Basic Health Points

• Avoid food portions larger than your fist.
• Mow lawn with push mower.
• Increase the fiber in your diet.
  Join an exercise group.
• Do yard work.
• Skip seconds.
• Work around the house.
• Skip buffets.
• Take dog to the park.
• Ask your doctor about taking a multi-vitamin.
• Use vegetable oils over solid fats.
• Fetch the newspaper yourself.
• Sit up straight at work.
• Wash the car by hand.
• Run when running errands.
• Pace the sidelines at kids' athletic games.
• Take wheels off luggage.
• Keep to a regular eating schedule.
• Perform gardening or home repair activities.
• Avoid laborsaving devices.
• Dance to music.
• Take the long way to the water cooler.
• Reward and acknowledge your efforts.
• Choose fruit for dessert.
• Consume alcoholic beverages in moderation, if at all.
• Take stairs instead of the escalator.
• Conduct an inventory of your meal/snack and physical activity patterns.
• Choose a checkout line without a candy display.
• Make a grocery list before you shop.
• Buy 100% fruit juices over soda and sugary drinks.
• Flavor foods with herbs, spices, and other low fat seasonings.
• Remove skin from poultry before cooking to lower fat content.
• Eat before you get too hungry.
• Stop eating when you are full.
• Choose smaller sized snacks.
• Include several servings of whole grain food daily.
• Cut back on added fats or oils in cooking or spreads.
• Carry your groceries instead of pushing a cart.
• Use a snow shovel instead of a snow blower.
• Cut high-calorie foods like cheese and chocolate into smaller pieces and only eat a few pieces.
• Use nonfat or low-fat sour cream, mayo, sauces, dressings, and other condiments.
• Replace sugar sweetened beverages with water and add a twist of lemon or lime.
• Replace high-saturated fat/high calorie seasonings with herbs grown in a small herb garden in your kitchen window.
• Refrigerate prepared soups before you eat them. As the soup cools, the fat will rise to the top. Skim it off the surface for reduced fat content.
• When eating out, ask your server to put half your entrée in a to-go bag.
• Substitute vegetables for other ingredients in your sandwich.
• Instead of eating out, bring a healthy, low calorie lunch to work.
• Ask your sweetie to bring you fruit or flowers instead of chocolate.
  for the salad bar when your coworkers are picking a restaurant for lunch, and remember calories count, so pay attention to how much and what you eat.
• Walk briskly through the mall and shop 'til you drop ... pounds.
• Clean your closet and donate clothes that are too big.
• Take your body measurements to gauge progress.
• Portion out your snack on a plate, not from the bag, to stay aware of how much you’re eating.
• Buy or portion out treats and snacks in small bags or packages.
  Store especially tempting foods, like cookies, chips, or ice cream, out of immediate eyesight, like on a high shelf or at the back of a freezer.
• When buying in bulk, store the excess in a place that’s not convenient to get to, such as a high cabinet or at the back of a pantry.
• When you order fast food, take it home and put it on a plate. If you’re surprised at how full the plate looks, order smaller sizes next time.
• Be realistic. Make small changes over time in what you eat and the level of physical activity you do. Small steps often work better than giant leaps.
• Be adventurous. Expand your tastes to enjoy a variety of foods and physical activities.
• Be flexible. You don’t need to worry about just one meal or one day. Find your right balance between what you eat and the physical activity you do over several days.
  Be sensible. Enjoy the foods you eat, just don’t overdo it.