Military Officer - January 2008 - (Page 67) N How to Be healthier diet, check your frozen food aisle, and try some with fat-free sauces. If you’re enjoying dinner out, decide beforehand what you will eat and stick with your commitment. New Year’s resolutions often are overly ambitious. Vows to spend hours a day at the gym or adhere to a strict, limiting diet won’t last past the New Year’s Eve champagne toast. Instead of choosing unrealistic goals, consider some simple changes in your daily life to help you eat better and get in shape. Improving your eating habits is not only a matter of what you eat, but how much. Read food labels as you shop. Choose products that are low in fat, cholesterol, and sodium, and avoid trans fats. You also can eat more healthily but have a taste of everything if you limit quantities. Instead of eating a large candy bar, have a small piece of quality chocolate. If you can’t resist dessert at a meal, savor just a bite or two. Try using smaller dishes to automatically cut portion sizes. For easy ways to get veggies into your You might decide on just a single glass of wine and three small appetizers. Enjoy a roll, but skip the butter. Select a fat-free dressing for your salad. For more healthy eating ideas, visit www.moaa.org/wellness. Click on Nutrition Facts. Exercise is another necessary component in staying healthy. Forget the usual “I don’t have time” excuse. Instead, aim to make physical activities part of your day. Take the dog for a jog lasting the same amount of time as the usual walk. Choose stairs rather than elevators. At the supermarket, carry your groceries to the car rather than driving to the pick-up area. Instead of paying someone to tend the garden, pull the weeds yourself. Shovel your own snow. Find daily activities with more bending, stretching, and lifting. Gradually increase the skill level of your activities, but know your limits. Use this New Year holiday as a time to think about your daily routine and implement simple modifications to help you eat better and get in shape, so you can enjoy 2008 and many years to come! MO — Rear Adm. Joyce Johnson, USPHS-Ret., D.O., M.A., is vice presi- You said dent, Health Sciences, Battelle Memorial Institute, Arlington, Va. We asked and you told us. Below are some resolutions your fellow MOAA members suggest you think about before the clock strikes midnight. Submit your own resolutions at www.moaa.org/discussion. Voting is a most important privilege that we should treasure and use in every election. Study the candidates, especially what they promise and how they vote once elected. Resolve to take these actions and maybe we can help increase the quality of the people serving in Congress. — Maj. Thomas Bivins, USAR-Ret. Help others more freely, eat healthier, and make someone smile each day. — Col. Lynn O. Walker, USA-Ret. I have no reason or right to tell someone what their new year’s resolutions should be. — Cmdr. Richard Fasig, USN-Ret. MILITARY OFFICER JANUARY 2008 67 http://www.moaa.org/wellness http://www.moaa.org/discussion
For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.