Some days are meant for living wild at heart.

Show your gusto!

Crank up the volume and click the green arrow. Have a little “country” fun with this one. Get moving!

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Did that make you sit up straight? Good.

The next time you’re in front of a full-length mirror, turn to the side, stand as you normally do, and look at your posture. Now draw an imaginary vertical line from the top of your head to the floor – with the front half of your body on one side, and the back half of your body on the other side. What’s hanging out the front? (maybe your head and shoulders? maybe your stomach?) What’s hanging out the back? (maybe your booty?) Notice how the front half and the back half are “weighted” about equally.

Now stand up straight, as though that imaginary line were a string, pulling your spine straight up. Notice how the front half and the back half get narrower. Isn’t that nice? Keep that in mind the next time you want to make a “thin” impression.

We love tank tops. We love camisoles. We love sundresses.

So let’s work on beautiful bare arms.

Here are a couple of twists on the basic bicep curl. Check out this post for another one.

Hammer curls ~ adds definition to the forearms, as well as some muscles that lie underneath the biceps

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your arms at your sides. Hold a dumbbell in each hand with your palms facing your body.

Exhale and, keeping your elbows pressed firmly against your rib cage, curl both arms three-quarters of the way up toward your shoulders. Your palms are still facing each other (not the ceiling).

Hold for a beat, focusing on squeezing your biceps.

Inhale and slowly lower your arms back to the starting position, and repeat.

Zottman curls ~ emphasizes the forearms and the inside of the biceps

Stand upright with your feet shoulder-width apart and your arms at your sides. Hold a dumbbell in each hand with your palms facing your body.

Exhale and, as you curl your arms upward, rotate your palms in toward your body and cross your arms to the opposite shoulders. Keep your elbows pressed firmly against your body throughout the entire exercise and curl your arms only three-quarters of the way up toward your shoulders.

Hold for a beat, focusing on squeezing your biceps.

Inhale and slowly lower your arms back to the starting position, and repeat.

Summertime means berries! And there’s nothing better than enjoying the fruit of the season, so go ahead – add some berries to your day! They’re full of antioxidants and they’re naturally sweet.

Some tips ~

• Because of the way strawberries grow, they’re very susceptible to pesticides and herbicides. Buy organic strawberries if you can – they’re worth the price for peace of mind.
• Berries are a very good deal at your local farmer’s market. Get there early for the best selection.
• Check the internet or your library for info on local “u-pick” berry farms. Make it a family day (or hour if your kids are young) and pick your own berries, usually at a lower price. Your kids learn more about where their food comes from, you get a bit of a bargain, everyone has fun!
• Wash berries before you eat them. Fill a sink with cool water and a splash of vinegar (the cheap white stuff is fine for this). Add the berries and swish gently in the water. Remove to a dishtowel laid on the counter. Eat within a day or two.
• To store for a week, do not wash berries. One theory says to keep the berries in a glass jar or bowl in the fridge until you’re ready to wash and serve. Another theory says to lay them flat on a tray in the fridge.
• To freeze berries, wash first, and let most of the water dry off on the dishtowel. Place berries in a single layer on a baking sheet or tray, and freeze. When frozen, put berries in a freezer-weight zipper bag. Good for 3 months in a fridge-freezer and 6 months in a deep freeze.

Photo by John Smith

Kids across the United States aged two and a half to eighteen were polled for Marilu’s book Healthy Kids. The kids identified their favorite fruits and vegetables, and results were tabulated by age group and collectively. Here’s the collective Top 10.

Top 10 Fruits

1. Apple
2. Banana
3. Orange
4. Strawberries
5. Grapes
6. Pineapple
7. Watermelon
8. Peaches
9. Cantaloupe
10. Cherries

Top 10 Veggies

1. Carrots
2. Broccoli
3. Cucumbers
4. Lettuce
5. Peas
6. Corn
7. Green beans
8. Celery
9. Potato
10. Spinach

Do your kids eat these fruits and veggies? Are their favorites missing from this list? Go ahead and ask. Don’t miss an opportunity to serve them good food that they love. If they can’t name other fruits and veggies, plan a field trip to the local farmer’s market, farm stand, or u-pick farm, where you can introduce your kids to all kinds of new foods.

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Rosemary can keep the bugs away on a summer night. I usually have a small pot of rosemary on my back deck in addition to the rosemary growing in the herb garden. If we’re sitting outside at night I toss a few sprigs around the table, rub some on our wrists and put the pot under the table so that the mosquitoes don’t feast on our bare legs.

~ Coach Mary Beth

Yikes!

A month ago we talked about different kinds of greens and even gave you a few delicious recipes here.

But something makes us think that you need more information to include greens in your menus. So we have some facts – in case you’re motivated by the intellectual arguments – and some practical tips – in case you just need it to be easier.

Challenge yourself to add greens to several meals this week.

Just the Facts, Ma’am

Dark leafy greens supply calcium, iron, vitamins A/C/E, folic acid, carotenoids, and fiber. Vitamins A/C/E (non-standard punctuation, in the hope that you’ll remember this) work together to become super-cancer-fighting antioxidants. It’s a good combination to look for in any food. Carotenoids are a large family of more antioxidants (including beta-carotene) that boost your immune system and help fight cancer.

Bottom line: Greens are good for you. Eat them often.

Make-It-Happen Practical Tips

The number one tip – chop greens fine, and add them to everything. Even if you only add one leaf of kale (chopped) to a pot of soup, or a small handful of spinach (chopped) in the pasta sauce, you’re building a foundation. People who aren’t used to seeing “green bits” will get used to them if they’re everywhere.

Add chopped greens to pasta sauces, soups, stews, stirfries, etc. In fact, if your meal contains some liquid and is cooking for awhile, it’s perfect for greens.

Add chopped greens to breads, biscuits, scones, muffins, etc. If it’s a batter (and not too sweet), you can easily add greens chopped in really small pieces. They’ll blend into the batter and add nutrients without adding a lot of flavor. For an extra boost, add a little grated carrot, too.

While you’re chopping greens – add them to meatloaf or burgers or sloppy joes or meatballs. It’s easy to boost the nutrition without changing the flavor.

Add greens to the top of your pizza. Stuff them in sandwiches and paninis and pitas and wraps. Top a potato. Cook them into your eggs, omelets, quiches, fritattas.

Serve proteins on a bed of sauteed greens. Saute the greens with lots of onion (any onion, leek, shallot, scallion, etc) and a little garlic. Then top with grilled or broiled fish or chicken or tofu, and serve with a side of colorful veggies (like sauteed peppers, or tomato salad, or steamed carrots).

Bottom line: It’s easy to add greens – and all their healthy nutrients – to your meals.

Photo by James Wilsher

The Wizard of Oz is a family movie classic with lessons that go far beyond following the yellow brick road.

Long ago (!), the movie was in black and white until Dorothy and her friends woke up in the poppy field outside the Emerald City.

Just imagine life in a black-and-white Kansas compared to life in the full Technicolor rainbow of the Emerald City. WOW! How great the Emerald City must have looked and felt after black-and-white Kansas and the scary trip through the black-and-white woods.

Now… think about your life. Are you living in a black-and-white world? This isn’t a question of morals – it’s a question of gusto. Has your gusto gone to gray? Has your gusto been buried under a cloud? Because there’s so much more for you!

The whole world is a gift for you – and your whole life is a gift to the world. There’s so much color in your life if you open your eyes to the possibilities and to the gift! As Dorothy learns at the end of the movie, you have the power to achieve your dreams. You already have the power!

You can choose how to live each day of your life. See the color. Live with passion. Live with energy. Find your direction, and choose to live in Technicolor.

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Find your passion with healthy living. Marilu.com can help you become your B.E.S.T.* with Marilu Henner’s 10-step program. Sign up now, and take a 30-day class, complete with recipes and tips for healthy living, and personalized coaching each day.

*Balance, Energy, Stamina, Toxin-Free = B.E.S.T.!

Just like the waves of the ocean, you need to keep rolling on, wave on wave, when it comes to exercise. Never stop moving.

You can change it up anytime – go for a bike ride instead of your usual run, or pick up some light weights instead of doing your yoga routine, or meet friends for volleyball instead of going to a class at the gym. But keep moving.

Do something – anything – every day. Wave on wave.

Marilu recommends breaking a sweat, then continuing the activity for a minimum of 10 minutes. You can do it. You deserve to be your best.

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Photo by Steve Woods

Self-awareness is the beginning of wisdom and a prerequisite for self-care. In the crazy hustle and bustle of everyday life, we sometimes forget to be good listeners. The key to understanding other people is being able to listen to what they’re telling you. Listening to yourself may be even more important.

~ Marilu Henner, The Total Health Makeover

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