1. Put Moving Your Body as Your Top Priority

2. Eat Like a French Woman

3. Learn What Not to Wear

Some people, such as my son, have an athletic soul. He works out and plays sports as an essential part of his daily regimen. He knows the “runner’s high” effect from exercising so hard and producing so many mood-enhancing endorphins.

While I am coordinated and I love to dance, I can sit for days, weeks even. My body does not cry out to move as some people’s do.

I love walking with friends, but I have a hard time getting my butt off the couch and out the door by myself. I hate working out in gyms. I’ve tried aerobics classes, step classes, yoga classes, and Jazzercise. I cannot get myself to go.

1. Put Moving Your Body as Your Top Priority

When I asked myself the question “What do I know would greatly benefit me?” the answer was simple and clear: yoga. My body loves yoga. But not all yoga classes.

Classes which tend toward the “yoga Olympics” as I call it, where there is a subtle or not-so-subtle judgment that we, I, should be able to be more limber, more flexible, more anything – these classes discourage and anger me.

Classes that are an hour and a half are just too long for me right now. I get antsy. I get antsy, me, the person I really am, gets antsy. The person I think I should be does NOT get antsy. She loves an hour an a half. But this mythical person also has not trouble getting out for a weak by herself.

There is a gentle yoga class that is a fifteen minute walk from my house. Anything I can do independently, as in I do not need to find a ride, has great appeal.

I loved this class, love the teacher, and yet I could not get myself to go regularly. Weeks and weeks would go by and I would sit and feel fat and stiffening.

But when I let myself know how much good I knew yoga would do for me, I got a brilliant (simple) idea. What if I put my body first? What if I decided everything else I do come AFTER I get the exercise I need.

This simple decision changed everything. Now I go faithfully to yoga three times a week, rain or shine. I walk there and back which is good of many reasons. I have a tendency for depression and nothing is better than getting outside, outside where Life is and whet weather and the trees and the flowers and the birds an. Outside my dark thoughts can fly away as I get grounded in the reality of Here and Now.

I love every minute of my yoga class. My body loves it. I am getting toned. My skin feels better. * like the feel of my body as it shapes up. I am recovering a body that has been buried in extra pounds and sedentary behavior.

And it is fun, fun, fun, and easy easy, easy.

2. Eat Like a French Woman

A little background eating history: I was too skinny growing up. I could not gain weight. Then I was fine, then I started taking hormones and put on thirty pounds. Then I did not know myself anymore.

I have never dieting. All the research on dieting is bad. It is unhealthy and can lead to morbid obesity. Deprivation and self-hate are lousy motivators. If I even start to think deprivation, I want to eat a bag of potato chips.

French woman do not diet. They do not go hungry. They eat all they want of whatever they want and they do not get fat. How do they do this? Here are some of the secrets. Don’t let yourself get hungry. Pay attention to what you eat. Chew slowly and savor what you eat. Pay attention to proportions. Eat more fruits and be tables. Take an inventory of what you are eating, find the worst offenders, and gradually reduce them as you replaces the foods that are causing problems, such as too many pastries, with food your body truly enjoys.

I love chocolate and I eat all I want. But I only want one small dark Dove chocolates a day. Maybe two. I can have all I want, but I pay attention to what I want and stop when I am done.

Sounds simple and it is. Simple, wonderful. In two months I have lost nine ponds without suffering. Even if I weren’t losing weight, I would still eat this way. It is the Yoga of

Eating or Mindful Eating. I enjoy my food more and I’m losing width as my body slims down. Simply fabulous!

3. Learn What Not to Wear

This is the newest part of my regimen. I “stumbled” (coincidence is god’s way of remaining anonymous, they say) on the BBC America show What Not to Wear. Women volunteer for a brutally honest assessment of there dressing habits, learn what not to wear and what flatters the body they have, and then go shopping.

The results are stunning and poignant. These women are real women with real bodies. The point of the show is to love the body you have and know how to dress it so you feel alive, sexy, and confident.

My legs are thicker, my belly sags, and I have been trying to hide it in long flowy clothes for years. But not anymore. I do like my curves and my new cleavage. I’m going to look for clothes with color that show off my shape instead of trying to hide it. I’ve seen women absolutely transformed, and I want to be one of them

Your Challenge

1. How does your body like to move? Do you have anyone who could be a Success Buddy to help your find a way to move regularly? You might have to trick yourself, but as soon as you put moving your body as a top priority, you will find a way to resolve the problem.

2. Read FrenchWomen, Don’t’ Get Fat and do what she tells you to do. You will never be the same.

3. Watch What Not to Wear on BBC America. You owe it to yourself. Take one baby step toward finding a style that makes you feel gorgeous.

Following a dress code for interview involves a lot more than picking out an outfit. Accessories are equally vital. Pay attention to everything that you put on your body including your shoes and jewelry choices. Wear dress shoes instead of tennis shoes and choose dressy, non-flashy jewelry.

While we’re on the topic of jewelry, let’s take a moment to talk about piercing and other types of body adornments. Always choose jewelry and adornments that will not detract from your professional appearance. You may need to remove some piercing such as facial piercing. Tattoos and certain hair styles may also be offensive to some. Wear clothes that cover tattoos and try to choose conservative hairstyles and colors while you are looking for a job.

When choosing your dress code for interview, take into consideration parts of your appearance that you wish to downplay. For example: If you have a distracting scar, you may wish to conceal it. While employers will not discriminate against a scar, it might divert them from hearing and seeing what an ideal job candidate you really are.

1. Bring the outdoors inside:

Botanical and floral print pillows will bring the feel of the outdoors in. Combined with textured fabrics, they’ll make your décor feel more connected to the earth even in the heart of the city!

2. Seasonal makeover:

Update the look of your home seasonally with new pillow covers and trimmings. Most pillow covers have zipper closures, so you can put lighter colored pillow covers on your existing pillows for a fresh look. Just store your fall and winter pillow covers flat in the linen closet. Choose lighter weight silks with a slight sheen to capture the light and add sparkle to your room.

3. Mix fabrics like a pro:

Professional designers combine different fabrics, shapes and sizes for a layered look. Mix florals, stripes, textures and solid colored pillows and build a collection of different fabrics to add color and personality to your home. Unify an open plan décor with fabrics that reflect and tie together the colors in the rooms.

4. Inexpensive updating:

To modernize an outdated room or sofa, pick new pillows in a color that you like. It will let you test out the new colors in the room, and begin the transformation. You don’t have to redo the whole room at once; reupholster that sturdy reading chair and ottoman or throw in cozy chenille. Do it piece by piece as budget allows.

5. Use pillows as art:

Use hand painted, one-of-a-kind pillows to add original art to your home, or try a pillow that features the work of one of your favorite artists. They are so easy to decorate with, and don’t leave holes in the wall!

6.Take the indoors out:

Decorative pillows offer an ideal way to help transform your outdoor living space into a comfortable continuation of your home. Whether it’s a kitchen, family room or bedroom that opens up onto a deck or poolside patio, try using throw pillows that pull from the dominant color of the adjacent indoor room. The transitional effect will create harmony and continuity between your indoor and outdoor living spaces. Don’t hesitate to use designs that might typically seem unfitting for the outdoors. Go with pillows that feature bold circles, stripes or colors not standard of nature, such as black and white. The pillows will stand out amongst all the earthy greens and browns and really spice up that outdoor space!

7. Keep the peace:

She wants mauve florals, he wants green and orange geometric pillows. Compromise with pillow covers in each color scheme and theme, and alternate them occasionally. Or try finding some common ground with a coordinating pair that combines the ‘Yin’ and the ‘Yang’. Your room will feel new, and the change will be refreshing. Everybody’s happy!

8. Dressing up a child’s room:

For the kid whose room is never tidy, solid color pillows will help create a less muddled look. Or if texture and pattern is what you are after, you can add wide wale corduroy or striped pillows to a boy’s room, and wavy or florals for the girls. Choose soft, durable pillows for a child’s room made from microfiber suede. The microfiber fabrics are so tightly woven that they are tougher and more durable than most other fabrics. Spills just bead up and roll off, and they can be wiped clean with a damp cloth! Large floor pillows are perfect to sprawl on while reading a book or playing a game.

9. What’s hot now:

The hottest new pillows are the versatile rectangular shape, sometimes referred to as “lumbar pillows”. They can be used in so many ways, to add back support or color to an armchair, or nestled against each arm of your sofa. Layer them in front of larger, square pillows in the corner of your sectional, or on a window seat or daybed. Add one in front of pillow shams to give your beds a decorative touch. On a low backed, clean lined sofa, place one at the back of each seat cushion.