You have the ability to change your life by being more healthy and active. If you think it’s too late to change your ways, think again! At WOOD TV8 and WOTV 4 we want to spread the word about healthy initiatives that anybody can do! We have come up with eight simple steps that can be a great starting point toward being healthier. The first step is making a goal to lead a healthier life and to begin taking the necessary steps to achieve that goal. So begin being a new healthy, active you by following these basic eight steps to living healthy!

www.thewalkingsite.com is a website dedicated to all of your walking questions. They give tips and advice for beginner walkers, along with benefits of walking compared to other types of exercise.

A pedometer is a great way to inspire you to walk further distances, but some people don’t want to wear a bulky pedometer around work all day. There is a pedometer app that can track your steps. Use it on your smartphone, iPod, or iPad to help you keep track of your progress.
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/pedometer-free/id362306160?mt=8

We’ve all been told since we were kids that eating fruits and vegetables is important, but sometimes we forget about including fruits and vegetables in our diets. The Center of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) gives support to parents everywhere when they say, “finish your peas and carrots”, by providing facts on the necessity of fruits and vegetables in a healthy diet.
http://www.fruitsandveggiesmatter.gov/benefits/index.html

Every fruit and vegetable offers something different. Fitness Magazine created color coded groupings of fruits and vegetables and gave their nutritional values and some creative recipe tips.
http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/recipes/healthy-eating/superfoods/add-more-color-to-your-diet/?page=2

Did you know that water is the second most popular drink? WebMD provides support to this surprising fact by giving six reasons on why drinking water is so important to staying healthy.
http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/6-reasons-to-drink-water

Do you really love your soda drinks and find water to be bland? Or is drinking water hard because you can’t remember to drink it? Yahoo! gives tips on adding some flavor to your water, and on remembering to drink water every day.
http://shine.yahoo.com/healthy-living/9-tips-how-to-drink-more-water-441417.html

www.allrecipes.com has many healthy recipes for many food favorites. For cooking meats, they have suggestions on how to reduce the use of large amounts of butter but still be able to get that great taste!

the Mayo Clinic offers tips on how to reduce fat content in your meals by replacing high calorie ingredients with healthy substitutes.
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/healthy-recipes/NU00584

Live Strong, the organization partnered with Lance Armstrong, offers great substitutions’ for all categories: baking, cooking, and appetizers!
http://www.livestrong.com/article/89998-heart-ingredient-substitutions/

Eating large amounts of food can be an easy thing to do. To help establish good portions, WebMD compares healthy portions of food to everyday objects. These photos provide easy comparisons using objects such as golf balls, cassettes, and lightbulbs.
http://www.webmd.com/diet/healthtool-portion-size-plate

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention talk about tips for portion control when eating at restaurants, purchasing packages of food, even TV dinners.
http://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/healthy_eating/portion_size.html

Another government website created by the USDA has started a link called ChooseMyPlate.com. This website outlines the various food categories (vegetables, fruits, meat, etc.) and discusses portions and other important facts. Their goal is to help you create the perfect plate full of healthy foods with a low calorie intake.
http://www.choosemyplate.gov/food-groups/

the American Heart Association gives a good diagram outlining the sections on a nutrition label and reveals some of the tricks that can be hidden within a label.
http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/GettingHealthy/NutritionCenter/HeartSmartShopping/Reading-Food-Nutrition-Labels_UCM_300132_Article.jsp

It’s hard to know the nutritional value of meals and foods when you are eating out. Luckily, apps on smartphones have made looking up that information easier! The Restaurant Nutrition App has hundreds of restaurants and fast food joints listed with nutritional content for meals and drinks to help you select the healthiest option.
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/restaurant-nutrition/id285180322?mt=8

eHow.com gives a handy llist of tips to help you break your bad eating habits. Advice from purging your kitchen of unhealthy foods to keeping your life stress free.
http://www.ehow.com/how_5158512_break-bad-eating-habits.html

Unhealthy habits do not always pertain just to food. Bad habits such as smoking can affect your overall health. A printable guide for people wanting to quit smoking is available for use.
http://www.cancer.org/Healthy/StayAwayfromTobacco/GuidetoQuittingSmoking/index