I know I do.

And rarely does it make any difference in my life.

This past year was a little different, though. And I hope to keep it up in the 2012.

Anyone who knows me knows I’m pretty much the last person to give advice about exercise. But for some reason this past year I started walking and then, recently, with winter around the corner, I joined a gym.

What was key to my success (so far! this could change at any time!) was to have pretty low and flexible expectations for myself. Instead of resolving to exercise six times a week for an hour each time, I just tried to get out and walk as fast as I could for as long as I wanted. Usually it wasn’t even that much!

The effect has been great for me. I feel much more energetic and happier as a result. (And I’m told I look better, so maybe that’s true, too.)

So I guess the lesson is to start small and be reasonable about what you can accomplish. Those of us with work and family commitments need to try to squeeze in what we can, when we can — and then congratulate ourselves making such efforts to be kind to our bodies.

That in a nutshell is my exercise resolution for 2012.

What’s yours?

Are you a cautious person?

I know I am. Someone I used to work with often teased me for being risk- and change-averse. And it’s true.

In matters of personal style, though, I often think it makes sense to throw caution to the wind. Here’s how I look at it. What if you were to try something different — two colors (or three!) together. Or the addition of a jacket with an outfit you’ve never worn that way. Or, say, a shoe that doesn’t “match” the rest of your outfit but that pleases you nonetheless in that combination.

Really — what’s the worst that could happen? Will people line up in the street to jeer you? Will you lose your job, your dignity ….? Of course not!

So why are we so afraid to take risks? What’s the worst that could happen? We all make mistakes — it’s just that in this arena, our mistakes only last as long as it takes to get back home and change our clothes.

But on the up side — when we take those risks, we sometimes discover things about ourselves we never knew before.

Like, for instance, that we look awesome in that particular shade of green. That our red shoe looks amazing with our purple dress — and everyone seems to agree. Or we look good in that kind of hat, something we’ve never worn. I often hear a complaint from my clients that they have no style — and my standard response is that they simply need to be a little less careful, to add that something extra to their outfit — even if they’re a littl unsure about it.

So next year, let’s all resolve to take a few more risks.

Try a new hairstyle (it will grow back!) or highlights. Go crazy with nail color. Add a layer or an accessory to your outfit before walking out the door. Buy a handbag in a … gasp! … color! And please, let me know how your risk-taking works!

(Note: Images are, from top, from B. Jones Style, Style & Pepper, and Fashion for Nerds — personal style blogs by three fantastically creative women.)

Recently, I came across a website that I just love.

I love it so much I bought the book, too: Operation Beautiful, one woman’s mission to change the negative self-talk so many women have.

I mention this because her message and movement dovetail perfectly with what I try to tell my clients: Embrace who you are right now. Stop believing you need to wait for something to happen in order to feel beautiful.

Here’s a nugget from Caitlin Boyle, the woman behind Operation Beautiful:

And my favorite (of course):
“Take pride in your physical appearance, no matter what your size, age, look, or shape. It can feel so wonderful to wear a flattering shirt, a beautiful necklace, or a killer pair of heels. Take the time to choose outfits that makes you feel special or treat yourself to small pleasures, like facials or manicures. This is about defining your own version of beautiful and celebrating your body….”

Does this message resonate with you? How do you keep this kind of positive self-talk in your head? I’d love to hear about it — leave me a comment here and tell me what you think!

(Photo courtesy Stacie Mooney, available here.)

The issue: holding on to clothes from 20 and even more years ago.

Have you faced this? Clothes from college (when you are more than a couple years out of college)? Your letter sweater, but now you’re 40 (or more)?

What’s really going on here? It is the actual piece of clothing that’s so hard to part with? No, of course not. It’s all the feelings it represents — who we WERE when we first wore that piece of clothing. It’s that nostalgia for a past self that’s difficult.

I never, ever push a client to get rid of these pieces. It would be like asking her to part with a treasured photograph. Instead, we talk it through … what was this piece for? What does it mean to her? Will she ever wear it again? If not, would she want to store it somewhere out of sight? Together, we find a solution to the problem of clothes front and center in the closet that she’ll never wear again. The idea is for her to feel lighter, freer, happier without them … never to feel regret over something she loved and let go and now misses.

That’s why she has a gorgeous watermelon vintage coat hanging in her closet, even though she’s given away a dozen or more now-oversize sweaters. She just loves it so much and can’t let it go. And if it makes her happy to look at it in her closet, then it makes me happy, too.

Finally, though, in the waning days of summer … here it is! (Anthropologie clearly doesn’t want me to put a picture on my site, though.) And the best part is that it will do nicely in the early part of the Fall.

What have you been toting your sunscreen in this summer?

Shoe diversity by KeturaP featuring open toe pumpsS

Some women are more adventurous with their clothes than with their shoes — they realize the don’t want only black dresses, pants and T-shirts, but they don’t quite see that the same principle applies to their shoes, too.

My advice for this type of woman is to start slowly. You don’t want to shock your system. Consider a nude heel, the shoe of the moment. There are variations at all price points and heel heights. They look fresh and modern with almost everything. The other shoes to have are some sort of animal-textured heel or ballet flat. They’ll go with almost everything, too — and add immediate interest to your go-to basics. (Just don’t be afraid to mix them with other prints, too.)

From there, you can just go crazy — a colored ballet flat, metallic sandals, colored strappy heels. Go crazy!

What’s your most adventurous shoe, and how do you wear it? Leave me a comment and let me know — I want to hear about it!

(Need help finding the best shoes? Ketura Persellin is an image consultant and stylist in Washington, DC, and area suburbs.)

Keeping cool in the heat by KeturaP featuring metallic gold shoes

It’s hard to know what to wear when it’s beastly hot outside, but here’s what I came up with — what works for me personally:

First, a bare-up-top top/tunic/mini-dress. This can work on its own or over cropped, breezy pants or some sort of longish shorts. (Many women complain that their upper thighs rub together when it’s hot, which is why the pants or shorts work. Or just put some bicycle shorts on under the minidress.)

Next: flip-flops. My go-to flip-flop of choice is the Birkenstock Gizeh, a fresh pair every summer (because I wear them into the ground). But this pretty gold flip-flop is a nice alternative. Certainly we don’t want to be wearing rubber ones all summer, do we?!

Next, big earrings. Why’s that? Because it gets too hot to wear a lot of other jewelry — bracelets, necklaces, rings — they’ll all make you sweat. It’s often just not worth it. However, unless you are rock climbing or something, it always looks better to wear a cute pair of earrings.

Water — gotta rehydrate!

A big ethnic-inspired bag. I love a good summer bag, one that doubles as a weekend bag or beach bag or whatever.

A great nail polish, in a great color. It’ll act like another piece of jewelry.

Finally, a scarf or shawl for when the sun sets and it gets a little chilly, or when you duck in to a movie theater during the day as a respite from the heat, only to find that you’re suddenly freezing.

Have I left anything out? What are YOUR staples when the mercury soars? (And what will be on your playlist?)

The Concrete Catwalk

A few months ago I did a round-up of some of my check-everyday style blogs, but of course I’ve discovered some new ones since then. Here are some of the blogs I check every day:

InsideOutBlog

I met Imogen, Inside Out’s blogger, at the recent AICI conference in Orlando. She is funny, smart, and articulate! She’s got concrete, actionable style advice for real, grown-up women. Check it out!

Atlantic Pacific

For styling, this is my absolute, hands-down favorite right now. This young woman is an amazing source of styling ideas and inspiration.

The Concrete Catwalk

I love her inventiveness and creativity. The blog name is great, too.

Cupcakes and Cashmere

If there were a personal style blogger whose life looks pretty perfect from the outside, this woman is it. She shares recipes, entertaining tips, interior design advice, and her personal styling (which seems to be some sort of blogging formula these days).

Sterling Style and The Glitter Guide

A woman named Taylor Sterling is the blogger behind Sterling Style, which I also like and which is very similar to Cupcakes. She’s also soon launching something called the Glitter Guide — not clear exactly what it will be and which now exists as a Tumblr. The pictures are all things fabulous and sparkly.

Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Before she leaves town, I hope she visited the Newseum, though.

[Editor's note: An earlier version of this post contained less-than-flattering language applied to Sarah Palin. A reader complained and I've removed it. It was excessive. I will continue to write about politicians and their personal style, though, because I find it interesting and culturally significant.]