I've had so many conversations with many different women who all say they wish they could cut their hair short.  Some say their husbands wouldn't like it or they are not brave enough.  For many women, hair is like a security blanket.  It's comforting as it falls over shoulders or the neck.  It can be wispy and draw attention away from a blemish.  Some people are blessed with talent to do their own hair flawlessly every day and always looke good.  Not me.  I am talentless in the doing-long-hair department and the frizz suffocates any hint of confidence that may have existed.  So, I decided to go short.  Not pixie-cut short, but pretty short.  I've gotten several unsolicited compliments from strangers, so it must look half-way decent.

While you can't just put it back in a ponytail if you're short on time or having a bad hair day, it's great for many other reasons.  First, it has a little bit more tailored look - you have no choice but to do it.  Second, since there aren't many options for different styles once you have your cut (you can't do an up-do, ponytail, braid, etc. like with long hair), it leaves open the opportunity to have fun with cute earrings (there's no hair hiding your ears!) and different make-up.  I've been having fun wearing earrings that previously couldn't be seen with my long, dark hair.  Lastly, short hair is a great way to wear hair jewelry like cute barretes, etc. 

Short hair can be sexy, sassy and cute - it's truly all in your attitude.  Plus, it needs to be cut usually every 6 weeks, and who doesn't love going to the salon for a shampoo and haircut?  It's a great excuse for a little mini-relaxation session!  Try it - you might like it! (If not, it will always grow back) :-)

I cut my hair.  Short.  And I LOVE it.  I mean I really love it.  I've done it before, but I recently figured out how to straighten my hair so it looked pretty decent at shoulder length.  I'd actually been getting compliments rather than the standard 'Is your hair naturally that wavy?".  I even did the keratin straightening treatment a few months back and was pretty happy with that because it really calmed the frizz and made it easy to style.  But, the thought of cutting my hair short had really been lurking around my mind for the past few months.  So, I just went ahead and did it, and I'm so glad I did.

I explained to my stylist what I wanted and she totally understood my vision.  Something short, cute and spunky, I told her.  We looked at some pictures and she got to work.  My hair is mostly wavy with some ringlet curls on the back of my neck.  I've battled the waves and curls, which all behave differently depending upon where I live, for years.  It's exhausting, and since I'm now in humidity central, I regularly lose the battle.  I don't like spending a lot of time doing my hair, so I figured I better join forces with the waves.  As my stylist cut she commented that it was getting wavier, which was perfect for my new style.  I can just dry it (I have to pay attention to drying my bangs the right way, but the rest doesn't matter), put some goup in it (I like Aquage Transforming paste) and I'm done.  Easy, cute and simple.  I love it.

I didn't tell anyone I was going to do it, so when I went to pick up my kids from school I got interesting responses.  My daughter smiled and said she like my hair.  My son looked at me, smiled and then started crying!!  He said he hated it and that it looked creepy!!  I laughed - I really didn't expect that response!  He got over it later.  The baby didn't notice.  The husband said although he likes pony tails (which do not work on me - I just end up with a halo of yucky frizz) he likes it.  What else is he really going to say, though? :-)  Either way, I'm loving it, especially since the heat is rolling in with a nice dose of humidity, and it's only going to get worse. 

I just completed Month 1 of the Jillian Michaels Total Body revolution, and I did every workout.  Several times I chose to go jogging (usually about 2.5 miles) instead of doing the cardio video, and part of the reason is because the weather is so nice for jogging right now.  Soon enough it will be very hot with enough mosquitoes flying around that they could carry a person away, so I'm trying to take advantage of being outside as much as I can right now.  That means I excercised 6 days a week for the past month, and I'm pretty proud of myself.  It's no easy feat, but the fact that each workout is 30 minutes and doesn't require anything more than what is shown in the picture below makes it doable. 

I realized I never took any measurements when I started, so I don't have any quantatative data regarding results, but all my clothes are fitting better and I"m feeling awesome.  I've lost probably about 5 pounds, and if you follow her meal plan you could probably lose several pounds a week.  However, I like a glass of wine in the evening, and life is simply too short to pass my daughter's birthday cake or the opportunity to go out to dinner. 

I've set up my workout space in our bedroom so I can workout early in the mornings if my husband is out of town or I can do it when the kids are watching their pre-bedtime tv show.  I was using a yoga mat, but it wasn't withstanding my sneakers well, so I used the foam mat that I was about to get rid of.  We used it previously in our playroom that has a wood floor when the baby was learning to walk (and falling a lot), but it was just getting in the way.  It's easy to clean, withstands my shoes well with all the excercises and I can put it away easily if I need to.  The only other things used in the workouts are the resistance band (comes with dvds) and the weights.  I have 5lbs and 8lbs, but the 5lbs weights are getting a bit light for me.  I may be purchasing some 10 pounders soon.  So, it doesn't take much to get a great workout.  I've been pleased so far!