Play more music. There’s a lot of seasonal music available (check here for free songs), but don’t forget anything you like. Try a new genre, too, like classical or jazz.
Visit a gallery or museum. See a special exhibit, or browse the permanent collection. Just looking at art can be relaxing.
Tour historic homes. Many are decorated for the season as fundraisers, so you’re doing good and doing well.
Take in a ballet (oh, how we love The Nutcracker), a play, or an opera. We see so many movies these days, we forget the excitement of a live stage performance.
Go to a concert. Many places of worship have seasonal concerts, but check around for community and school choirs and orchestra concerts, too.
In this season of too much doing and not enough being, let beauty draw you into being for just a little while.
Take a time out and do something good for yourself.
Fill the tub halfway with warm water, then add 1 cup of baking soda. Fill the rest of the tub and add a touch of your favorite fragrance. Soak for 20 minutes.
Add some atmosphere with candles and music (no iPods in the tub, please! This is a time for speakers.) – and drink a tall glass of water, too. A baking soda bath helps draw toxins out of your body and softens your skin. And it’s just nice to relax sometimes, too.
One of the 10 Steps of Marilu’s Total Health Makeover® is GUSTO. Living with gusto means maintaining a positive attitude, high energy, and zest for life. It’s about being confident in who you are, and sharing that with the world.
Marilu’s favorite example of living with gusto is “working the coat.” It comes from a visit with a friend, who showed Marilu a new coat she planned to wear on a date with a new guy. The friend modeled the coat in a lackluster way, which was not going to impress the guy at all. So Marilu showed her how to work the coat – making both the coat and the person wearing it look great.
We wanted to share this video we saw recently – Shirley Bassey knows how to work the coat – or dress, in this case – while singing this song. In this case, it’s very sexy (with a side of fun), but it doesn’t have to be - it’s really about the confidence of knowing who you are and what you’re capable of, and enjoying every minute of life.
Grate the peel of one small orange (wash it first!) and mix it with 1/4 cup of olive oil. Add a squeeze of juice from the orange. (Squeeze it all and drink the rest!)
Massage the mixture into clean skin. The orange zest is a gentle exfoliant, removing the top layer of dead skin and revealing your natural glow. The olive oil’s antioxidants help protect your skin from free radicals.
Soaking in the tub encourages your body to perspire, which is one of the ways your body cleanses itself from toxins.
If you’re feeling achy and sore, a soak in hot water infused with salt together with baking soda will help revive you. Your body produces acidic waste as part of its metabolic cycle, and that waste buildup can clog the lymph system, causing body aches, fatigue and brain fog. Soak in an alkaline bath to help balance your internal pH.
Just add 2 cups of kosher salt and 2 cups of baking soda into running water as you fill the tub. Then soak for 20 minutes. Put on your favorite relaxing playlist (keep electronics out of the tub… and safely over on the counter!) and just let yourself do nothing for 20 minutes. If you soak before bed, you’ll get the added benefit an easy transition to a good night’s sleep.
Soaking in the tub encourages your body to perspire, which is one of the ways your body cleanses itself from toxins. The lymph system, which is one of the ways your body transports its garbage, runs just below your skin, and is stimulated by the heat of the bath water.
If you’re feeling stressed, a soak in hot water infused with Epsom salts will help revive you. The magnesium in the Epsom salts can actually boost your blood levels of magnesium, which stimulates creation of the enzymes that help neutralize chemical toxins. Magnesium also plays a key role in regulating nerve and muscle activity, protecting your body from stress.
Just add 1 cup of Epsom salts – available at drug and discount stores – into running water as you fill the tub. Then soak for 20 minutes. Put on your favorite relaxing playlist (keep electronics out of the tub… and safely over on the counter!) and just let yourself do nothing for 20 minutes. If you soak before bed, you’ll get the added benefit an easy transition to a good night’s sleep.
Here’s a simple yet effective way to raise your spirits and brighten your environment.
Select an assortment of flowers, or purchase a couple of the inexpensive bouquets at your local florist or supermarket.
Take your time arranging the flowers just the way you like in a vase. Mix and match them, put them in several vases of different sizes. Then choose a special location where you’ll see the flowers – the kitchen windowsill, perhaps? – or spread them throughout your home.
We’ve read that PURPLE is the new signature color for fall. We’re pretty excited about that here at Marilu.com because purple is one of Marilu’s Rainbow Theory colors – you can read about it here.
Purple has the enthusiasm and passion of a fresh start.
Purple is for eating clean, whole, simple foods – so we naturally detox and cleanse our bodies just by the way we eat.
Purple makes us feel committed and dedicated to our goals.
Purple is for royalty, those in charge of their destiny.
Purple makes us strong.
When you’re shopping for something new for fall, look for something purple. You can add bold accents at any price – try costume jewelry, a scarf, a blouse, a wallet, nail polish, even lingerie (sometimes you’re the only one who needs to know). Remember that trendy pieces can be lower quality (and therefore cheaper, hopefully) because you won’t be wearing them long.
Go for a shade of purple that flatters you – some people look better in blue-purple and others look better in red-purple. Some people look better in lavender (light), some look better in amethyst (jewel tone), and some look better in eggplant (dark).
Videotape yourself today doing all the activities you want evaluated – like walking, talking, dancing, singing, and taking out the garbage. Or sitting at the computer, cooking, brushing your teeth, wearing your favorite outfits.
This is a wonderful tool for spotting bad posture, speech ticks, voice pauses, and fashion faux pas.
It might seem a little egotistical or persnickety, but get over it – because it works! You’ll be able to improve because you know what to fix.
Your posture is an indication of your personality, and like your diet, it correlates with what’s going on with your body. If your posture is centered and balanced, you are more likely to be a centered and balanced person. On the other hand, if your posture is slouchy and distorted, something is out of balance.
Soaking in the tub encourages your body to perspire, which is one of the ways your body cleanses itself from toxins. 
Here’s a simple yet effective way to raise your spirits and brighten your environment.
