My personal journey to health began over thirty years ago. I often tell the story of how both my parents died in their fifties, so young and so tragic. I resolved when my mother died to learn everything I could about health, and apply what I learned to myself. The truth was that I needed a change in lifestyle back in 1978. I was overweight, I had bad complexion, and oftentimes I was unhappy. Though I was having success in my career I could not break the bad habits of my youth so that I could enjoy health with my success. Seeing my mother die convinced me that I had to change, and that I had to try to help my siblings and loved ones to change also.
In the 1980's alternative health care was not so available as today. It was hard to put all of the pieces together: food, diet, nutrition, exercise, detox, emotional and physical balance. But I had some advantages. I was single, I was ready to make changes, I was motivated. Being single meant that I could make decisions for myself, without having to conform to a family dynamic already in place. I could experiment. I could fail, or succeed, without criticism from others.
As I studied and learned about health, I experimented on myself. I cut out the foods that I now call 'health robbers', such as meat, dairy, and refined sugar. I learned to skin brush, to do colonics, to stay hydrated. As my health improved people began to notice changes in my appearance. They would ask what I was doing. Many would try one of the techniques, or another, but so many failed to make any real difference in their lives.
I soon learned that it is not so easy to change other people's lives. There are a variety of obstacles that stand in the way of most people making positive changes in their lives. After my first book came out, Marilu Henner's Total Health Makeover, people began to search me out for advice. I started my website, www.marilu.com, at that time. Since then I have grown a website with thousands of members taking online classes, creating a community, helping each other to realize their goals.
The classes began as a way to define goals for the members, and mentor them toward lasting changes. Over time the classes focused on specific issues that people confront in their lives that make them fail to achieve their goals. These became some of my most successful classes, such as 'Navigating the "Mindfields" of Self-Sabotage', 'Learning to Love the Food that Loves You', and 'Setting Up Your Environment to Win'. After years of working with thousands of people I felt it was time to share these tips in book form so that I could reach more people.
The title of my new book Wear Your Life Well comes from an observation I have made about people. A powerful question to ask is "Do you love your life?", do you spring out of bed each morning full of life and eager to tackle the next challenge? Or are you depressed, weighed down by excess body weight, environmental toxins, emotional stress, or are you just in a rut? People who wear their life well know when the sweater does not fit, when the job is not working out, when their spouse is a hindrance or a help in their lives. And they do something about it! They do not live their lives as victims, but rather as victors. They know how to use what they have to get what they want.
My new book is formed around chapters that are derived from my most successful online classes. The chapters include:
Getting out of Your Comfort Zone: The Fun of Facing Your Fears!
Navigating the "Mindfields" of Self-Sabotage
Learn to Love the Food that Loves You—Detox 101
Setting Up Your Environment to Win
The Role of Your Life
Radar, Resilience, Plan B, and Teflon
Use It or Lose It
Fall in Love with Your Stress—Or it Will Kill You!
The Sexiest Organ is…Your Brain!
The Booty Camp Blitz
I am now on 'Cruise for Health'. I look forward to telling you about my adventures on a beautiful ship, with 1000 vegans, and 2000 Italians! What a blast!
Best of Health!
Marilu
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Comments: 23
I do like anything that helps to keep the mind motivated.
I want to say thank you so much for sharing with us all you learned on your own.
I know "Wear Your Life Well" is a book I will return to read again and again.
I confess, I can't help but wonder if it is written primarily to a female audience.
Regardless of that, I will likely be giving it a read.
I can almost always glean something good from an inspirational help writing.
Best of Luck !!
A review is pending, but for those of you who haven't had the opportunity to read it, so far, its a great read.
Now, back to this: My father died just after I turned 20; he was a scientist; my sisters and I quickly began to eat a lot better (not that we didn't but we started to eat FRESH greens) we stopped smoking and we all began to exercise.
I was a cheating vegetarian for years, then fell behind my own goals a bit. Now, I am an avid fruit fanatic and have a few glasses of hot lemon water each day, then eat the lemons; mostly I eat fresh fruits and vegetables, am trying to become mostly VEGAn.
Newsweek ran an add this week for milk-fed veal, and the horrible treatment the poor babies suffer - and, the carcinogenic chemicals in the meat that the USDA does not even make us aware of.
Your book is SO important. Thank you!
You are still AMAZING!
George Vreeland Hill
Thanks for all the attention that you have brought to this....
It's great reading your posts!
I'm now in Chicago for the second leg of my book tour after a whirlwind week in New York. I hope I get to meet some of you at the signing events over the next few days. I love being in my hometown, and I know I'll be connecting with some of the members of my website Marilu.com, but it's always a treat to meet new bloggers. If you do come to an event, be sure to tell me you're from Gather.com when you introduce yourself.
I want to thank you all for your posts. This site promises to be a great experience because of so many like minded people. (Fun to see guys posting, too!) This book has definitely struck a cord with both men and women. Women really spark to the Self-Sabotage chapter, while men zero in on the Falling in Love with Your Stress chapter. And everyone seems to respond to the Sex chapter!
Getting healthy and learning to maintain a healthy lifestyle is never easy, but it's amazing how much easier it becomes over time the more you do it. I know from my own struggles that it doesn't happen overnight, but if your mantra becomes the one we have over at Marilu.com...Progress, not perfection...you find yourself becoming healthier with practice because you start to fall in love with feeling good.
Remember...Nothing tastes as good as healthy feels.
I'll check in later!
Marilu
I'm
Thanks for this book and for the opportunity to read and review it.
namaste