I am truly awestruck! There’s nothing like a SPArty to inspire you to be your BEST. Hearing people go around the room and tell their THM stories makes you laugh and cry all at the same time. Everyone looks the best I’ve ever seen them, if I’ve seen them before, and the people I’m meeting for the first time just seem to glow!

Photo by Heather

This weekend is special for Marilu.com members – it’s SPArty 2009!

SPArty gives members time with Marilu at a resort or hotel – getting to know her better, and getting to know each other better, too. Marilu has been meeting with members since 2000 (can you believe it?), with previous SPArties in Ojai, CA, Palm Springs, CA, Ft. Lauderdale, FL, New York City, and Las Vegas, NV – along with a Taste of Health cruise. (Did we miss any?)

Here’s a big hello to all our friends at this year’s SPArty! Enjoy your wonderful meals! Have fun on your brisk morning walks and in your fitness classes! Dance the night away!

Thanks to Mary Beth for all her work in organizing the SPArty.
And really big thanks to Marilu for sharing so much of herself with us.

Become a member now – learn more about the upcoming Taste of Health cruise with Marilu in spring 2010!

Teach a friend or family member a physical activity that you know.

Did you letter in golf or softball?
Are you the next Tour de France or Giro d’Italia contender?
Have you danced on stage or in competition?
Did you spend your college summers on a surf board or water skiis?

Share your knowledge and expertise with a friend or child. Your enthusiasm can help someone else learn. Just be patient with a beginner – you’ll have lots of opportunities to have fun together!

We’re not going to kid ourselves – not about this. Most of us exercise because we want to look great. We want to fit into a smaller size. We want to look hot in a bathing suit or shorts. And you know, if that’s what gets people to exercise, that’s great.

But we can’t forget all the other benefits of physical activity – things like reducing tension and releasing anxiety, improving mental and emotional well-being, building muscle for strength and endurance, and improving flexibility and movement.

So on those days (weeks? months?) when the numbers on the scale aren’t moving, don’t fall into despair. Keep moving. Keep exercising. Your body continues to improve and change even if your weight is the same.

Okay, maybe you don’t feel that way quite yet. Get outside, get moving, get going. Put some pep in your step and take a quick break with a brisk walk.

• Make your heart muscle work.
• Get your blood circulating up from your feet.
• Tone up that booty.
• Swing your arms.
• Fill your lungs and breathe deeply.
• Give your brain a boost.

Are you ready to become your supernatural self?

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

Reread a book you loved as a child. See if it still holds the same magic.

Share it with a child you love.

The economy is showing signs of improving… in really modest ways. Our budget is still pretty tight, though, and we expect it to be that way for awhile. But we still want to have FUN!

So we’re trying to identify activities that we typically spend money on that can be replaced by cheaper alternatives.

Going to a restaurant >>> Dining at home

Going to see a movie >>> Pick up a movie from Redbox, Netflix, on demand, or even the library

Hosting a big party >>> Hosting a potluck or a co-hosting a progressive dinner

Driving around a new area >>> Riding a bike (even in a familiar area; the perspective is different)

Going to a casino >>> Playing card games at home

Joining a tennis club >>> Playing tennis at a public park

Golfing >>> Try an executive course instead of a country club

Get creative and come up with some of your own ideas.

Yes, well. Some of us (*coughcough*) have a little trouble keeping our work areas organized. And those spaces are nowhere near tidy.

Papers everywhere, piled high.
Pens that don’t write.
Pencils that need to be sharpened.
Cords… in this electronic age, there are cords and cables of every kind – power cords, USB cables, chargers, and more.
Flash drives, CDs and DVDs, magazines, books, file folders, notebooks. The paperless movement didn’t really seem to reduce the volume much.

What does your work space say about you? What does it say about how your brain works, and how you get things done? What does it say about how responsible you are?

Would you hire a mechanic with a disorganized garage?
Would you go to a restaurant where they didn’t know what veggies were in the fridge?
Would you get your nails done in a salon where they had to dig in a drawer to find the nail file?

We’re going to spend 15 minutes a day cleaning up and organizing our work space. Because we’re better workers than we appear right now.

Success is directly related to a person’s ability to communicate effectively.

Pay attention to how you talk to people and to how they respond. And pay attention to how people talk to you and how it makes you feel in return.

A couple of things people generally don’t like are too much explaining, too much detail, too many tangents, and too much defensive posturing (really, nobody likes an attitude).

Remember to:

• Observe
• Listen
• Stick to the point
• Avoid being boring

With a little attention and practice, your professional (and personal) communication will become much more clear.

Sign up now for the Dear Diary class that starts TODAY, and get updates from Marilu on the road each day! Learn more about the members-only SPArty, too.