Healthy Living Weekly Post: A Fresh Trendy Look

Last week I had my hair trimmed for the holidays. I was tired of the layered look in the back and had about four inches chopped off to give my hair a smoother silkier look. I have to admit that I was a little disappointed that over the past week, not one person (other than Robbie, of course, who was very complimentary as always) even noticed that I'd done anything.

Yesterday as I was standing in my closet trying to decide what to wear, I started thinking that I really wanted to get out of the habit of always wearing tennis shoes. Don't get me wrong, I love a good pair (or twelve pairs) of tennis shoes and have quite a collection - white, black, with blue stripes, for indoor exercise, for walking, for yard work, slip-ons, etc. It just seems that I'm always grabbing something simple like a pair of capris or shorts or jeans and some tennis shoes rather than trying to look my best. As I mentioned in last week's post, I believe a healthy lifestyle in more than just good nutrition and exercise. I think the way we look and feel often affects our attitude about ourselves and those around us. So instead of reaching for the same old outfit, I threw together this look.

In honor of Big Picture Classes fifth birthday celebration this week and one of Stacy Julian's five questions for the week, here are five things I like about me in this photo.

1. My hair, I like not having the layered ragged edge.

2. The boots - love the color and they are so comfortable.

3. The capris - they don't look as good in this photo as I thought they did, but notice how loose they are due to all the toning up and weight loss I've been working on.

4. The denium jacket - I've wanted a cute denium jacket for years but never found one I really liked or could afford until this year when I picked this one up at Coldwater Creek.

5. My smile - I love being happy!

I asked Robbie's opinion and he said he liked it and that "it looked trendy." Not bad, I thought, as I headed out for my Ladies Bible Study meeting. Then at the meeting I got a compliment on my boots and two compliments on my haircut (even though it had already been cut before last week's meeting!). Both ladies commented that my hair gave me a "fresh" look. So, this week I'm going with the "fresh trendy" look and loving every minute of it. I think it's time to get the rest of my boots down from that upper shelf and give them a nice touch of leather conditioner. Who knows what I might want to wear to the movie later today!

Now, I know some of you might be wondering how all this ties in with healthy living. Basically I think our attitude and how we feel about ourselves plays a huge part in what we choose to eat and which activities (like exercise) we do each day. For me, when I am feeling good about myself, I make better food choices and tend to not skip my planned exercise for the day.

I also had a check-up with the doctor this week. I got a good report on everything except my cholesterol, which is still a little high. I have to admit that I was disappointed, but at least the doctor did not recommend I start medication for it. He did recommend a couple of supplements that might help lower it some more, so I'm going to research those. On a brighter note, I had lost seven pounds since my last visit!

(After I was all dressed yesterday, I was browsing the blogosphere and really enjoyed Sian's post about clothes. I just loved how similar her thoughts were to the ones I'd just had standing in my closet.)