence of any kind of odiferous aromas one way or the other, which for me, I love and my allergies also really appreciate that cuz I try and. Really tame down the fragrant fragrances as much as I can.

As much as I can. So they are coming out with all kinds of other things too. They've got body wash, they've got deodorant wipes, they've got body cream. I don't really know what that's for, but they do have a lot now. Their little tagline of pits, privates and beyond. Again, we're all women here. Um, okay, let's see how I can make this, uh, so it, someone's not gonna blush if they're listening to this.

You know how on long car trips, sometimes, sometimes we get a little stinky in areas that we don't wanna be stinky. The lume will help. Okay? Now you can fill in the blanks from there. You know what I mean? You know what I mean? So anyway, highly recommend that. Number five. This is specifically for sneakers when you don't want to have your socks showing, which I am told is a big no-no in the fashion world right now.

And mostly I'm told that because my friends with teen daughters who are attuned to that, they have told them so anyway. Bombas. B O M B A S. No show socks. Now, there's a lot of no-show out there, but these I have found, and maybe it's just my feet and how my feet are made or whatever, but these are fantastic because they have little silicone grips on your heel, so those don't come down.

They like, they don't slip down and there's just enough on your toe part to like cover your toes so they're not slipping off of the toes. Because I have had some no-shows before that. It's like from one end or the other. They're either falling off and then I'm clumping around with a big wad of a no-show sock in my sneakers.

And it's not only uncomfortable, it's just, it's just No, no. So these i I love. Now again, these are not super cheap. Um, I think a four pack is on Amazon right now is about $50, and I will link to that. But I will say too, and I don't know if this has happened, I'm gonna link to Amazon so you can see it.

Actually, I'm not even gonna do that. I'm just gonna link to. To Bombas directly because when you buy from them directly, they will donate a pair of socks. So I kind of justify the, a bit higher price point because I know that it is helping others and it's getting some clean, fresh socks on feet that maybe need it and they need to be protected or, um, they need it to what, for whatever reason.

So, I just love 'em. I just think that this is really great. There's a lot of different ways, but I just get the lightweight Women's NoShow socks. They have some that are a little bit thicker. I don't think that they come in the, um, In the four pack, but those are good too. Now with these lightweight women's no-shows, I wear these with like my sneakers, but I, I don't, I would not recommend wearing them when you exercise because they are lightweight and they don't have extra padding around the toes.

And I keep, even though I keep my toenails, Very short. I will still, they'll still poke through if I'm too rough on 'em after an extended period of time. And by that I mean like two to three years. I've been wearing these things for probably five or six years. So they do last a while. I don't mean to make them sound like they run down, but don't wear 'em to work out in, wear 'em.

Wear 'em with your cute sneakers and your. Crop jeans or your, or your spanks. There you go. Your spank shorts. You can, you can do that. Wear those with them. But I do love them and they're comfortable and they don't fall down and bind up and all of that other nonsense. Okay, I've got two more for you. Three more, actually.

Three more. Number six is gooder sunglasses. Now I have been wearing gooders outside for a long time. Admittedly, I have not been wearing them as much because I do a lot of my exercising first thing in the morning. And thanks to Morgan Adams. And her sleep coach. Uh, guidance. I have been not wearing the sunglasses so I can get that morning sunlight in, but when I do need sunglasses outside gooders are the best.

First of all, their price point is relatively low. One pair is about $25. And actually, The whole, uh, the whole company was developed to solve a problem, which is running sunglasses were really expensive. So these, the founders created this company to have inexpensive, high quality sunglasses. And honestly, they totally, um, they nailed it.

I mean, they don't, it doesn't slip down. They stay on your nose. Um, Just all of the things. So anyway, I, I just love those products for when I do need the sunglasses, uh, in. Well, anytime really, but especially in summer when there's a very good chance that I am sweating and I don't want sunglasses running down my nose.

They also have kind of funny little names. It's a quirky little company, kind of like Lume. I don't know, is there a trend here? So you can check out the names of all of their sunglasses, but you know, you gotta have a little fun when you shop. Okay, number. Seven. Um, so you go outside, you do all your sweating, you come back in and if you're like me, you get a headache because you're number one, a little bit dehydrated.

And number two, you are low on your electrolytes. So that is when I tap into Plexus Hydrate. Now, I know several years ago it was like you couldn't get on Facebook without seeing Plexus and. I don't see it as much anymore, but I will tell you this, hydrate is. High quality. It is. It, it's good, it is light, but it, it gets the, it has lots of magnesium in it, which is important to me.

It kind of pulls things in. I have some people in my house who just don't love to drink a lot of water and it will make them drink water. And anyway, I have found like it helps, it helps my headaches, it helps get me back to a balanced state. So that is something that I will add in after those really sweaty.

Uh, workouts outside. And by the way, not all of my workouts are sweaty outside. There's sometimes they're sweaty inside or sometimes they're outside, but really just outside for me, existing, I just sweat a lot. So I don't wanna give the impression that I am like going out there and. Just getting intense workouts all the time.

But the, for me and just with my body, when I'm out and moving, I'm, I'm sweating a lot and so I have to take extra care in rehydrating and, uh, just getting my body back to that normalized level. Number eight is the, Rooted in or rooted magnesium lotion. Now, I discovered this when I interviewed Natalie Gerardo at the beginning of season 15.

If you are interested in magnesium and what it can do for you, I highly recommend you go listen to that episode. But she creates this magnesium lotion and she has three. She has rest relief and TW tranquility. Uh, rest is to help support your sleep relief is there to help your tired and achy muscles, and then tranquility is to help, uh, stress and anxiety.

I have all three. I love all three. And if, um, if the, how fast I go through or my burn rate on them is in, in the indication of what I like best, I first will go through the rest and then I go through relief, and then I'll finish up with tranquility. But again, sweaty. Sweaty workouts and being outside, I just, I burn through magnesium.

I need a lot of magnesium in the summertime. Otherwise, what happens with me is my legs get twitchy, or even my upper body will twitch when I'm falling asleep, and it'll wake me up. It'll jolt me awake, and then I'm awake for an hour. This actually happened last night, so I had a really great track workout.

I felt good, like, ugh. Everything about it was awesome, which is just. It's such a good feeling when that happens and I thought I had taken care of myself, um, didn't have quite enough magnesium, I guess, and fell asleep for 26 minutes according to my Apple watch, jolted awake by twitchy muscles, and then I was awake for an hour.

So this is a great. Little insurance or added support. Um, a little goes a long way. It goes a really long way. So I found I just get the three pack because when you get the three pack, you get some cost savings with it. Um, but this has been, I mean, like I just get, I don't even know what, like a dime's worth or, or so, and that's good for.

One, I just put it on my thigh. But if you have achy muscles, twitchy muscles, um, if you have anxiety, if you need a little bit of help sleeping, check these out. Again, not the cheapest product, but I have found that. I really enjoy them and I use it judiciously. It's not something I slather on every night, but if I know that I've worked really hard, then I definitely use them.

And like I said, they, it really does a little, goes a long way. I'm doing the math in my head and I think I've, I've been using it about a year and I think I've gone through five tubes if that, maybe four. So, It's it, it does last. It does last. And by the way, the link that I will put on there is an affiliate link.

Again, you pay nothing extra, but it will help me out a bit if you use my link, if you choose to get that. And if you don't, that's okay too. That's okay too. And finally, number nine is, Look, we can't have a talk about our favorite things of summer without talking about swimsuits, and that is summer salt.

Summer salt has a wide variety of clothes, and in fact, I got a really great jacket there over the winter months. But what I love in the summer is their swimwear, specifically the one they call the side stroke. Several years ago, I. Just transitioned to wearing one piece swimsuits all the time. I love it. I don't have to suck in my gut.

I just feel better. And the sidestroke is the most flattering swimsuit I think I have ever owned. Over the years. I have gotten several different, different colors. In these as well, and I just love it. So go check out the sides. Stroke of somersault, it's S U M M E R S A L T. Just kind of like it's spelled.

And I put the obviously link in the show notes. But this is a wonderful swimsuit that, uh, Is cute, it's sexy, it's um, but it still covers things up. And it also, the other thing that I like about it is it comes up a bit higher in the chest. I have gotten way too much sun in my chest over the years, and so this offers a bit of protection, um, in that area.

The other thing that I love about this company is you can tell they are very intentional about, um, Shapes and sizes and colors and abilities that they use in their models, and I appreciate that because I believe that we need to have as broad of representation of the body of Christ as possible, and I like that they are doing that.

So those are the nine things I am loving this summer. And I invite you to share what you are loving. So I will be having a post on the Grace Health Facebook group, which is the only social media thing that I am doing this summer. And tell me what you are loving this summer. What are some of your favorite summer products?

And let's, um, let's share the love cuz it's always fun to, to share your products. I get this and so you can do it too. Just go over to the Facebook group. Okay, that is all for today. The links for everything will be in the show notes and go out there and have a graced day.