Here’s a fun song to start the week.

Find a way to stay active today. The current recommendation for children is 60 minutes of active play each day – that’s exercise, or team sports, or just plain running around with the goal of having fun.

How can you make that happen for yourself?

(If you have kids, of course, you can play with them! Just make sure you’re really participating in the fun.)

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

People tend to eat right and exercise only when they need to look good and be their best. Like those people who join the gym 3 months before their wedding, or the ones who go on a crash diet the week before a big event.

Learn to develop good eating and exercise habits that will be a permanent part of your lifestyle. If you always eat healthy foods in reasonable portions, you won’t need to crash diet. If you always exercise, you won’t think twice about looking good in that dress or swimsuit.

Eat right and exercise as a daily habit. Make it your new normal.

Enjoy the fruits of the season.

Add a pumpkin or two to your front steps.
Make a pumpkin smoothie.
Carve a jack-o-lantern for Halloween.
Substitute pumpkin in any recipe calling for butternut squash.
Use small pumpkin gourds as table decorations.
Bake a pie pumpkin and puree the flesh for pie.
Roast pumpkin seeds for a snack.
Light a pumpkin-scented candle.
Bake pumpkin bread.

Photo by Naneki

As the weather gets cooler and drier, it’s harder to stay hydrated.

• Carry a water bottle while shopping, running errands, and commuting. Get a nice refillable one – cut down on plastic pollution while you’re at it.
• Put a humidifier in your bedroom, and remember to clean it every week.
• Eat more wet veggies and fruits.

Photo: Zsuzsanna Kilián

There’s a great interview with Marilu at the LunchBoxBunch blog. We especially love the way the questions are set up.

Q10. PASSION: What is the one message that you try to project to your fans and those you inspire?

Marilu: You have one body. That’s it. It’s not a car. There are no trade-ins. Hopefully, your body will carry you throughout a long and healthy life, and that’s why it’s best to make healthy choices you can live with every day. Try to see your life through the prism of health. And as we say at Marilu.com, it’s about “Progress not Perfection!”

~ from the Veggie Girl Power interview

Read the full interview here.

• Check your water heater. Wrap it in an insulating blanket (made just for water heaters) to increase its efficiency. Check the steam valve. Check the water temperature setting.
• Change your furnace filter.
• Get your boiler or furnace inspected every 5 years.
• Check your thermostat settings. Add a sweater before you add a degree.
• Have the heating ducts cleaned or vacuumed.
• Check your doors and windows for air leaks. Caulk where necessary. Replace door seals if needed.
• Make sure the damper in your fireplace is closed until you build a fire.
• Use an area rug or a “door snake” to cut the drafts at the bottoms of doors.
• Sign up for the budget saver plan with your utility company. Leveling out your utility payments across 12 months is much easier on your bank balance.

Unpack your saddlebags!

You can tone your outer thighs with side leg lifts.

And you can do it standing at the kitchen counter, pumping gas, stirring the soup, waiting in line, or almost anywhere!

Simply stand up tall and lift your right leg straight out to the side a few feet, then lower it back down. Most important: use your thigh muscles, not momentum, to make the movement. Keep it slow and controlled; no swinging. If you’re having trouble keeping your balance, place your left hand on the back of a chair or another stationary object. Repeat the lift 15 times on one side, then switch to the other side. Hi-ho Saddlebags, Away!

Join Marilu Henner on the “Taste of Health” Holistic Holiday Cruise March 21-28, 2010!

Marilu.com guests will receive a 10% discount – call before October 30 for an additional discount!

A Taste of Health presents the ultimate gift for your mind, body and spirit. Share the experience and wisdom of some of the world’s leading authorities and experts in holistic living and natural health. Presenters include:

• Marilu!
• Dr. Neal Barnard, founder of the Physician’s Committee for Responsible Medicine, and author
• Dr. T. Colin Campbell, author of The China Study: The Most Comprehensive Study of Nutrition Ever Conducted and the Startling Implications for Diet, Weight Loss and Long-term Health
• Dr. Joel Fuhrman, author of Eat to Live: The Revolutionary Formula for Fast and Sustained Weight Loss and other books
• Christina Pirello, author of Cooking the Whole Foods Way: Your Complete, Everyday Guide to Healthy, Delicious Eating with 500 VeganRecipes, Menus, Techniques, Meal Planning, Buying Tips, Wit, and Wisdom and other books
• Jessica Porter, author of The Hip Chick’s Guide to Macrobiotics: A Philosophy for Achieving a Radiant Mind and a Fabulous Body
• and many more

Cruise the Eastern Caribbean on one of the world’s premier Italian luxury liners, the Costa Fortuna, which combines the style and sophistication of Europe with American comforts and convenience. Visit exciting ports of call, such as pristine St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands; historic San Juan, Puerto Rico; and romantic Grand Turk, Turks & Caicos Islands.

Dine on specially prepared organic natural foods and beverages prepared by our own chefs – vegetarian, vegan, and macrobiotic food available.

Marilu.com guests will receive a 10% discount – and call before October 30 for an additional discount!

In the U.S. call 1-800-469-0989 to book your room now. Please don’t delay! The best rooms will sell out quickly!

Antioxidants like vitamins A, C, and E are great for your face and your skin.

Here’s what they do for you –

B righten
L ighten
T ighten

And who doesn’t want that?

Look for those ingredients in your moisturizer and body lotion, as well as other skin care products.

Here’s a family friendly comfort food.

Spoon Bread
Green * 8 servings

1 Tablespoon Earth Balance margarine (plus extra for the pan)
2 cups unsweetened milk substitute (soy, oat, almond, or rice milk)
1-1/2 cups corn kernels (frozen is fine)
2/3 cup yellow cornmeal
pinch (or two) sea salt
pinch cayenne pepper
1 cup finely grated cheddar style dairy-free “cheese” (optional – use a brand that melts, such as Follow Your Heart or Daiya)
4 eggs, separated

Preheat oven to 400F. Grease a soufflé dish with a little Earth Balance margarine. In a medium saucepan, combine margarine, milk sub, corn, cornmeal, salt, and cayenne. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium and simmer 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in cheese if using.

Let cool 15 minutes. Stir in yolks. In another bowl beat whites with pinch of salt until soft peaks form. Stir 1/3 of the whites into cornmeal mixture. Then gently fold in remaining whites. Pour into dish. Reduce oven to 375 and bake 25-30 minutes until brown on top and loose in center.

Cool 5 minutes before serving.

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