When it’s hot, be sure to increase your water intake, and eat plenty of wet foods. If you don’t feel like cooking, you still need to be eating. There are plenty of good hot-weather meal choices, from cool soups to wraps to grilled foods (use that outdoor grill) to main-dish salads.
You can still exercise, but you may want to do it in the comfort of your air-conditioned home or gym. You may want to break up your exercise sessions into several 10-minute sessions, so you don’t get overheated. Be aware of heat index warnings, and don’t work out outside unless you’re conditioned for the weather. Remember that heat + humidity = thunderstorms, and be prepared for severe weather if you’re going to be outside.
Make sure you chew your food. Your stomach doesn’t have teeth. Unless you chew every single bite, you’re not going to lose weight, you’re not going to get the nutrients, you’re not going to have a clean colon, you’re not going to digest properly.
You’re eating whole grains, you’re eating legumes, you’re eating vegetables – all foods with fiber. Make sure you chew. The ideal is fifty chews per bite, but aim for at least thirty. Of course, counting your chews is kind of odd, so try this – chew each bite until it’s so liquified you could drink it.
We’re getting ready for our Viva La Vegan class – which starts Monday!
Sign up now
and you’ll be ready to go on Monday morning!
Sign up with a friend (or get a friend to sign up)
and enter each other in the drawing for a FREE Vitamix! Details here.
The Viva La Vegan class is a great place to learn about veganism (animal-free eating and living), and it’s for everyone. You don’t need to be a vegan (or vegan-ish, or vegetarian, or any other label)… you just need to want to know more, and to want excellent recipes! Yes, eating less meat (or no meat) can be delicious.
Marilu recommends that we eat less animal protein as a way to lower our intake of saturated fats, avoid animal hormones and avoid environmental toxins. Red meat is especially difficult to digest, and is the easiest to cut out of your menus. Red meat is considered beef, pork, lamb, venison, etc. (Poultry and fish are not considered red meat, although you’ll want to look for organic poultry and ocean fish.)
Eating less animal protein can be a gradual process. You don’t have to change everything at once. Get used to new flavors and textures in your food at your own pace. (Class coaches Jan and Kyra will support you in this!)
Here is Marilu’s chart for going meatless (from Total Health Makeover®, chapter 1).
BEGINNER * Allow yourself one portion of red meat or pork a day. This includes anything from a cow, pig or lamb. (Don’t be fooled by those “other white meat” ads for pork. Pork is nearly as dense as beef.) Also, don’t become Mr. Venison, either. Add more fish or chicken to your diet.
INTERMEDIATE * Limit your red meat and pork consumption to three times a week. Try to eat only free-range poultry and meat whenever possible.
ADVANCED * Eliminate all red meat and pork from your diet. Make sure your poultry is free-range and your fish is from unpolluted waters whenever possible. Experiment with vegetarian meals.
MAKEOVER MANIAC * Eliminate meat completely from your life. Even counting sheep is forbidden.
If you need some simple ideas to get started on a lifestyle that reduces or eliminates animal protein, try the following… and get to class on Monday!
Switch from red meat to poultry and fish.
Use poultry or fish as a compliment to the main dish, not as the main dish itself.
Prepare meatless meals that you are familiar with, such as bean burritos, pasta salads, and veggie stir-fries.
Transition by eating meat less frequently. Start with breakfasts that are meatless, then incorporate meatless lunches as well.
Substitute fresh vegetables for meat in recipes. Vegetarian chili made with Portobello mushrooms is excellent.
Try meat substitutes in moderation. Many supermarkets carry a variety of soy and grain alternatives to hamburger, hot dogs and lunch meats.
Try new types of cuisine. Many ethnic cuisines offer meat-free dishes; you may not miss the meat when you have new flavors to entice you.
If standard crunches are starting to get old, give reverse crunches a try. They’ll work your lower abs, which can be a problem area for women.
Lie on your back with your hands palm-down just beneath your buttocks and your back pressed flat to the floor.
Bend your knees, cross your ankles, and lift your legs up so your calves are at about a 45-degree angle to the floor.
Contract your lower abs, pulling your hips up off the floor a few inches and release. Exhale as you lift your bent knees toward your chest and keep your knees bent at the same angle throughout. The movement should be very small and controlled, using your abdominal muscles, not momentum, to lift your lower half off the floor.
Repeat two sets of 8 to 12 repetitions, resting for 15 seconds between sets.
Every month at Marilu.com we have online classes – an opportunity for you to learn more about healthy living from Marilu and her hand-picked coaching staff.
Classes are included with your membership! Not a member? Sign up now!
Here’s what you can look forward to for the rest of the year!
VIVA LA VEGAN * July 11-22, 2011
Mother-daughter Coaches Jan & Kyra bring us the facts and the fun about vegan (or vegan-ish) living. They’ve shown us that it’s not about what you’ve eliminated…it’s about the delicious things that you ADD to your plate. You don’t have to be a vegan to enjoy this class.
HEALING PRACTICES * August 15-26 2011
Coach Robbie, an anthropologist, shares healing practices from around the world.
BACK TO BOOTY SCHOOL—EUROPEAN SEMESTER * September 2011
We’re going “on location” (virtually) with Coach Evi to explore healthy living in Europe. Recipes, lifestyle and cooking tips from several different European countries…it’s our own version of a semester abroad!
GRATITUDE * October 2011
As we prepare for the holidays, we get into a mindset of gratitude and abundance with Coach Robbie.
GLUTEN-FREE LIFE * October 2011
Coach Jill helps us understand the gluten-free life. If you have family or friends who are GF (for any reason), join us for recipes, cooking tips, and lifestyle tips.
HOT FOR THE HOLIDAYS * November-December 2011
This class is your all-around holiday preparation and organization class with Coach Jan.
How can you win the Vitamix?
Between now and July 11, all you need to do is get a friend to become a member (1-year membership), and you’ll get TWO entries in the Vitamix drawing. That’s TWO entries for every person who becomes a member on your recommendation (get two people to become members and you get FOUR entries, etc.).
1. Get your friends to sign up here for a 1-year membership.
2. Then send an email with your name and your friend’s name to Mary Beth.
That’s all you have to do. Good luck!
In a world where meat and cheese and sugar dominate the snack food world (and that’s if we leave out the chemicals, additives and preservatives), it can be a challenge to think about vegan snacks.
Jan and Kyra, our coaches for the Viva La Vegan class starting July 11, offer these suggestions.
Fresh fruit in season, including oranges, mangoes, kiwis, apples, ruby red grapefruit (Texas grapefruits are the sweetest), strawberries, grapes, etc.
Unsalted raw nuts or seeds, such as almonds, cashews, or peanuts – or try Brazil nuts, walnuts, pepitas, or sunflower seeds
Crackers – just check that they’re dairy-free and sugar-free, and avoid excess salt, as well – try Newman’s Own Unsalted Pretzel Rounds
Dried fruit – try mango, blueberries, bananas, peaches, etc. as well as raisins, apricots, and apples
Dry cereal (no sugar)
Trail mix without added sugars – try Bear Naked trail mixes or make your own
Whole grain toast with peanut butter or other nut or seed butter (no salt, no sugar, freshly ground)
Raw veggies, like carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, green beans, jicama, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, and bell pepper strips
Hummus makes a great dip, as does guacamole (make sure it has no sour cream, if you purchase it premade), but plain veggies are just as good
The Viva La Vegan class starts next Monday, July 11. Members are automatically enrolled in the class. Just check your inbox for the class email on Monday. Not a member?Join now and you’ll be ready for class!
You’re the only one who can make your dreams come true. It’s easy – and sometimes even fun – to put that responsibility on someone (or something) else, but you know in your heart that it’s up to you.
So whatever your dreams, take action to make them happen.
Do something today to make your dream a reality. If your dream is a hot bod, then get up from your computer and commit to some exercise. If your dream is a long life, then make choices to improve your health, no matter your age. If your dream is a smaller dress size, then check your portion sizes and take the stairs. We know it’s not always that simple, but you have to start somewhere.
While you think about your plan for today, get up and dance to this classic Hall & Oates song. We chose it because Marilu heard them in concert last night at the Hollywood Bowl – and it was played at a wedding we attended this weekend.
What can you do to become the best version of yourself? The question can get overwhelming, but don’t let it. Don’t make a whole list of things you want to change – that can be depressing and counterproductive. Instead, focus on just one thing – the first thing that comes to your mind. That’s enough.
Remember, it’s all about progress, not perfection. Just do a little better today than you did yesterday. You’re building a better YOU, step by step, day by day – and it works. That’s how you build a legacy.
One of the best ways to stay disciplined in your life – in nearly any area – is to treat yourself as you would treat your child.
You would never give your kids a breakfast of coffee. You know they need actual food – fruits, grains, lean protein, even vegetables – to get a good start on their day. You aren’t any different. Do you provide a good breakfast for yourself?
You would never let your child call herself names and put herself down (or anyone else, for that matter). You know that negative language breeds negative behavior. Do you call yourself names? Do you put yourself down? Think of yourself in terms of your positive attributes.
You would never let your kids stay up all night. You know they need a good night’s sleep to rejuvenate for the next day. Do you shortchange yourself by going to bed too late? Or by burning the candle at both ends?
Give your inner child the right food, build up your inner child, and discipline your inner child with standards and boundaries. Nurturing and discipline yield results.
Do you want a better looking behind? Start working on your rear view for great buns all summer.
Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor, arms at your sides.
Lift your booty 3 to 6 inches off the floor by tilting your pelvis up, squeezing your glutes (buttocks), and tightening your abdominals (stomach). Do the movement slowly and with control, focusing on the muscles.
Hold that position for a few seconds, and then slowly lower down one vertebrae at a time.
Go for 2 sets of 12 reps.
Got the basic move mastered? Increase the challenge by balancing one heel on top of the other knee or by extending one leg out straight during the lift (alternate sets from one side to the other).
