Add one positive fitness change at a time in 2009

By Chris Halagarda, U.S. Navy fitness and performance enhancement dietitian

FORT LEE, Va. – I love the quote, "A year from now, you'll wish you started today." What do you wish you could have started a year ago? For many folks, New Year's means yet another resolution to start an exercise program, eat healthy and lose weight. If this rings true to you, try making a small change to your lifestyle in 2009 that, although it won't put you on the cover of a fitness magazine, will help you feel better, look better, function better and make you healthier.

One of the first things I like to suggest to folks is to add to your diet. Don't get preoccupied with what you can't have, but focus instead on what you can have. Remember, you can find all of the following items in your local commissary at savings of 30 percent or more. Start by adding one or two of these ideas to your diet or lifestyle:

Add fruits and vegetables. Promise yourself you will eat five servings of fruit and vegetables every day. By filling up on the extra fiber and water, you should eat less food the rest of the day and hopefully lose weight. Worst case is that you don't lose weight, but you will be much healthier because of all the additional vitamins and minerals in fruit and veggies.

Drink tea. Green, black, flavored, any kind of tea. Teas are loaded with antioxidants, flavanoids, vitamins and minerals and may help prevent tumors and promote weight loss. Much more research needs to be done to pinpoint all the benefits of tea drinking, but there are very few downsides to drinking it.

Spice it up! Don't let a meal go by without sprinkling some type of herb or spice on it. Sprinkle cinnamon on oatmeal; garlic powder on salads; paprika on hummus; chili powder, onion, pepper, dry mustard and cayenne into chili. Don't hesitate to try new spices. There are so many great flavors with so much nutritive value and best of all they don't have many or any calories! Every time you go to the commissary, try a new spice.

Drink more water. Aim for about half your body weight in fluid ounces each day. If you weigh 120 pounds you should consume about 60 fluid ounces of water per day. Keep in mind, water-dense foods such as fruits and vegetables will contribute to this total and high levels of physical activity will increase daily fluid needs above this amount.

Add calcium. Aim for 1,000-1,200 milligrams of calcium each day. This is equivalent to three to four, 8-ounce cups of milk, preferably low-fat milk, each day. Not only will calcium help keep bones and teeth strong, but it may also help with weight loss. Dietary supplements may provide some benefit, but try to reap the rewards of low-fat milk's muscle-building protein and health-promoting vitamin D. Don't like milk? Try low-fat yogurt, soy milk or low-fat cheese to get more calcium.

Add steps. Get a pedometer and shoot for 10,000 steps a day or, for a more practical approach, record how many steps you take each day for seven days. Divide that total by seven and try to go above and beyond that number each day. For example, if you average 5,000 steps a day, try to reach 5,500 steps every day of the following week, then 6,000 steps the next week. Ultimately, you want to achieve and maintain 10,000 steps each day.

For more information about making healthy choices, visit Ask the Dietitian and post your questions on the DeCA Dietitian Forum. Be sure to look for other useful information in the Dietitian's Voice archive. Sign up with the DeCA Dietitian on www.twitter.com and get messages sent to your cell phone today. For delicious recipes, check out Kay's Kitchen. And to enjoy all your commissary has to offer, sign up for the Commissary Connection.