Wrinkles, Wisdom & Fruit Pizza

This week, we're serving up a sweet fruit pizza and an even sweeter conversation about the season of life we're in right now—our Queenager era.

From changing bodies and shifting confidence to wondering who that woman in the mirror actually is, we're talking about the realities of middle age with plenty of laughs along the way. Does your ideal summer outfit look different than it did twenty years ago? How do you feel about wrinkles, cellulite, bat wings, and everything else that comes with earning your age? And while we're at it, let's discuss plastic surgery, preventative skincare, and whether teenagers really need a 12-step skincare routine.

Join us as we share our unfiltered thoughts on aging, beauty standards, self-acceptance, and learning to dress for the season you're actually in—not the one you left behind.

Grab a slice of fruit pizza and settle in. This one's equal parts honest, hilarious, and heartfelt.

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Welcome to Between Batches, where life happens between badges.

SPEAKER_03 0:05

We're two friends figuring out life in what we lovingly call our Queen Maker era. I'm Ashley. And I'm Danielle. So while something's coming together in the kitchen, we're talking about everything else.

SPEAKER_01 0:15

So let's get to what we're batching today.

SPEAKER_03 0:17

And what are we batching today?

SPEAKER_01 0:18

We are making fruit pizza or dessert pizza. And it depends on how you refer to it.

SPEAKER_03 0:25

Yes. I'm excited for this.

SPEAKER_01 0:27

Yes.

SPEAKER_03 0:28

So why are we making fruit pizza?

SPEAKER_01 0:30

Well, we are talking about kind of dressing ourselves for this season of life. So we're going to dress the cookies.

SPEAKER_03 0:39

Perfect. Because dressing yourself these days can be really tricky.

SPEAKER_01 0:42

It can be, yes. So we pre-baked sugar cookies. Um we used my mom's sugar cookie recipe. Yes. And um can I show the big cookies? Danielle, yeah. This is one that we already like kind of put together.

SPEAKER_00 0:55

So pretty. And we are just I'm gonna eat the big one.

SPEAKER_01 0:59

Frosting, if you will, with this is just a combination of cream cheese and a little bit of sugar.

SPEAKER_03 1:06

Okay, and I'm gonna take one that Ashley already frosted for me.

SPEAKER_01 1:08

So we and then we have a variety of fruit. And obviously, this can be whatever you want to make it. We have strawberries, blueberries, cuties, and kiwi because they're just a fun combination of colors.

SPEAKER_03 1:21

But you can really use whatever you want, right? You can use anything. And do you what sugar cookie recipe did you use?

SPEAKER_01 1:26

So I used my mom's sugar cookie recipe, and I will post the um recipe. Obviously, we'll get it for you guys, but it is a softer, chewier cookie.

SPEAKER_03 1:35

It's like the loft house cookies that you get at like the big box stores. Yeah, like that same texture feeling.

SPEAKER_01 1:43

Yes, and it has sour cream. Wow. Um I like that.

unknown 1:47

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:47

Or Greek yogurt. I always use Greek yogurt because that's what I typically have on hand.

SPEAKER_03 1:52

They seem to have held their shape really well too.

SPEAKER_01 1:53

Like when you Yes, they do. This is my kids' favorite recipe. Um, and I've had several people from work always want the recipe too.

SPEAKER_03 2:00

And I added more frosting to mine because perfect.

SPEAKER_01 2:03

Well, now it's ready to accept the fruit.

unknown 2:05

It's moist.

SPEAKER_01 2:06

It's moist. So we're just gonna dress our cookies.

SPEAKER_03 2:11

Okay, I'm gonna do some kiwi. I think pineapple would be good on this.

SPEAKER_01 2:15

Yes, pineapple and my mom remembered when I was talking to her about these. My mom remembered the cream cheese mixture having some pineapple juice in it.

SPEAKER_00 2:26

Oh, that would be good. So yeah, you can obviously like do whatever you want. Do it however you want. Make it your way. Have it your way. That's pretty good. Kind of prettier, but that's okay. Well, I mean, and these are really these were really big blueberries from our store.

SPEAKER_03 2:45

The blueberries are huge. I'm really just being greedy because I like lots of fruit. That's okay. Less pizza, more fruit.

SPEAKER_00 2:54

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 2:55

So here's mine. I have like all the fruit on it. It looks more like a fruit tart than a cookie. Alright, are we gonna try these? Let's try them. Cheers. Cheers!

SPEAKER_02 3:08

They're not the most elegant things to eat. If you were watching this and not listening to this, it's quite funny. And if you are listening to should go watch on YouTube because mine um orange like scorted when I took a bite into it.

SPEAKER_03 3:26

They're really good.

SPEAKER_01 3:28

Oh my gosh. I love this cookie because it's not overly sweet. So when like we use it for our Christmas cutout cookies, because even when the kids add all the things, it's still it's okay.

SPEAKER_02 3:42

My mouth is full because I took a second bite because it's delicious. But all right, grab yourself a fruit pizza or a cookie or a fruit tart and meet us at the table. Meet us at the table.

SPEAKER_01 3:58

Welcome to the table. Yes, and what is our table topic? Our table topic for today is dressing for this season or era of life.

SPEAKER_03 4:06

And we don't just mean summer, right?

SPEAKER_01 4:09

Right. That's why I added the of life for this Queen Ager era of life. Because we all know that our bodies change, and oh yeah, things don't always fit and look like they used to.

SPEAKER_03 4:23

They don't. Gravity is a real thing.

SPEAKER_01 4:25

Yes. All right. So as you've gotten older, how have you noticed your body change?

SPEAKER_03 4:32

Um, okay, so first of all, like we're always our own horse critics, right?

SPEAKER_01 4:35

Oh, absolutely. 100%.

SPEAKER_03 4:37

So I'm gonna say probably a lot of not super flattering things about my body, and for the sake of this episode. Um don't let your daughters listen. Or do if they're old enough. So that they appreciate the body they currently have. Um so I will say things are not as tight as they used to be. Yes. There's some flabbing and sagging and wiggling and jiggling. Wiggling and jiggling. Um I would say the cellulite is more prevalent than it used to be. Um I'm getting wrinkles, obviously. I mean, that happens because we smile and are so expressive. That's right. Life has happened, right? This is all life. There's lines here and lines here, and all the things. Um and things are just poochier in places.

SPEAKER_01 5:39

Yeah. I will preface all of this with saying that at least for me, I am in a place at this moment in time where I am really trying to appreciate my body for all that it has done for me, all that it has given me, all that it has and is going to continue to be and do. Um, so I'm really trying hard not to be my, I mean, I am my own worst critic, but also my own best cheerleader. Um, because it's very hard to focus on the things that are not my favorite, but I'm really, really trying to say, okay, yeah, that may look like that, but that's because I have two healthy kids and things along those lines.

SPEAKER_03 6:22

Yes. Um, so I would say I think there's a difference between acknowledging that things are different, like and and being just awful to yourself. I think you have to somewhat acknowledge that things are different. I think it's important. And here's the deal: they're different for everybody. And if anybody tells you that their body is exactly the same at 45, 55, 65 as it was at 19, 20, 25, they're lying. I'm sorry, they're lying. They may still feel good in their clothing, they may still be slender, but your body is it just changes. It does. And there's just nothing that you can do about it. And sometimes I think we just have to acknowledge that. Um, I will give you a really vulnerable example. My wedding ring. I have always had very small fingers, very thin fingers. And um, I wore my wedding ring up until about five, six years ago, and then it started just getting like tighter and tighter and tighter. And yeah, I had gained weight, but not to the point where like I shouldn't be able to get my wedding ring on, and I couldn't even wear my wedding ring anymore. And I kept wanting to do things to like fix my body so that my wedding ring would fit again. And finally, I love my son. There's a reason he's my twin, he is just very blunt. Um, my husband kept wanting to take it and get it resized, and I like refused, like to the point where I was wearing a fake ring because I didn't want to resize my ring. And my son finally looked at me and he said, Mom, you are not fat. There is nothing wrong with you. Your shape of your fingers has changed, and even if you did lose 20 pounds, your wedding ring still wouldn't fit. Let dad fix it. And I was like, Oh, like, damn it. Oh, but you know what? He's right. Yeah, he's right. Because in the last six years, my weight has gone up and my weight has gone down, and my wedding ring still fits to the new size, and it has fit through all of that. It hasn't become too big when I've lost weight, it hasn't gotten too small. So I think you just, I mean, you have to acknowledge that as you age, your body changes.

SPEAKER_01 8:34

Yeah, our bodies definitely change as we do grow older. And I think it's about having the right um mental approach to it or whatever that is. And so that's part of why we wanted to talk about this, is because we know that everybody's bodies change, you know that everybody's bodies change. I think people on line sometimes try to pretend like it doesn't, which I'm kind of thankful that that is sort of starting to change. Yes, yeah. Um, how do you feel like the woman in the mirror, like the woman that we see in the mirror, whether it's a full body mirror or just our faces, um, how do you feel? Like, do they match the one in your head and the one that you see?

SPEAKER_03 9:16

Or so I will say it's getting better. I will say there was a period of time where I did go through a I don't even recognize her phase, like legitimately would see pictures, and it would take me a few minutes to figure out who I was in the picture. Um I mean, here's the deal hormonal shifts are different for every woman, but for some people, and for me in particular, at a certain point in my queenager journey, um, it got bad. Like just the roundness of my face, it wasn't even so much the weight, um, but just to the point where I was like, who is that person? Um, and I've made a lot of changes, and maybe someday we'll talk about those um over the last several months, and you know, all the things we talk about, the vitamins, the supplements, the exercise, the whatever, and talking to your doctor if you need to, if it gets to that point, if you've done all the things that you can do without them. Um, so I will say it's getting better. I am starting to recognize her again. I did text one of our other friends a couple weeks ago, well, maybe a month ago now, and I was like, I can see glimpses of like the person that I knew. Like, yes, I have gray hair and I'm older and I have wrinkles and whatever, but but I can see her again. Like, she's back. She's coming. She's coming back. What about you?

SPEAKER_01 10:42

Um, I think at least what I see in the mirror is still the person that I have in my head. Um, I have seen some pictures and I'm like, I don't like how that looks. And I will be very critical of myself um right away, and then it'll take me a minute. Um, recently that happened with prom pictures, and then I looked back and I'm like, okay, it wasn't as bad as I thought it was.

SPEAKER_03 11:08

You know, you're right about that. It's so funny. A lot of times I will instantly dislike a picture, and I've had to learn to not delete them and put them away and don't look at them for like a week and then go back, and then for some reason they look fine, but it's like that instant moment. I also like that you and I are just far enough apart in age that you are kind of just beginning your queenager journey, and I am coming to the end portion of at least the perimenopause part, um, hopefully within the next year or two at the most. Um, so you kind of get both perspectives of what it's like going into it, and I that is exactly how mine started. Um I think it's just good to surround yourself too with people that love you and know you and can speak some truth into you.

SPEAKER_01 12:01

And yeah. And I really think I am very grateful that society as a whole um is recognizing perimenopause as a thing, and it's not um poo-pooed on or like, oh, you're silly. Yeah, you know, and it's not just silly little women.

SPEAKER_00 12:21

Are you sure you don't just need an antidepressant?

SPEAKER_01 12:24

Yeah, um, I am very grateful for that. I think that that is something that women my age, your age, like you're seeing it now.

SPEAKER_03 12:32

Um, and we're definitely benefiting from our four mothers going through and like fighting the good fight because yeah, yeah, I can't even imagine not having. I mean, I think paramenopause and menopausal care in the US specifically still has a long way to go. But I just think about how much how far it's come. I will say I think that's one good thing that has come from social media because I think without the pressure of social media and our ability to all see each other and hear each other and know that we're all going through it, I don't know that it would be getting the the attention and push that it's getting.

SPEAKER_01 13:09

Yeah. Do you find yourself, or have you found yourself like comparing yourself to others and others going through 100%?

SPEAKER_03 13:18

Um, good and bad, right? I think there's good in it that you can compare yourself in like a oh, we have a similar story, maybe you know, we can have a similar outcome with something. Um, but then I also think that there's bad in that, right? Comparison is the theme of joy. And so I think sometimes you compare yourself in a well, why is she not having all the things that I'm having? You know, why am I getting the cortisol face or the cortisol belly or whatever, or the meadow belly, whatever you call it. But she doesn't have that same problem. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 13:49

No, I think that that's accurate.

SPEAKER_03 13:51

Um do you do that at all?

SPEAKER_01 13:53

Or I think that I have I to some degree, yes. Um, I think that for whatever reason, um, I have a fairly good realization that what people post on social media, what is on social media, and there's a couple of people that I follow that have shown like this is my body, and this is the picture that I would typically choose to show you. These are the 10 that I took prior to that. That this is the same, this is the same belly, and this picture and this picture, it's all in how I'm post in the like way. Yeah, and so I do definitely recognize like the reality of that stuff. Right.

SPEAKER_03 14:37

It's amazing what a good camera angle and lighting can do, yeah, right.

SPEAKER_01 14:41

Even and I don't know how many people do the editing, but I've even um there's one girl, she was a college D1 college volleyball player, and struggled a lot when she left college with um her eating and her body image and all of that. And um she even showed how easy it is to edit photos and how often people do that. Um, it's very easy to take a little bit off the waist and make it look um really great. And so I think having that side of social media has also been like eye-opening and helpful, yeah, for sure, for sure.

SPEAKER_03 15:20

So, how do you feel? Like, what are your thoughts and feelings? Because I know there are a lot of women my age and older that are turning to plastic surgery. What are your thoughts on that?

SPEAKER_01 15:30

Um, I kind of have a this is sort of my philosophy in a lot of different things, but if you are an adult who is consenting and that is what you want to spend your money on, like you go for it. Is it for me? No. Um, I I don't know.

SPEAKER_03 15:49

Do you think that's like a no forever on everything, or do you think something would ever change your mind?

SPEAKER_01 15:55

I have honestly have no idea. I mean, right now I would say that is a no forever. Um, just because I mean, if we're gonna get really real, like this is how God made me. And yes, people will say and argue, like, yeah, but he also created like plastic surgeons or like gave us that technology. That aside, like, this is the body that he gave me, and I want to make sure that I'm doing the things to nourish it and care for it in the best that I can, but I don't I don't feel the need to change it for someone who is not like I who am I changing it for? Is it for me? No, it's for someone else, probably.

SPEAKER_03 16:42

I mean, maybe it's for me, but like I think it can be for you, depending on what it is.

SPEAKER_01 16:47

Like, if you are that unhappy when you're looking at something in the mirror, and but here's my thing, and I think that you know this about me, and I can't believe I'm gonna say this on camera. I don't give a shit if you're happy. Happiness is a fleeting, very true, um you need to find joy and who you are and in who God created you to be, and that is something that I feel very convicted about, and it isn't about how I look on the outside. I want to look good, don't get me wrong, and I want to make sure that like my husband is attracted to me, right? But like I also need to be content and who God made me because all of those things are they cost money, and I think about um where that could money could go instead. Yeah. Um, and they're time and pain, and I just feel like I went down a rabbit hole.

SPEAKER_03 17:47

I think you did. I think she went down a rabbit hole of a whole plastic surgery topic that we probably need to do a whole nother episode for because I think plastic surgery does have its place, right? There are people have accidents, people get yeah, I mean, things happen.

SPEAKER_01 18:03

A good friend of mine is a plastic surgeon. Yeah. And I definitely think that there's value for sure.

SPEAKER_03 18:09

I mean, well, and I think about too like cancer babies that are born with cleft palates. Yeah, absolutely. I even think about people who have maybe not done a great job of taking care of their bodies and then start to something convicts them and it changes them, and then they have all of this like excess stuff. Like, what do you do with it? Like, that can cause its own problems.

SPEAKER_01 18:37

Um, and so I think having that taken care of is a whole other like there's so many other aspect of plastic surgery than I mean when we're talking about body image. Like when we're talking about body image, I think most of us are thinking of the mommy makeovers, the mommy makeovers, yeah, the facelifts. I don't necessarily take injectables to be in the same realm.

SPEAKER_03 19:02

Um, that being said, anything that I don't need anesthesia for to me is not plastic surgery. Surgery, yeah. That's what I that's kind of my like if I don't need anesthesia and like a recovery period, right? It's probably not surgery. And I am all for um, I personally fall into the realm of esthetician type things are, and even injectables is to me just good maintenance. Like, are you maintaining to the best of your ability what God has given you? And so for me, and and again, I think we can go down a whole rabbit hole with this of are you being faithful with your finances and is this negatively affecting your finances or are these luxury items? I think they are absolutely luxury items and should not be done to the peril of your family's finances. Um, but again, if you have the money and you're a consenting adult and it I don't want to say if it makes you feel better because that's a whole other topic that we could go down. Um, but I don't think that there's anything necessarily inherently wrong with plastic surgery as a whole. I think it's just very much a personal decision. Yes. And I only have issue with the people that tell other people, like, oh, you should get this or you should do that. No, I I will decide what I think I want and I need, and that's between me and my doctor and God and my husband, and none of your dang business unless I ask your permission.

SPEAKER_01 20:26

Yeah, no, I completely agree. That's why I said I was like, I think if you if it is it's a choice, um, I have had several friends who have chosen and I don't judge them for it. Um, I think it's you do you boo. And yeah, I whether I'm gonna do it in my house or not, um, is a totally different topic.

SPEAKER_03 20:45

And maybe plastic surgery, because we all I think both have friends that have had plastic surgery. Um, I personally have not. I know you have not. Um, but I do think it would be an interesting topic, maybe for another episode. Because apparently it is more of a hot topic than we thought it was gonna be for both of us, and we are going down all kinds of rabbit holes with that one. Yes. So going back to maintenance and taking care of yourself, how has your skincare routine or your body care routine changed from when you were younger to now?

SPEAKER_01 21:19

Um, so I have always used good skincare from the time that I can remember start washing, started washing my face. Um, but when I was younger, it was basically that. And then there are nights out that let's be honest, I didn't even wash my face when I stumbled in at 3 a.m. Right. Um, as I have gotten and any like face masks or anything like that that I was doing were really just for fun. Right because my skin didn't need them. Um, now I have a pretty um I don't want to call it strict routine, but definitely a routine, and um it incorporates. It's my like microderm abrasion at home, microderm abrasion, different masks and peels, and um definitely there's a routine, and every night, very much so. I am taking off any makeup, putting on the lotions and potions um before I crawl into bed. How about you? You're a wizard, Harry. Um lotions and potions reminded me.

SPEAKER_03 22:27

Uh, so definitely has changed. I will say, like you, my mom always instilled in me from a very young age good skincare um from aestheticians or doctor's office or dermatologist's office, like always has been a big thing. Sunscreen, and she used to like tap my forehead and say, Don't make faces, you'll get wrinkles. And we always tease her about that now, and um, just different things. And so when I was younger, I didn't listen so much because when you're younger, you're invincible and you're never gonna grow old and get wrinkles and be an old woman. And then as you get older, you're like, Oh, maybe I should start actually paying attention. Yeah, um, and so now I feel like my routine is pretty strict. I I mean, something severely has to go wrong in the universe for me to not take my makeup off. Same uh before I go to bed. Yeah. And then I am really good. Like I wash my face morning and night. I do at-home microderm, I do in-office microderm. I do at-home face masks, I do in-office face masks, I do facials at home, I do in-office with my esthetician facials. Um, I see a dermatologist twice a year, and nope, I guess I well, I technically see her twice a year. I think I only have to see her once, but I just really she does a full body check once a year. And so this is my little PSA. If you are not getting a full body check at our age, either one of our ages from a integrated dermatologist.

SPEAKER_01 23:51

From a dermatologist, do it.

SPEAKER_03 23:53

Do it. Skin cancer is real and can have very bad consequences if left unchecked. Um, but we do that, and then um, I always talk to her about my skin and what else I can be doing. I think she's probably sick of me a little bit, but God love her, she listens. Um and her skin always looks of course. I'm like, I know you're gatekeeping. That's what's saying.

SPEAKER_01 24:14

They have access to all the things at a discount all day.

SPEAKER_03 24:18

All the lotions and potions, yeah. Yes, and an in-office esthetician. So that's really helpful. If I went to work every day with an esthetician, Katie Bar the door, I'd be like glowing all the time.

unknown 24:27

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 24:27

Um, but I just I think it just becomes more important, and you realize that your skin is the one thing that you have that it's the biggest organ on your body, guys. And you only get one set, and there is zero plastic surgeons on the planet that can give you new skin. Yeah, and I they can tuck it, pluck it, suck it, whatever, but they can't replace it.

SPEAKER_01 24:46

Sorry. Yeah, and I think that using a good quality skincare um again, like from the time I started washing my face, um, and still to this day, like retinol is a great friend, you guys.

SPEAKER_03 25:00

Um and I should say we are not aestheticians, we are not experts, we are not doctors, we are not but I would say that we probably know more than the average person on the street. Only because we've self-educated.

SPEAKER_01 25:16

Oh, yeah, that's what it means. Yeah, absolutely. Um, but I just that is one area that God gave me the skin, I'm gonna take care of it. And I um I definitely think as Daniel said, like the injectables are different. Again, like I mean, we've probably said this on different podcasts before, but everything in moderation, like um, some of that stuff can go too far. And yeah, I think one um, I don't know if it's a pet peeve really, but one thing that I have seen trending today is these kids. I'm gonna use the word kids, but younger and younger using things like retinol and um the aggressive face masks and things like that. I'm like, you don't have a collagen problem. You are 12. Like, literally, like my I have seen girls my niece's age, which is like eight and ten, like using all of these things on their skin, and there's no reason for it. Yeah. Again, they're fun.

SPEAKER_03 26:18

I think that's probably a little young, right? But I will say I have heard from my dermatologist that she notices the women who start using those things in their 20s.

SPEAKER_00 26:29

Oh, yeah, 20s.

SPEAKER_03 26:30

So not the second you turn 20, but in their 20s, start using the retinols at the lower levels and things like that, um, and the vitamin C serums.

SPEAKER_01 26:39

And I'm not talking about 20.

SPEAKER_03 26:41

All of them.

SPEAKER_01 26:41

I'm talking about like upper like fifth grade.

SPEAKER_03 26:44

Yeah, I think that's a little young. Even in high school, buy the Tar J special, the Walmart special, the Amazon special. Do get used to doing the routine. I think there's benefit in that, especially when they're younger. Like get used to doing some kind of skincare.

SPEAKER_01 26:57

No, definitely wash your face, but you don't need the harsh stuff. But they shouldn't be doing like a chemical peel and uh no and a collagen, whatever.

SPEAKER_03 27:06

100% agree. That's what I'm saying. What is the right age to start? Well, I mean, we don't need to do it.

SPEAKER_01 27:13

I don't think we need to. I think that that's probably we could find that online. But I mean in the 20s.

SPEAKER_03 27:18

I could ask my esthetician, which by the way, if you don't have an esthetician that you adore, that makes you smile, that you love, that takes great care of you, your skin, your family, which by the way, Bug, my daughter, we have she's just turned 18, but we have been taking her to the esthetician for facials now for the last couple years, just to kind of get her into like get used to like this is good skincare. I might have created a little bit of a monster. I am not gonna lie. We have had to like reel it in where I'm like, listen, you have gorgeous, collagen-filled, plump, beautiful skin that is still regenerative and lovely. You don't need to go as often as I do, but they are fun.

SPEAKER_01 28:00

Which that's the monster that I'm kind of talking about. Like she's only 18 and it is fun, it's fun to go, guys. I'm not saying that, I'm just saying it's she just gets a basic can create in a monster and turn into something that it doesn't need to, but they are fun.

SPEAKER_03 28:15

My whole worst is find yourself a good esthetician, and it feels great to have somebody like oh, it's so relaxing, so relaxing, it is wonderful. All right, wrinkles, it's just wrinkles, cellulite, fat wings, what else we got? Thigh chafe. Let's talk about all of it.

SPEAKER_01 28:33

I mean, they're all real and it happens. And if someone tells you they don't have thigh chafing, they're lying because my child, who is one of the most fit people that I really know. And she has like well, she's muscular, like they're still thigh chafing, guys. We all have sticking. You need the stick sometimes, or um I mean, even men have it.

SPEAKER_03 29:01

Yeah, like I think they find out about chafing in very different ways than women, and they're always surprised by it. But this was actually a topic at Happy Hour a couple weeks ago that men find out about chafing because it's a real thing when body parts are touching like this, right? For long periods of time and humidity and heat and all that, it's inevitable. And it's becoming this like multi-million dollar industry, it really is, with all of like the thigh protective shorts that are for things now, which by the way, I'm totally buying in on. Have you tried them? No, I haven't. They're fantastic. Okay, do it. Go go to Target, go to the Walmarts, go to the Costco's, go online to your favorite one that sends you 4,000 advertisements in your feedbox. Yes. Um, buy some, they're amazing. Okay. I think I will be wearing them all summer.

SPEAKER_01 29:51

Okay. So, speaking of all summer, um, what is your ideal summer outfit and has that changed?

SPEAKER_03 30:00

So I have actually never really been a huge shorts fan. I think I I'm one of those people that even when I was like in my most fit and I weighed like 95 pounds sticking wet. Um, I'm very short by the way. I didn't have an eating disorder or anything. I'm just very short. Um and I was in my late teens, I didn't eat, I was still had thicker thighs, like I just do. Um dancer. Yeah, probably strong. Yeah, probably. And just genetics, right? Um, I've never loved shorts. Um, I went through a big skirt phase. And now I'm, I mean, other than the thigh chafing, which the magic shorts are fixing for me. Um, dresses, they're one piece, there's no belting. I don't have to think about what else do I need to put together. I just throw on some sandals. They're cool. They breathe. They do breathe. And you can get a little breeze up there every once in a while.

SPEAKER_01 31:02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 31:03

Um, how about you?

SPEAKER_01 31:04

Um, I used to always wear shorts, jean shorts, athletic shorts. Um, and I still do. Like when I am at home, um, I live in athletic wear athle leisure pretty much all the time.

SPEAKER_03 31:18

Um the most I dressed up is when we do these.

SPEAKER_01 31:21

I do I do love a great dress. Um, and I think finding styles and colors that like fit my body and look good on me um has been an adventure. Um, but I really I really do like a good dress, and I'm with you on all the reasons. And I don't even find I haven't worn sh these fancy shorts, so I'm gonna have to find them, I guess.

SPEAKER_03 31:48

Yeah, I love them. I think they're great. Cellulite.

SPEAKER_01 31:53

I mean, everybody. Even babies have it, guys, but we just call it like their cute little dimples. It's real. There's a scientific a whole scientific thing um that I learned all about it, which we're not gonna go into for sake of time. But I mean, it's it's real. Men's skin and women's skin are different, and that's why you see it in women's skin and you don't in men's because we have an extra layer of fat, correct? Well, and it has to do with the way that our fascia and our tissue like ours crisscrosses more and is like woven together, and theirs is more um straight up and down, and so when the fat and stuff dimples out in our skin, you just see it more than you do in them.

SPEAKER_03 32:39

Well, there you go. Um, are there things that you have noticed on your own body make it more or less prevalent? No, it's pretty much just always there. What about you? Mine is always there, but I will tell you, there is definitely some truth to hydration. Oh, I can tell when I'm dehydrated, it is it definitely seems to like look worse, appear worse. I get that it never goes away, it's always there. Um, but it definitely appears to be worse. The only thing I haven't tried that I've been curious about, have you seen those fascia blasters that are supposed to make it bright?

SPEAKER_01 33:16

It's actually pretty fabulous. I have one. Um really? I might use it. You have to, there's a whole protocol that would be a whole nother like topic for another day. Um, there is a whole protocol that you have to do with it, and I just have never found the time consistently to do it consistently.

SPEAKER_03 33:36

Well, I think with everything that we've talked about, with skincare, with facials, with retinols, with fat blast, fascia blasting, whatever, um, that's what it is with all of them. It's like, what can you reasonably incorporate into your routine that you will do consistently? Because without consistency, none of it works. No, you can't use retinol once a month and have fabulous skin. Like that's just not.

SPEAKER_01 34:01

I think that's that's the lesson for today, you guys. Consistency. Consistency is key. All right. Okay, Danny. So shifting on to our next segment. What are you currently craving?

SPEAKER_03 34:18

Oh, well, speaking of hydration, which I was talking about when it has to do with your cellulite, um, I am currently in love with these. So this is sports research brand, which is like one of We love this brand. One of my favorite brands. Love it. Um, but it is their hydrate electrolytes. This is the variety pack. I love it because you get all the flavors and they just come in these little packets. There's one for a glass of water or a bottle of water, um, easy to throw in your bag, your purse, your car, whatever. Um, but what's great about these is they have trace minerals in them, which are so essential for your body, and most electrolyte drinks don't have trace minerals. Um, they also have potassium in them. They use coconut water, they are sugar-free and aspartame free, which is a big deal because it immediately gives me a headache. Um, and if you read the ingredients, they're just super clean.

SPEAKER_01 35:16

Well, because a lot of the hydration stick packs um do have a lot of extra either sugar or junk, or they taste terrible.

SPEAKER_03 35:25

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 35:26

Um, so we love this sports um research brand. Danielle and I both have several of their supplements, and um their creatine is probably what I would have brought up for my currently craving, but I left it at home today. Um, this one is their um magnesium glycinate, and this I take before bed, and it is amazing for sleep, you guys. Like it helps so much. Magnesium is one of those minerals that so many Americans are lacking magnesium in our diets and just in general, and it is the calming mineral, I will call it. Like magnesium is really what helps with stress um reduction. Well, the effects of stress on our bodies.

SPEAKER_03 36:12

Um, I take I take a different one. Okay, same brand, the sports research, but they have a magnesium L3N8 that I take before bed. Um, but same reason for sleep, and I will tell you, it is a game changer. Yeah, I can literally like feel a little bit after I take it.

SPEAKER_01 36:30

I'm like, oh, okay. Um and I will often, I feel like we talked about this once, but like my nighttime routine. Um, I'll be reading and I'll start to like, okay, it's time to put the book away because I am getting sleepy.

SPEAKER_03 36:45

But yeah, so we will link both of these on our Pinterest page so you guys can go and find them. Um, but they are fabulous, and we are not doctors, but these work for us and we love them and we want to share them with them.

SPEAKER_01 36:56

And we're not sponsored by them, but if they wanted to sponsor us, we wouldn't say no. Because we I think between the two of us, we use almost every product in there.

SPEAKER_03 37:03

We use a lot of them. We use a lot of them. We do. Yes, all right, okay, so question on the table. Yes, so we have a question for you guys that we would love to know. Our question for you is what's something you've had to relearn about confidence or having confidence in this particular season of life, what's something you've had to relearn to be confident about, Ashley, in your queenager era?

SPEAKER_01 37:29

I mean, probably I it's funny that we say relearn how to be confident because I feel like the confidence in this area has really just anyway. I would say just with the person who I am in the mirror, because um, I don't even know that in my teens and 20s I was really that confident in who that girl was. Um, so that's why I'm like relearn maybe isn't the right, but that's what I'm learning is to be confident in who I be. What about you?

SPEAKER_03 37:59

I similar, yeah. I think just I don't know that I've ever had a super tremendous amount of confidence. Um, and that could be a whole episode about why, because that that's a rabbit hole. Um, but I think just learning to have confidence in the way I'm dressed and who I am, and having that feeling when you walk into a room of I'm allowed to be here. It's okay that I'm here. I can that kind of thing.

SPEAKER_01 38:25

Agreed.

SPEAKER_03 38:26

But it's also freeing, I think, in your queenager era because you really start to. I mean, Ashley has said several times today that I have a damn is busted. And so I think that is helpful in some cases because yes, we need to care, but also not so much that it affects our confidence.

SPEAKER_01 38:42

Agreed. So tell us what is your what is the thing that you have relearned in this era?

SPEAKER_03 38:47

Or maybe learned for the first time because perhaps we didn't ever have a lot of confidence. And if you have always had confidence and haven't had to relearn anything, please tell us what your secret is. But we would love to hear from you, so please comment below and let us know. We would love to chat with you.

SPEAKER_01 39:02

Yes, and if this has resonated with you, um, please like and subscribe, share it with a friend, and we will see you guys next time on the next batch. Yes, see you next week.