As you head into the weekend don’t be caught off guard.  Take a few minutes to plan ahead and be sure you have healthy food in the house.  Think about organizing your shopping list so that you have staples on hand for the week.

You might use some time to chop and freeze vegetables, tomato sauce, and/or soups.

Stock your cabinets with veggie broth, rice, beans and canned and frozen vegetables.  On a busy night this will keep you from having to run to the store or order out.

STAY WARM

STAY HEALTHY

It’s early in the new year.   This is a good time to take stock of upcoming appointments.   Be sure to schedule all annual visits now.  If your appointment time is late in the year and it’s too early to book that now,  you can make a note on your calendar (two months in advance) to be certain you get that on the books.

Do your homework and show up prepared with comments and questions.

Our recent LIGHTEN UP class in the members area has us streamlining our life and our possessoins.  But it’s not just about what we’re eliminating.  We’re becoming more conscious of how we live and ALSO more conscious of our impact on this planet. 

So rather than send that old “stuff” off to landfills think about who might be thrilled to have some of the things the rest of us take for granted.  Our coaches suggested a charity called Soles 4 Souls.

You can read about it here:  www. Soles4Souls.org

We think that after you do, it will become much easier to pare down your shoe collection !

Are you “dog ear-ing” your copy of Total Memory Makeover so that you can easily find those tips and exercises that help you improve your memory and make your life more manageable? 

If so you’ll be happy to know that in 2013 you can have some of this information at hand in the form of daily reminders.  Summer isn’t usually the time that we start to think about purchasing a new calendar.  For most people that time is mid January when it’s almost impossible to find the one you want and we find ourselves settling for anything that’s going to give us the day and date…even if it features cartoons or hobbies in which we have absolutely NO interest. 

But since it’s almost June we’re already HALFWAY TO 2013 !!!   It’s not too soon to pre-order your Total Memory Makeover Calendar.  During the end of year rush you’ll be ahead of the game AND you’ll have something that’s not only going to organize your days but help you organize your life as well.  It’s like spending a year with Marilu as your personal life coach, giving you tips and hints each and every day!

Click here to pre-order your calendar today:  http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1465003029/ref=cm_sw_r_fa_alp_ZWKWpb1XVV7PR

Getting organized can help you find extra time in your day and money in your wallet.    Looking for keys and important papers can make you feel disorganized. 

Whether you do a spring housecleaning or not this is a good time to do a spring cleaning of your paperwork.  Take some time to organize your file cabinet, and to have an in and out box for your mail.

Go through old receipts. File appliance warranties where you’ll be able to find them.  Put your insurance policies and your pet’s health records in an easy to find spot.

Take a look at your cell phone bill and your cable bill.  Know what you’re being charged.

Think of this as taking stock before the seasons change and your schedule along with them.  Make time to get involved.  We’ve got a great class just around the corner.  Booty Camp is always a good time here at Marilu.com and this year it’s all about being vibrant and vivacious.  You won’t want to miss it !

One of the best ways to make use of  your time is to set aside a bit of that time for planning.  Menu planning can not only help you stay organized, it can help you avoid last minute trips to the grocery store; and doesn’t that always happen during the hours when the store is PACKED? 

It can also eliminate those hurried runs for fast food, which is more “gut fill” than it is a meal. 

There are some easy resources to help you with your planning and we’ve included a few free templates here.  But a  notebook and pencil will work just as well.  It’s a simple matter of organizing your thoughts, checking out your calendar, and making a list.  You can plan by the week or by the month; whatever works best for your lifestyle.

http://unclutterer.com/2008/02/20/creating-a-weekly-meal-plan/

http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/templates/CT010142351.aspx

Members can also check out today’s class thread,  our recipe files and class archives for more meal planning tips.

We talk a lot about setting up your environment.  This is a good week to think about a few tasks that sometimes fall by the wayside.  Here are some ideas that work well at this time of year:

- Update your address book.    You might want to pick up a new address book for the new year.  A helpful tip is to use a sharp pencil rather than a pen.  When people change their address  you can update it without making a mess of your book. (Be sure to go through your holiday cards and add addresses to the book before you dispose of them.)

- A closet adjustment. You may not have time for a full blown closet makeover but this is a good time to lay out all the winter sweaters.  Some will need a trip to the dry cleaner and others might need to be donated.  If you haven’t worn something in the past year be sure to wear it one day this week.  If it feels like a “find” then add it back to the rotation.  If it makes you remember why you stopped wearing it then donate it where it will be appreciated.

- Recycle holiday cards. Go through the cards and decide which ones you will keep. (Handwritten notes from good friends, elderly relatives etc.) A pair of blunt scissors and a housebound child can turn the rest into next year’s gift tags.

- Next year’s to-do list.  Was there something that came up over the holidays that caught you off guard?  Teacher’s gifts? Drop in guests? Take out your 2012 calendar and make some notes in the margins.  Next year you’ll feel proud of yourself when you aren’t scrambling to find a gift for the groomer at the last minute and you have a freezer ready with hors doeuvres for a last minute get together.

- Make a nasty weather check list. For those who live in more extreme climates prepare your home and cars BEFORE a storm is predicted.  A shovel, ice scraper, jumper cables, flashlight and a warm blanket should all be in your car.  At home be sure you have a shovel for your walkway and driveway along with salt and sand or kitty litter. Be prepared with gas for your snowblower and flashlights or rechargeable lanterns for your home.  Once a storm is predicted the stores will have a run on most of those items. 

- Blues chaser.  If the winter months get you down plan something now that you know you’ll enjoy.  Having something to look forward to will keep your mind busy and your spirits up, especially if it involves activity on your part.  Planning a trip or a get together will keep you occupied and make the winter pass more quickly.  Treating yourself to a concert or show will give you a bright spot to break up the long wait for spring. And trying a new winter sport might give you a new appreciation for the season

With the fast pace of the holiday season you’re probably wanting organization and order more than ever.  Those of you taking our current Hot for the Holidays class are following Coach Jan’s tips and getting out from under the messiness.  This article contains an inspiring picture tutorial with common problems and solutions to help you keep moving in the right direction. 

Marilu shares a story about her brother joking with her that she had children in order to have another closet to organize !   

When you make the connection between having order and being better able to move towards your goals, you’re setting yourself up for success.

http://lifestyle.msn.com/your-home/staticslideshowrs.aspx?cp-documentid=31189273#q=De-Cluttering%20Solutions%20for%20Your%20Home%3A%20Who%20Doesn%27t%20Have%20Organizing%20Problems%3F%20

The Total Health Makeover recommends breaking a sweat for 10 minutes a day.  That’s ten minutes of sustained exercise.  If you spend an hour at the gym, or training for a race, or playing with your kids, that’s great !  Exercise should be fun!  But it doesn’t have to consume your day!  Don’t make the mistake of thinking you don’t have time because you don’t have a lot of time.  Take a look at this list and see if you can’t carve out an extra 15 or 20 minutes in your day.

- Prioritize. Make a list of what needs to be accomplished and don’t stray from it for less important tasks.  (Put exercise on that list.)

- Log off.  We don’t want you to ignore Facebook completely and we really want you to check in here with us.  But we’re talking about the time suckers of “just one more cute panda video” before I push away from the desk.

- Be in the moment.  You’ll be surprised at how much you can accomplish when you give the task at hand your full attention. Just because you CAN multi task doesn’t mean you HAVE to.

- Eliminate clutter.  The time you spend looking for your shoes, your keys, that bill you meant to pay, can all be put to better use.  A few inexpensive containers, baskets, and post-its can buy you better health.

- Lay out your gear in advance. If you hate digging through your work out clothes in the morning have them prepared and waiting to step into.  This applies to your water bottle, outerwear and sneakers.  Even your towel and shower supplies for after your workout can be in place before you head to bed.  It all leads to a smoother ride in the morning.

- Shift your clock by 15 minutes.  You don’t have to get up a full hour earlier in order to exercise.  Try hitting the sack just 15 minutes earlier than usual and getting up 15 minutes earlier in the morning.  The feeling of not being pressed for time can contribute to carving out a little more time for a walk, some crunches or a bike ride.

Really , how many old t-shirts do you need?  We all keep a few for painting or working in the yard and after that…well what do you do with the t-shirt from the concert you went to senior year in college, or the volunteer gig at that camp last summer?  We’ve all got something that we don’t want to throw out but it doesn’t look good enough to actually WEAR anyplace. 

Follow these easy directions to make a reusable market bag. (We “stumbled upon” them…quite literally)  It’s good for the environment and gives old tees a second life.  You can even use them to throw a lunch together or a change of clothes for those fall activities that last all day.

http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/4Yedis/honestlywtf.com/diy/diy-market-bag