just the basics

Welcome! Welcome to this site, and welcome to your personal Total Health Makeover. You can transform your body and your life by getting started here, with the basics of Marilu Henner's Total Health Makeover®. Are you ready to get healthy? To feel great each day? To have glowing skin? To drop a size or two (or more)? Get started by following these basic principles - whether you jump in 100% or change gradually, you'll be getting healthier every day.

• Read every label of every food you buy. Avoid anything with ingredients you can't pronounce or don't understand - usually chemicals, additives and preservatives.



• Avoid or cut back on red meat. Red meat is beef, pork, lamb, venison, etc. Choose lean proteins like chicken, turkey or fish instead.



• Avoid or cut back on dairy. Dairy includes milk, cheese, yogurt, ice cream, sour cream and butter from any animal. Fill your glass with water or unsweetened herbal tea instead of milk. Try rice milk on cereal.



• Avoid or cut back on sugar. Sugar means white, brown and powdered sugar, as well as all artificial sweeteners. Instead, try pure maple syrup, honey, molasses, and Sucanat® (granulated and minimally processed). Fruit is not considered sugar.



• Enjoy whole foods. Whole foods are fruits, vegetables, grains and legumes. If they have ingredient labels, the only word on the label is what you see in the package (for example, brown rice sold in a bag would say only "brown rice" on the ingredient label).



• Choose water as your beverage. Drink water throughout the day. Treat yourself with an herbal tea - non-caffeinated and unsweetened.



• Get moving. Exercise can be fun - if you do what you enjoy! Go out and play with your kids, dance to your favorite music, take the stairs instead of the elevator, get a hula hoop, go inline skating, strap on some skis, swim like a fish, climb a hill, spend your break walking instead of eating. You choose your activity and your fitness level - just move every day for at least 10 minutes. If you need to consult a doctor before moving, please do that.



• Keep track of your success. People who keep a food and fitness journal are more successful in meeting their goals. Download Marilu's journal page and print out as many copies as you like to track your own success! You need Adobe Acrobat Reader to view this file.



Get Marilu's Journal Page	Get Adobe Acrobat Reader

That's it! Begin with these few simple steps, you will be well on your way to implementing the Total Health Makeover® and giving yourself the gift of a healthier more vibrant future.

Here's to looking and feeling your best - every day!