Start a fitness log.

Log your hours, activities, and how you felt during and after your exercise. Log the music that keeps you motivated. Log the fitness classes you take and note the ones you want to try. Use gold stars or stickers if they motivate you.

You’ll find out what you love to do, and what you’d prefer not to do. You’ll be able to create your own motivating music playlist. You’ll see how often you’re really exercising (instead of what you think you’re doing). You’ll know when you started to lift more weight, and when you started to run further and faster on the treadmill.

Keep your fitness log as part of your regular paper or electronic calendar, or put it in a journal or a spiral notebook. It doesn’t have to be fancy – you just need to get started with it!

Photo by Clara Lam

Oops! We had a little computer failure and today’s recipe is being posted way late. So we give you a full meal of recipes.

These are good, solid, family dinner recipes that offer a simple (and easy) twist on the food your family is probably used to eating. Give them a healthier option, and show them how much you love them.

Upside-Down Garlic Chicken
Blue * Serves 4

1 whole free-range chicken
1 garlic bulb
cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 350F. Wash the chicken inside and out, and remove the insides of the chicken. Cut off both ends of the garlic bulb so the cloves are exposed on both sides. Place the garlic bulb in the chicken cavity.

Sprinkle the chicken with cinnamon on the inside, generously. Sprinkle cinnamon on the outside of the chicken as well. Place in a baking pan, breast side down (it keeps the breast moist). Bake 18-20 minutes per pound, basting occasionally with pan drippings.

Let the chicken rest for 15 minutes before carving. During that time, make the gravy.

Chicken Gravy
Blue * Makes 1-2 cups

pan drippings
Earth Balance margarine
2 Tablespoons brown rice flour
up to 2 cups vegetable stock (we like Imagine Foods No-Chicken Broth for this)

Spoon the fat from the pan drippings, leaving 2 Tablespoons of fat in the pan. If there is not enough fat in the drippings, add Earth Balance margarine to get to 2 Tablespoons.

Put the pan on a burner over medium low heat. Whisk in 2 Tablespoons of flour. Cook, stirring constantly, for about a minute, so the flour taste cooks out. Then add 1 cup broth, whisking constantly. As the gravy thickens, add more broth to get the consistency you want. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed.

Garlic Smashed Potatoes
Blue * Serves 4

2 lbs Yukon Gold potatoes
1 clove garlic
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp paprika
pepper
2 Tablespoons Earth Balance marg
1/4 cup plain soy creamer (or soy milk)

Scrub the potatoes (leave the peels on) and cut them into 1″ chunks. Place them in a medium pot with the peeled clove of garlic, and cover with cold water by 1″. Bring to a boil, and boil for 20 minutes. Drain the potatoes well, so no water remains in the pan (the garlic stays, though).

Put the margarine and soy creamer in a microwave-safe glass measuring cup and heat for 20-30 seconds to melt the margarine and heat the soy creamer. Do not boil.

Mash the potatoes with a potato masher (or rice them with a ricer). They won’t be completely smooth because of the peels. Slowly add some of the heated margarine and soy creamer, mashing a little more. Add more of the margarine and soy creamer to get to the consistency you like. Season with paprika, salt, and pepper. Serve with gravy or margarine.

Green Beans in Dijon Vinaigrette
adapted from a recipe by Ingrid Hoffman
Purple * Serves 4

1/4 pound string beans, ends snipped
1/2 medium shallot, finely chopped
1 heaping tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon sherry vinegar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Steam the green beans over boiling water for 5-7 minutes. While they are steaming, make the dressing.

In a large bowl, whisk the shallots, mustard, and vinegar together. Season with salt and pepper.

Drain the beans and toss them with a few Tablespoons of the dressing. Do not reheat before serving (room temperature is fine).

Can be served chilled. Leftovers are great on a salad.

Copyright © 2009 Hennergy, Inc. All rights reserved.

It’s time for a NO EXCUSES class at Marilu.com!
October 19-30, 2009

Become a member now to take the class

When it comes to your Total Health…

Starting Monday, our expert Coach Heather is ready to help you take action in pursuing your Total Health. No excuses, no whining. If you know what you need to do, get support and encouragement for doing it. If you need help figuring out where to start, get information and basic action steps to start making a change.

STOP making excuses. START making changes!
Get what you need to become your BEST!

The more you participate in this class, the more you’ll get out of it. Commit to doing something good and healthy for yourself every day – Your body will love you for it! Just stop whining, and go for it. Your health is too important to waste one more day with a lousy excuse!

Take the challenge with us starting this Monday at Marilu.com – The Home of Marilu Henner’s Total Health Makoever®!

Classes at Marilu.com are free to all Members. Not a Member? Join today! Only $9.95 a month – for recipes, tips, and personal coaching to help you meet your goals.

Marilu Henner’s Total Health Makeover® is a proven program that WORKS for so many people. Enjoy weight loss – increased energy and stamina – improved digestion – better skin – more restful sleep – a sense of balance in your body and in your life – even organized closets! Health is a “total picture” and this program addresses the total YOU.

The Members Area at Marilu.com is an interactive component to the Total Health Makeover®. With online support – daily emails, recipes and resources, an active community of members, and unique online classes each month like “No Excuses” – you’ll get the motivation and encouragement to stay committed to a healthy lifestyle and reach your weight loss and wellness goals!

There’s nothing like it – try it for yourself.
Get Started Now – Join the Members Area today!

Every three minutes, another woman learns she has breast cancer.

There are several strategies that can help reduce your risk of breast cancer. And there’s no good reason to NOT do these things.

• Get moving. Regular physical activity (at least 30 minutes on most days) has been shown to be protective against breast cancer.
• Get the girls checked regularly by a professional. Do your own monthly self examinations, too. Women between ages 20 and 39 should have a clinical breast exam performed by a health care professional at least every three years; women 40 years of age or older should have annual breast exams and talk with their doctor about mammograms.
• Talk to your doctor. If you have a family history of breast cancer, your doctor may want you to start mammograms (or other screenings) earlier.
• Supplement wisely. Folic acid, vitamin D, and antioxidants all may help decrease risk. Stay informed about supplements, and always tell your doctor everything you’re taking.
• Reduce exposure to xenoestrogens. These chemicals with estrogen-like activity are found in common pesticides and industrial pollutants, and as hormone residues in meat, poultry, and dairy products. Meat-free and dairy-free menus are best. If you eat animal protein, be sure to get hormone-free varieties.
• Avoid exposure to radiation, especially chest x-rays. Yes, sometimes they’re necessary. Ask if there are alternatives, especially for children and young adults.

Get out and enjoy the fall weather – take a hike around your neighborhood or in a local park.

Try something different and invite a couple of neighbors to join you. Enjoy each others’ company while you get some fresh air and get that blood flowing.

Get home from work too late to think about walking? Invite some co-workers to join you, and walk around your “work neighborhood” during a break. Even a 10 minute walk is better than nothing.

If you’re walking alone, here’s a song that will keep your body moving and your mind can stay kind of mellow.

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Years From Now was a bonus track on a store version of Rob Thomas’ Cradlesong album. You can get a different version of the album here.

When was the last time you had your eyes checked?

Make an appointment for the optometrist (basic vision care and screenings) or the opthamologist (eye diseases and surgeries), based on your eye and vision health history.

You only get one set of eyes. Make sure you take care of them.

Are you ready for a delicious fall recipe? Pick up some squashes at the farmer’s market now. You can roast or steam them now, purée the “flesh,” and freeze it for use all winter. Easy, delicious, and budget-friendly!

Butternut Squash Soup
Blue * Serves 6 (first course) or 4 (entree with salad or sandwich)

1 large butternut squash – peeled, cubed, steamed, and puréed
2 stalks celery hearts, sliced thin
1/2 small sweet onion diced
1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 Tablespoons Earth Balance margarine
3 Tablespoons flour
8 ounces vegetable broth
16 ounces soy/rice/almond/oat milk (unsweetened)
1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 teaspoons rubbed sage
salt and pepper (white pepper) to taste

In large saucepan sauté celery and onion in olive oil until translucent. Add margarine and when it melts, add the flour, stirring to coat vegetables.

Slowly stir in the veggie broth. Simmer 5 minutes and add the cooked, pureed squash. Stir squash into broth and simmer on low for 10 minutes. With the heat on low, add the milk and herbs and heat gently for another 10 to 15 minutes.

Optional: Serve with a small dollop of plain soy yogurt, and a sprinkle of minced fresh thyme and sage leaves.

Copyright © 2009 Hennergy, Inc. All rights reserved.

Brush your teeth for two whole minutes. It’s not really very long, but it’s a lot longer than most of us stand there brushing.

Don’t forget to brush the back molars (you may have to close your mouth a little to get all the way back there), and even brush your tongue. Did you know most of your mouth odors come from what’s hiding out on the back of your tongue? Yuck. Brush it away!

If you haven’t changed your toothbrush in 3 months, do that, too. They really do wear out. And get germ-y. Who needs that during the start of cold and flu season?

Turn off the water while you brush – there’s no reason to let good water just go down the drain.

And when you’re done? Floss. It only takes another minute or two, and really, your teeth will love you for all the positive attention.

Marilu was in Las Vegas recently to see Broadway actor and movie star Chazz Palminteri in his one-man performance of A Bronx Tale.

Photos courtesy of Pixelpipe

My stepson-in-law (Trent Othick) who is married to Rob’s daughter Erin is the producer of the show and he invited Michael and me to the opening. I had seen the show before when it opened in LA last year. It is a brilliantly written and executed piece and although there is only one person on stage you would swear you were watching twenty characters!

Photo by Erik Kabik/Retna/www.erikkabikphoto.com

A little meditation music today …

It’s known as a kids’ song (or maybe a frog’s song?) but you can do quiet meditation, or stretching, or yoga to music like this.

This version of the song is by Jason Mraz, and it’s only available for download with the whole album – but totally worth it. Add a little playfulness to your mp3 player. After all, you don’t want to take life too seriously.

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