This summer, you may be seeing older relatives and in-laws at various family events. Instead of rolling your eyes or tuning them out, listen to their stories. Ask for details. Write down what they’re saying – or better yet, record them (audio only, or video!). You don’t need fancy equipment – a webcam or the camera/recorder in your phone will work just fine.

Think about the questions you have for them about their lives – where they lived, what they did all day, what they ate. Ask what made them happy, what made them sad, and what made them angry. Ask about their favorite books or games as children, their favorite pastimes as adults. Ask about their first kiss, first date, and first love. Some great family stories come from earlier generations.

Thinking ahead * If you get a recording, make copies for Christmas/birthday gifts for other family members. These are cherished gifts and take more time than money. Plus, your computer-savvy kids can help.

Take a moment to remember those who have died in service to their country today. It’s Memorial Day in the US, but wherever country you are from, take a moment to remember.

Call or write five people today and say thank you.

We all have those people in our lives to whom we owe a debt of gratitude. Pick up the phone, pop an email, or use good old-fashioned snail mail to send a card.

Don’t keep your gratitude to yourself. Let people know what they mean to you.

Turn up the heat this summer with a whole new look!

Do you have a special event to attend this summer?
Has your weight changed – but you still need to change sizes or styles?
Are you trying to figure out what new styles and trends will work for you?

Join Coach Beth Miriam in our next class, all about clothing, fashion, and presentation. Find your style, learn about fit, figure out what works for you – all with the help of a wardrobe expert.

Class starts right here at Marilu.com on Monday, June 7 and goes through Sunday, June 13.

Become a member, and take every class FREE!

• Make mealtime family time and set a good example. Turn off the television and try to eat at least one meal a day together as a family. Children tend to eat more fruits and vegetables when they watch adults and older siblings do the same (without complaining) at shared meals.
• Get the family involved in meal planning and preparation. Set guidelines for healthy meals and ask each family member to select a meal for the week by leafing through magazines, recipe books, or browsing online for healthy meal options. Grocery shop together as family and point out healthy foods as you go. Teach label reading.
• Make healthy foods readily available. Keep healthy snacks—fruit, whole-grain crackers, vegetable sticks, etc.—at eye-level in the pantry and refrigerator. Store these items in a variety of locations such as the car, in backpacks and purses, etc. so they are readily available when needed.
• Incorporate fruits and vegetables into favorite family recipes. Chop fruit and vegetables and add them to family favorites such as pizza, pasta sauce, soups, etc. for a quick and easy way to increase your family’s fruit and vegetable intake. (If there’s always “green stuff” – that is, chopped greens – in the food, everybody just gets used to it.)
• Eat a rainbow of colors at each meal. Incorporating colorful fruits and vegetables into meals with more neutral-colored proteins and starches is a simple way to ensure a balance of vitamins and nutrients at every meal.
• Balance good food choices with an active lifestyle. Encourage everyone in the family to be active, whether it means playing outside, being involved in sports, joining a gym, etc. Balancing healthy eating with physical activity helps each family member maintain optimum health.

As you say it, put your hands on your stomach and feel the contraction. That’s your transverse abdominus and diaphragm contracting, creating tension in the core and strengthening your extremities.

The louder your “sshhh,” the better. Use it when you’re strength training – it’s most effective for core stabilization exercises such as squats, push-ups, and Pilates moves.

“Sshhh” also helps you breathe with your abs. Saying “sshhh” oxygenates the body, increases strength, tones abs, and reduces neck tension.

Even when you’re just sitting at your desk or waiting at a red light, you can “sshhh” your way to a better body.

Credit: Laure/Mommaluv of B & L Fitness Inc.

Today we have a bonus recipe. It’s perfect for the holiday weekend when you need a delicious picnic salad (seriously, the potato salad and cole salad and bean salad is getting old). This grain and legume combination works great as a cold dinner entree with some nice sliced tomatoes but it would also make a nice side dish. Take this along when you’re invited to a summer party, and you’ll always have something filling to eat.

Variations: Add one shredded carrot, or 1 small diced zucchini, or 1 small cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced.

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Rice and Lentil Salad
Blue * Serves 8

2 cups cooked brown rice
1 can lentils, drained and rinsed (or 2 cups cooked lentils)
1/2 red bell pepper, finely diced
1/2 yellow bell pepper, finely diced
1 shallot, diced
white wine vinaigrette (recipe below, use whole recipe)
2 Tablespoons fresh parsley
6-7 basil leaves sliced in chiffonade

Combine first 5 ingredients in a bowl. Add vinaigrette and salt and pepper to taste. Toss to coat.

Add parsley and basil just before serving and toss once more.

White Wine Vinaigrette

1 teaspoon honey (or agave for vegans)
1 teaspoon mustard
1/3 cup white wine vinegar or champagne vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Whisk together the honey, mustard and vinegar. Add salt and pepper. Add oil in a stream while whisking, until emulsified.

Sometimes you just need a refreshing drink right now. This lemonade recipe is really quick and easy – for those hot, hot days when you want something more than water, but don’t want the over-sugared commercial stuff. This isn’t the typical lemonade, but it’s really refreshing and light.

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Quick and Easy Lemonade
Green * Serves 1

Crushed ice
Water
Lemon
Agave syrup

Fill a glass half full with crushed ice. Squeeze the juice of a quarter to a half a lemon over the ice. Add a half teaspoon agave then fill the glass the rest of the way with ice and water. Stir and enjoy.

Food combining is the practice of eating certain foods together, and avoiding other food combinations, for the purpose of easier digestion. Food combining is one of the 10 Steps of Marilu’s Total Health Makeover®.

Food combining was first discovered by a medical doctor in the 1890s. It’s a theory that explains how to eat foods that don’t fight each other for digestion. By following the basics guidelines, you can experience efficient, healthy digestion – and you may even lose a few pounds.

The basics of food combining are as follows:

1. Eat fruits with other fruits. Eat melons alone. Eat sweet fruits (dried fruits, bananas) alone. Nuts may be eaten with citrus fruits.
2. Eat animal foods (poultry, eggs, fish) with vegetables and/or legumes.
3. Eat starchy foods (grains, pasta, bread, root veggies) with vegetables and/or legumes.
4. Do not eat animal foods with starchy foods.

If you’re skeptical about the benefits of food combining, try it for yourself. You can’t harm yourself by trying it, and there’s no additional cost. After a week, we think you’ll notice the difference, and be pleasantly surprised.

Allow at least four hours to pass between your last meal and bedtime.

You are less likely to store fat this way.

If you have any digestive difficulties, staying vertical after eating can help reduce your symptoms.

Besides it’s much easier to wake up refreshed and eager to face the day when you haven’t been digesting food all night while sleeping.

How to do it?

Clean up the kitchen right after dinner, then “close the kitchen.” Turn off the lights, and treat the whole room like you just can’t go in there.

If you have to have something, have a glass of water or a cup of herbal tea. It will only take a few days to get used to the new routine.