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The secret of a good memory is attention, and attention to a subject depends upon our interest in it. We rarely forget that which has made a deep impression on our minds.

~ Tryon Edwards (1809 – 1894)

Pay attention to the most important things that happen in your day. Focus on love, family, connection, and joy when you experience them.

AN UNFORGETTABLE LIFE…YOURS

This all-new exclusive online class with Marilu starts Monday, October 25.

Marilu will lead us through a class that’s designed to help YOU make the most of your natural abilities! This will be thought provoking, high energy and like nothing you’ve done before!

It all starts this Monday, October 25.

Members * Make sure your Membership is up to date and don’t miss this class! Look for your first daily email on Monday morning and join us on the Message Boards.

Not a Member? * Join now, and you’ll get Monday’s email with links to the class.

Schedule a physical for yourself every year. If you’re over 40, request a mammogram. Consider it a birthday gift to yourself.

Ask how to do a breast self-exam, then be sure you actually do them. There’s a standing part you can do in the shower every morning. There’s a lying down part (because, as we all know, the girls are affected by gravity) you can do in bed every morning. Know the girls and what they feel like, so you know when something is different. This is you being responsible for your health.

No one loves a mammogram – it’s not comfortable. Fortunately, it doesn’t take forever, and the technologist knows what it feels like. So don’t put it off. Join the club of squishees.

Sometimes the radiologist wants more information than a mammogram can give, so they’ll want to do a follow-up ultrasound. We always end up with the ultrasound (we like to think we’re “special”…) so we want to assure you not to panic over that. Most of the time it’s just to get a clearer picture through that “special” (that is, dense) breast tissue. Better diagnostics means better information.

Fitness includes relaxation – not the napping on the couch kind or the zoned out in front of the video game kind – the kind where you have fun, the kind where there’s still a physical component.

So do something really fun, something that makes you laugh. A lot.

Go to a comedy club or rent a funny new (or favorite) movie and allow yourself to relax. Or call up a friend who always puts you in stitches. Laughing not only enhances your mood, but those giggles can add up and burn calories. Try to find something to chuckle about each and every day. Humor is a great stress-reliever.

These are easy drop cookies – they come out a little soft, and full of the perfect fall flavor of pumpkin spice.

We’re big fans of using parchment paper on cookie sheets. Oiling a cookie sheet just means more stuff to wash off. Parchment keeps the cookie sheet clean (you’ll still want to wash it), and keeps the food from the metal. Some foods react to metal, and the flavor of the food changes – you can avoid that by lining metal baking pans with parchment. Parchment paper is sold alongside foil and plastic wrap. You can use the same sheet of parchment for the whole batch of cookies.

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Pumpkin Cookies
Blue * Makes 18-24 cookies

3/4 cup honey or agave syrup
1 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour (or gluten-free flour blend)
1/4 cup soya flour
2-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1 cup raisins (optional)
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350F.

Mix honey, pumpkin, oil and vanilla in a large bowl.

In a separate bowl, combine dry ingredients. Add to pumpkin mixture. Stir in raisins and nuts, if desired.

Drop by spoonfuls onto a parchment-covered (or oiled) cookie sheet. Bake for 12-15 minutes.

Sometimes the best motivation for an energetic walk or an enthusiastic run is a new song.

Here’s one we like, with a chorus that inspires us to keep going. And no, it’s not the lyrics (although we like them). It’s the music that gets us moving this time.

Go on – it’s time to get up, and get out there. Move! Energize all your parts, the ones you can see and the ones you can’t. Get that metabolic furnace fired up. You’re looking good this fall.

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Lack of sleep can render it impossible to take off pounds.

According to a study at Emory University, we eat more and more often when we’re tired.

Make sure you time your meals and your exercise in order to get a good night’s sleep.

PCRM’s new “Consequences” ad takes aim at McDonald’s high-fat menu.

“Our nation’s addiction to Big Macs and other high-fat fast food is literally breaking our hearts,” says Susan Levin, M.S., R.D., PCRM’s nutrition education director. “PCRM’s commercial tackles heart disease head-on by educating millions of people about the dangers of fast food.”

Studies, including one from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, show that people who consume fast food are at a higher risk of obesity, a key risk factor for heart disease. Regular consumption of high-fat, high-cholesterol foods increases the risk of heart disease, and studies have found that even a single fatty meal can raise blood pressure, stiffen major arteries, and cause the heart to beat harder.

The commercial will air in fast-food addicted cities with high rates of heart disease over the following months.

To read more about the dangers of fast food, visit PCRM.org/Health.

Read the full article here.

In just two minutes every morning, you can get the blood and oxygen flowing and reduce your risk of injury with a gentle stretching routine.

As soon as you get out of bed, take a deep breath in through your nose as you slowly and gently lift your arms over your head in a jumping-jack motion. Keep your feet planted firmly on the ground and turned out a little.

Allow your knees to bend a little (keep your knees over your toes) as you slowly and smoothly lower your arms back down. Exhale through your mouth.

Repeat this motion slowly several times, breathing deeply each time.

Next, stand straight, with your feet shoulder-width apart. Slowly look left, then right, then left, then right. End by gently rolling your head from side to side several times, pausing when your ear gets to your shoulder.

It’s a simple stretch, but it will energize you instantly to face the new day!