Marilu Henner's Blog, page 158

Still time to join Marilu at the Kripalu Center

Marilu is teaching The Role of Your Life: Acting Healthy workshop at the world-renowned Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health the weekend of July 1-4, 2011.

Sign up now by calling 1-866-200-5203.

Treat yourself to an amazing health retreat and take the class with Marilu. This is one of our best online classes at Marilu.com, and you can take it in person at Kripalu! Marilu combines the lessons of acting and transformation with groundbreaking information on memory and legacy, too – making this class better than ever.

 

Imagine the person you would most like to be-your idealized self-and spend a weekend setting about becoming that person, as if he or she were a character in a script and you were the actor cast in the part.

Not an actor, you say? Don't worry. We are all actors. Think of how you act nice when you really want to speak your mind! Acting is the ultimate art of transformation, and it comes about as a result of searching, observing, analyzing, discovering, and building your character from within.

Finding the fit and healthy person you are isn't as easy as you might think. Your body is programmed with years of muscle memory. In order for change to be long lasting, much of your negative muscle memory needs to be reprogrammed. As an actress, author, and memory expert, Marilu Henner has designed this workshop to help you recall these memories, analyze the legacy you've been dealing with since childhood, and start reprogramming your behavior in a soul-searching transformation.

This is a journey to find the person you are capable of being-not just for the next few days, but for the rest of your long, healthy, and productive life.

 

There are also evening activities and yoga classes for all experience levels. The setting in western Massachusetts is beautiful, and the food is excellent, too. This is a great opportunity to experience one of the best health retreat centers in the world – with Marilu.

Register by calling 1-866-200-5203. Call now – it's almost time!

Read more about the workshop here.

 

The future of medicine * Everything is connected

This is a TEDMED video of Dr. Mark Hyman, who practices functional medicine, which he calls "the opposite of dysfunctional medicine." It's a personalized systems approach to getting well.

We can hear Marilu's words "everything is connected to everything" as he speaks. This is the way medicine should be practiced – it's integrated, it's very personalized, and it's focused on total wellness. Take the time to watch this one.

 

Video from drhyman.com.

Fitness Friday * Exercise your mind

What we believe about ourselves is what we become. So why not tell yourself some amazing things about how fit and strong you are? About your commitment to exercise and wellness? About how awesome your body is?

Some of the experts suggest that you say your affirmations while looking at yourself in a mirror. That's pretty powerful. But we like to use them as the rhythm to our exercise. You can walk or run or pedal or stroke (that's swimming, people) to your own affirmations. You can lift and release weights to your words – in fact, those words will slow down your weight lifting, giving you a bigger benefit on the release/negative side of the lift.

Try some of these and see how they fit you. Or make up your own affirmations. Just be sure you describe the person you want to be.

I am a perfect example of health and fitness.

I am strong and my body is powerful.

My body is lean and fit.

I have excellent posture and form becaue.

My fitness routine is enjoyable, energetic and easy!

My daily fitness routine gives me excellent results.

During my work-out routine, I feel healthier and healthier by the minute.

I enjoy exercising and my fitness routine gives me excellent results.

My physical fitness clearly shows that I have a fitness regimen.

I take care of myself by working out daily and eating right.

My body is firm, healthy and metabolically fast.

I have a fast metabolism, a healthy spirit and friendly personality.

 

Marilu on 60 Minutes

Set your DVRs! The 60 Minutes story on superior autobiographical memory will play again on Sunday, June 19, with Marilu.

Marilu continues to work with UC-Irvine experts on memory – she was tested there again earlier this week – and she's working on a book about memory as well.

 

Featured recipe from Marilu's table * Mexican slaw

If you're looking for an old favorite with a new twist, this is it. This Mexican slaw is great with tacos or burritos, and makes a great picnic contribution, too.

We love the convenience of broccoli slaw – most of the prep is done! And the nutrient content is a little higher with broccoli than it is with cabbage.

Get started a little early with this one – it needs to rest at least 30 minutes before serving, for the flavors to blend.

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Mexican Slaw

Blue * Serves 14-16

1/3 cup lime juice

4 Tablespoons rice wine vinegar

1 Tablespoon Sucanat®

4 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

pinch of cayenne

pinch of paprika

1 large jicama, peeled and cut into matchsticks

1 12-ounce bag broccoli slaw

1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into thin strips

1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and cut into thin strips

1/2 medium red onion, thinly sliced

1 large cucumber, halved, seeded and diced (peeled if waxy)

1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

In a small bowl, whisk together the lime juice, vinegar, Sucanat® olive oil, cayenne, and paprika. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, toss the jicama, broccoli slaw, red pepper, yellow pepper, red onion, cucumber, and cilantro. Pour the dressing over the vegetables and toss. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes before serving.

 

And you thought diabetes was about too much sugar…

 

So… now we know to watch out for too much fat (most of which comes from animal products) and dairy. Kind of surprising, right?

If eating vegan sounds difficult, why not try it in small doses? More of a "vegan-ish" approach than a fully vegan approach. Start with eating one vegan meal a day, and when that gets easy, go for two vegan meals a day, or 10 vegan meals a week, or vegan family dinners, or ordering vegan food in a restaurant, or bringing vegan food to a picnic or potluck dinner. Challenge yourself a little bit.

Our online class in July is the very popular Viva la Vegan class – where you don't have to be vegan, but you can get great recipes and reasons to try it out. Learn ways to make a vegan lifestyle (or even a vegan-ish lifestyle) work for you. Sign up now and don't miss out!

 

Get moving * Enjoy the day

Something about summertime gives us happy feet. As in, dancing feet, not penguin feet.

Get moving outside today.

If that means walking to the bus or subway station with purpose and good posture, then do that. In fact, try walking to the next stop for a little extra exercise.

If that means taking laps around your office parking lot at noon, then do that. Pack your sneakers and a pair of good socks.

If that means putting your kids in a wagon or on their bikes or in a stroller and walking around the neighborhood, then do that.

If that means rollerblading or skateboarding or bicycling in your neighborhood (with or without kids), then do that.

If that means gardening and weeding and yardwork, then do that.

If that means basketball or jump rope or tag (with or without kids), then do that.

If that means a long walk with your dog after dinner, then do that.

If that means dancing under the stars with your sweetie, then do that.

 

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Amazon.com Widgets

 

Marilu & Hal Holbrook at the Actors Fund party

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Marilu hosted The Actors Fund's 15th annual Tony party in Los Angeles on Sunday, June 12, 2011. Hal Holbrook was honored at the event.

 

How food makes us sick

Perhaps the most disgraceful aspect of our agricultural system — I say this as an Oregon farmboy who once raised sheep, cattle and hogs — is the way antibiotics are recklessly stuffed into healthy animals to make them grow faster.

The Food and Drug Administration reported recently that 80 percent of antibiotics in the United States go to livestock, not humans. And 90 percent of the livestock antibiotics are administered in their food or water, typically to healthy animals to keep them from getting sick when they are confined in squalid and crowded conditions.

The single state of North Carolina uses more antibiotics for livestock than the entire United States uses for humans.

This cavalier use of low-level antibiotics creates a perfect breeding ground for antibiotic-resistant pathogens. The upshot is that ailments can become pretty much untreatable.

~ Nicholas D. Kristof, When Food Kills, June 11, 2011

 

Read more – it's not long.

 

Meatless Monday recipe from Marilu's table * Curried cashew quinoa salad

Yes, we're on a bit of a main-dish salad kick around here. Summer makes us want cold foods and easy meals. Main-dish salads fit the bill.

This recipe came from the Block Center for Integrative Cancer Care (located near Northwestern University in Chicago). We were privileged to accompany a friend there during her initial interviews, and we found the idea of integrated care (Western medicine's diagnostics and treatments plus Eastern "alternative" treatments such as acupuncture, meditation, massage, plus support in nutrition and exercise) to be the most sensible thing we've seen in medicine. Marilu's husband Michael also received care here when he had cancer.

Anyway – we got this recipe there, and it's delicious. Enjoy!

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Curried Cashew Quinoa Salad

from the Block Center for Integrative Cancer Care

Blue * Serves 6-8

1/2 cup unsalted, raw cashews

1/2 teaspoon olive oil

1/2 teaspoon curry powder

1/8 teaspoon sea salt

For cashews: Combine above ingredients and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake at 350F until nuts look dry, about 20 minutes. Cool on wire rack.

1 cup quinoa, uncooked but rinsed well

2 cups vegetable broth

1 can (15 oz) cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

1/2 cucumber, seeded and diced (peeled if waxy)

10 cherry and grape tomatoes, halved

3 Tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped

1/4 cup lemon juice

3 teaspoons olive oil

Sea salt and pepper to taste

Bring broth to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add quinoa, cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Turn off heat and let quinoa continue to cook in the covered pan for approximately 10 minutes, until broth is absorbed.

Meanwhile, combine beans, cucumber, tomatoes, and cilantro in a medium bowl.

In a small bowl, whisk together lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper, until well mixed. Pour over vegetables and allow to marinate until quinoa is cooled. Add cooled quinoa to salad mixture and toss until combined. Roughly chop curried cashews and sprinkle on salad before serving.