Photo by Operation Live Well

Nowadays, we’re conscious of the merits of a healthy lifestyle. The messages are everywhere if you choose to pay attention. Whether it’s clean eating, exercising, getting adequate rest or not smoking, many of us are dedicated to creating or improving health habits.

The Defense Department is also doing its part with its healthy living initiative, “Operation Live Well.” The health and wellness campaign targets every individual in the military community — service members, veterans, families, civilians — and encourages everyone to adopt positive habits that promote good health.

Operation Live Well provides tips to make better food choices, stay physically active, quit or avoid tobacco, and stay mentally fit. The site also helps you develop your own personalized health plan incorporating physical activity, nutrition, mental wellness tools and mobile apps. Information is divided into six models for good health with links to resources:

• Integrative Wellness: Your physical, emotional and psychological health is connected — taking care of your body helps keep your mind healthy. Learn more about these connections and the Defense Department’s comprehensive and integrated approach to wellness.
• Physical Activity: Get up and get out! Learn how. Engaging in 150 minutes per week of moderate exercise can help with chronic pain, depression, anxiety and stress.
• Nutrition: Eating a variety of nutritious foods keeps you performing and looking your best. Learn how to create easy and great-for-you meals that offer a variety of healthy carbohydrates, fats and protein.
• Tobacco-free Living: Get information on the health risks of tobacco use and resources on how to stop using it or avoid starting the habit. Research has found that tobacco increases stress. Eliminating tobacco from your life will help contribute to your mental wellness.
• Mental Wellness: Emotional and mental well-being increases your ability to cope during stressful times. Explore resources to help strengthen you and your family’s mental and emotional health.
• Sleep: Getting sufficient rest each night ensures optimal mental performance and can help alleviate stress. A general rule of thumb is that adults require about seven or eight hours of sleep a day, while children need 10 or more hours, depending on their age.

The “Healthy Base Initiative” began as a demonstration project to support Operation Live Well, and aims to help the defense community increase the health and wellness of the entire force by improving nutrition and fitness options available on bases.

Participating military installations and Defense Department sites are being examined on environments that encourage and sustain healthy lifestyles, such as better nutritional food options, increased physical activity, decreased or elimination of tobacco use, and weight loss to reduce the risk of diseases due to obesity, like high blood pressure and diabetes. For example, a number of Healthy Base Initiative sites have introduced farmers markets to provide quick and easy access to fresh produce. The programs that are most successful will eventually expand to other installations.

Changing poor lifestyle choices doesn’t happen overnight and it’s often hard to commit to if you’re doing it alone. Operation Live Well’s community-minded approach helps you and those around you make healthy living the easy choice. For more helpful tips and ideas, visit Operation Live Well on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Pinterest.

Do you have a favorite healthy living tip? Let us know in the comments below.