My Instaweek....

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so here are 8,000 for you...

Top L: chilly day in LA requires a turtleneck and a hummingbird brooch; R: a chilly night in LA requires a snuggly puppy
Bottom L: A gloomy day in LA brightened by some calla lilies; R: headed to the gym at lunch.

5 pounds slimmer in a instant....

Just stand up straight!!  Seriously, this is one of the easiest ways to have a noticeable positive impact on your appearance, and how your clothes fit, and how you feel about yourself.  Slouching is actually a pet-peeve of mine, and I want to tell everyone I see to just stand up tall and straight.

Imagine if she was hunched over.
Sexy? I think not.

Now, most of us do not look like supermodels. And granted, even if a supermodel slouched, she likely wouldn't have a poochy belly or saggy breasts anyway.  But the point is, she wouldn't look like a model, and her clothes wouldn't look their best. 

Quick post-gym hair...

We all know that we're supposed to get 30 minutes of exercise a day for our health.  According to the month's Health magazine, a recent study found that people who were most fit in midlife fended off heart disease, cancer, diabetes and Alzheimer's longer (I read that stat to my husband and laughed: they did a study on that? I thought it was common knowledge?)  I was blessed with good genetics in that I have never had a problem with my weight (fast metabolism), but I know as every day passes I get older and things are slowing down and becoming less tone. I think it's easier to maintain than to have to build.

Battling the dimples...

While it seems like the beauty industry emphasizes being as skinny as possible, there is no doubt that women are supposed to have a level of body fat for good health.  Women's bodies are designed to bring life into the world, and healthy fat is required for that. The frustrating part is that we can't control where and how that fat is stored (I'd happily carry around a bit more if it meant I needed to buy a bigger cup size! LOL) For most women, it tends to be carried in their hips and thighs.  And with that comes the dreaded cellulite.

Obviously keeping at a healthy weight and keeping toned muscles helps with the distribution and the dimpling, but fitness experts will agree that we can't "spot burn" the fat on just our hips and thighs when working out.  Cosmetic procedures are constantly evolving to provide less invasive options for spot treatment (versus the painful-looking liposuction procedure), but any of those treatments take a toll on the pocket book.