EAT HEALTHY STAY HEALTHY

Strive to Maintain a Healthy Weight Maintaining a healthy weight is an important step toward a longer and better quality of life. If you are too heavy or too thin, you are more likely to develop health problems. Determining your correct weight and making a sensible plan to reach it is best done in consultation with a health professional. If you are determined to reach your optimal weight, take it slowly: set incremental and achievable goals and be patient with yourself along the way.

Take Steps to Understand Your Eating Habits Eating can be tied to more than just hunger. To learn your eating triggers, keep a daily food diary and record everything you eat: note what you eat, how much you eat of each food, when you eat, with whom you eat, how hungry you are during your meals and snacks, and your emotional state when you are eating. By gaining a better understanding of your relationship with food and eating you can begin to take steps to change your eating habits and manage your weight.

Eat a Variety of Healthy Foods We`ve all heard the saying, "variety is the spice of life," and this is especially true when it comes to healthy eating. The body needs more than 50 nutrients to meet its physical needs; in order to get these nutrients you need to eat a variety of foods. The USDA Food Pyramid provides a guide for the types and amounts recommended for a healthy diet. Try to eat three balanced meals each day, and reduce your fat, sugar and sodium intake, and increase fiber in your diet as well.

Incorporate Stress Management and Exercise into Your Daily Life Good nutrition can help you better manage the tension in your life by making your body stronger and more stress-resistant. Another important step to take is building exercise into your ordinary routine. Take a short walk during your lunch break; walk to a more distant train station or bus stop or get off several stops early and walk home; participate in an exercise class, join a community sports team, go dancing with friends, or ride a stationary bike while you watch television.

Be Good to Yourself There are no quick fixes when it comes to weight management. By taking the first steps to better understand yourself and your diet, and to incorporate basic nutritional knowledge and practice into your life you will begin to take charge of your health, and ultimately your weight.