Beauty Tip: When in doubt, get a haircut and dye the new do!

I’ll admit this is a very conventional tip. But then again, this blog is for all fun-loving women and we’ve nothing against the conventional methods that are easy, fun and put a smile on our faces afterwards.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m big fan of long hair. I have always lusted after the shampoo-commercial hair but my hair is never that voluminous, thick and long –even after a visit to the hairdresser’s.

So when I want to give myself a sexy make-over, I choose the quick path. I have a nice and modern cut (covering the cheeks and not the neck is usually a great length – easy to style & dry). Then I pick a color that I know looks good on me.  This time I went blonde, with the unintended effect of strawberry streaks (remains of previous coloring).

And I feel great. And I do look pretty decent. I should take some pictures of the new do and ask for your opinion too.

But remember, when it comes to looking and feeling awesome, your opinion comes first.

(Un)conventional Fitness Acitivity 6: Cleaning Your Room/House

Cleaning and Organizing Your Room

Image via lolpix.com

First, let’s see who might get better results with this activity:

·      

           The obsessively tidy and clean

You belong to this category if you almost always see cleaning to be done, even if other people think everything looks immaculate. Worry not. This means this fitness activity is regular (& natural) for you.

Remember how fit Courteney Cox’s Friendscharacter Monica was? I am betting that any one close to her obsession with organization and cleanliness, wouldn’t really have the time or the opportunity to gain weight.

·         The unorganized and/or shopaholics

Well, I confess. I am by nature an unorganized person. I am also a shopaholic so I am constantly adding new clothes to my already stuffed wardrobe.

And maybe I could find  a way to keep the room in order to some level, but I am also a writer, an avid reader and movie-watcher. So add the novels, writing projects, writing stuff and files and the DVDs, and I am in big trouble.

My organizational efforts burn more calories than a session at the gym or hours spent on the dancing floor.

After all, cleaning works pretty much every muscle. You have to pick things up, pull things down, re-arrange furniture &clothes, clean after your mess....

My last organizing activity? Yesterday. The result? Burnt calories, and officially establishing the need for new wardrobes, a bigger room and a bigger house.

How to Make Organizing More Fun

If you are anything like Monica, cleaning provides its own rush and happiness. But for the rest, and especially the intrinsically messy ones like me, there are ways to make the whole thing fun:

Turn on a TV-Show/Movie That Doesn’t Require Much Attention

It can be the re-runs of things you already watched and loved make for great help. You get to laugh and get things done at the same time.

Music and Dancing

Yep, it is always great to turn on great, fast tracks while you finish the task. And if you squeeze in the lovely activity dancing, time might fly without you swearing off shopping for new stuff.

Confession: I did swear off shopping but I am guessing it’ll last only for a short time. I am just being honest here. After all, shopping is a much more fun way to keep fit, remember? J

Do you have suggestions to keep cleaning more fun?

Preventing Fitness Injuries

Preventing Fitness Injuries

Image via: snapshots.net

Sorry, it has been a long while since I last posted, but I have a valid excuse. In my last post Unconventional Fitness Activity 5: How Freelancing Can Help You Stay Fit, I had mentioned that I injured my leg.

The thing is, I am a big fan of practicing what I preach and an injured leg that constantly felt like I had run a marathon didn’t help my efforts to be fit or stylish. Let’s face it: a kneepad and a limp don’t really increase my hotness levels. Or improve my style.

But my leg is getting better, I am no longer taking cabs everywhere and I am slowly returning to my dance classses. Unfortunately, remembering all the dance steps and moves is a little harder than getting back on the bike.

I don’t know why exactly I got hurt, because I did stretch before the class. Apparently, it wasn’t enough.

But this is life and shit happens so what are we supposed to do when we get sick or injured?

God forbid anything serious or terminal. But apart from morbid situations, we usually deal with minor injuries and the flu. So what can we do to prevent injuries due to illnesses or simply inadaquate action or too much action?

We can stretch. Regularly, preferably starting the day with it and then re-stretching and warming-up before any fitness activity. Not only these give us energy boosts, they also make sure the muscles relax and you don’t end up staying away from the gym or the dance class for a month.

Even when you are feeling like you are going down with something, a couple of sit-ups and minor stretching shouldn’t be a big deal. And you know what you can do to prevent that cold: lots of fruits, vegetables and regular exercise.

So this was an injury prevention posts. I’ll be back with more unconventional and/or fun tips soon.

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Until then.

Unconventional Fitness Acitivity 5: How Freelancing Can Keep You Stay Fit

Image via cartoonstock.com

Well, this one is tricky because the peace of your mind pretty much depends on how much money you are making (and how much you are enjoying yourself), whether your hands and arms are healthy (well carrying around your office around like a turtle and typing like crazy can hurt you at times) and well, physical health and a good internet connection also help.

Now, when I was first planning this post in my head, all was fine in the world. I was healthy, productive and was taking my own advice. Remember the unconventional tips about developing a crush, dancing and hanging with your attractive friends? Yeah, well- I worked a lot, danced about 3-4 times a week  (each session lasting for at least 2 hours), hung out with my best friend who is really attractive (and currently attracting a lot of guys, even the ones she doesn’t want to attract) and I am on the lookout for cute guys who might be worth my time. 

Then, on a couple of Tuesdays ago, I hurt my leg during dancing. Now, I am supposed to rest, which is a really difficult thing for a hyperactive person to do. I couldn’t dance at the Friday parties. Then my modem broke and my home internet connection went to hell, which is a bummer since I am supposed to stay a lot more at home to do that resting and even though I haven’t been typing all that much lately, my arm is now hurting too. 

Oh, yes. Mind you, I didn’t put on any weight since I combined my freelancing routine with dancing. Trust me, I’m not dieting. Or cutting back. At all. So I am pretty OK with keeping the weight constant. But if you watch what you eat a little, being a freelancer might help you shed some pounds too. Here’s how:

*Stop picturing freelancers and writers as people who don’t leave home. I barely stay at home because all the sofas, mess and housework can get in the way. And even walking to your bus stop is some action, especially if you live in a big city.

* Well carrying all that stuff around means you can work anywhere, so you don’t really need to cancel any 

spontaneous opportunities that come your way.

* How heavy is your bag? I think it should count as a minor (or major, depending on the size of your laptop) heavy-lifting activity.

* You can exercise at home. You don’t go to an office where you spend majority of your waking hours. So who’s to stop you from dancing to your favorite songs?

* You can go to the gym in the middle of the week, during other people’s office hours.

Let me know if you can think of more…

The Only Main Style Tip You'll Ever Need: Hide the Flaws, Accentuate the Assets!

Kate Bosworth. I think she topped it in the middle. What do you think? Image via refinery29.com

If done right, this style tip works all the time. How do I know? Because whenever I apply it (and trust me, I try to apply it whenever I can), I am either complimented on my body or asked if I have lost weight, or both.

What I do is I hide my flaws and accentuate my assets. Now, everybody has a different body type. I am tall and while I have around 6-10 pounds extra, I look in shape. When I put on weight, the fat is inclined to start growing in my bell first and goes to other places afterwards, so  my whole mission while getting dressed is to hide it as well as I can. 

The assets? It’s different for everyone but I have big breasts and long, lean legs. I especially love mini-skirts because anything but a turtleneck seems to give me a cleavage, even when I am trying not to have fun. But i especially love tight, short skirts. Well, short as in covering my butt totally. I wear them all year, and black is as gorgeous color whether you choose to go with leggings, tight pants or pantyhose. 

So that is what I do: show the legs, accentuate the breasts with a decent bra and hide the belly at all costs. Yes, I don’t look all that great in a bikini and I am going to be working on that But put in any short, tight legwear and I look just fine.

The tip: Show the good, hide the bad and feel & look just gorgeous.

Tip for Beauticians and Cosmetics Store Assistants: Practice What You Preach!

The make-up sales people should have good make-up skills. Plain and simple. It won't help their sales if they are looking like they just dropped in a pool of paint! Image via grinningplanet.com

Recently, I was at a cosmetic store, trying to buy some necessary make-up, and hopefully without going over my budget. But you know how these shops are. Every single fault of your skin is brought to attention under the oh-so-unflattering white lighting. I have always been lazy and frankly it’d be nice to have some efficient product take care of my skin- doing most of the work. So yeah, I am more of the type to go for the concealer to hide the skins under my eyes rather than taking care of my face with masks regularly. 

Oh, and I do have dark circles under my eyes. I don’t know what the hell is wrong with my skin because those circles have been there for a long time. It doesn’t matter how well or little sleep I get, they are just there (so you have tips for me, go ahead and leave them in the comments. I’ll be more than grateful). Anyway, after I got my mascara and being totally put off by my skin, I wanted to look for a concealer. The sales-girl was suggesting that I should use almond oil for my eyelashes. What? Remembering to put on  mascara is enough trouble! And then she suggested, if I were to use a concealer, I should put it on after putting on a layer of face cream. What face cream? I am not using anti-aging stuff just yet. My dermatologist had suggested it is ok if I started them at 27 and so I am thinking, there is still a little time (OK, I am turning 27 next year). The sales girl was certain I was already too late. Of course she has a commission-based job.  So we started talking to another sales girl who started talking about a set which would easily set me back $100-150. OK, there is no way I am taking advice from someone 1) is paid according to what and how much she sells and 2) horrible make-up skills. 

I should elaborate on the second thing a little. She was wearing too much make-up for a day job.  The powder she was using wasn’t exactly her color and you could so obviously tell it was powder.  And she wasn’t pretty. At all. Isn’t make-up all about hiding your faults, accentuating your good qualities and well, making you look prettier? Anyway- I wasn’t about to take skin advice from a girl whose skin wasn’t exactly glowing with radiance. So no, of course I didn’t buy the expensive stuff. I am seeing my dermatologist next week and get some brand recommendations from her. 1) She is not on commission. 2) She is an expert 3) and yeah, she is also pretty and knows her make-up.

Just like you wouldn’t take relationship advice from a serial cheater, you shouldn’t take make-up advice from just any store employee. I am just saying. If she was such an expert, she would apply her skills on her face first. So unless you fall in love with the looks and make-up of the sales-girl, just stick to your own gut and well, budget.

Hanging Out with Your Attractive Friends: Unconventional Fitness Activity 4

     You know what highly success people advise? That you surround yourself with more successful people so that with the help of the group’s dynamics, you will also succeed. It makes perfect sense – when no one around you is aiming low, nothing- even you- can hold you back.

So what does that have to be with beauty and fitness? Well, a lot actually. The idea is that you will hang out more often with friends who pay attention to how they look. I am not suggesting you surround yourself with superficial people, fashion victims or diet freaks. Rather, I am merely suggesting that among all the friends you can hang out with, choose to spend time with the ones who are more active, health-conscious and overall well-groomed.

Because you will feel bad if you are the only one who’s not taking care of yourself, peer pressure and motivation will make you want to put on that little touch of make-up, give up on the coffee cream and pick your more flattering outfits to wear.

image via: danspalatset.se

Yes, this is a Lindy Hop move. Hopefully one day, it'll be possible for me too. But there is no way I am going to get to it if I just sit around with my friends who only like to sit around. I have a lot of those!

Recently, I have been spending more time at the dance studio (where I am taking lindy hop lessons). The more I watch the good dancers, the more I want to attend the practice times and well, the more I want to dance. And the more I dance, the better I feel . And the more moves I can master, the more I will enjoy it and the more I will want to dance. Oh, yes :it is one fantastic and beneficial cycle.

The point is whatever you’d like to accomplish and/or maintain, find a way to hang out with people who are better at it than you do, or at least just as enthusiastic as you are.  I had a great year in Norway, when I was an exchange student. I had great friends, who were just as addicted to fun and partying as I was. The result? One fantastic year. And I am thinking, why not apply it to our looks?