Being healthy starts with YOU.  There is no one formula for staying healthy.  You can start by working on your activity and nutrition…

What is sitting disease?

You can probably guess. It isn’t an official disease. It’s more of a catchy phrase for a sedentary lifestyle. Staying inactive (like sitting) for too long during the day, can cause health concerns.

You can fight against “sitting disease” by simply STANDING more. Sitting for long periods of time conserves energy more than standing. Standing actually burns calories because your body is working hard to keep your posture upright.

Try these tips to add standing to your day:

• Stand while eating your lunch, snack and dinner.
• Do one-leg balance stances while you watch TV, play a video game or brush your teeth.
• Have conversations while standing. Every time you talk on the phone, just stand up.
• Instead of texting, walk and talk face-to-face with your family member.
• Do a bit of exercise or stretching during commercials or timeouts.

Don’t forget to EXERCISE. According to medical experts, you need at least one or more hours of physical activity every day. Most of it should be aerobic activity where you get your heart going. Try these strategies for exercising more:

• Join a sports team (e.g., soccer, tennis, volleyball, basketball, etc.). If you live on or near a military installation there may be intramural teams you can join.
• Have an exercise buddy. It's always easy to find excuses to start and stop exercising. With an exercise buddy you can keep each other on track. Plus, it's fun spending time with a friend.
• Keep an exercise log. You can plan ahead for the week and then track how much you exercised and how you felt afterward.

But, what you eat affects how you feel. It's not always easy to know all the healthy choices available to you.

Meet Kendra, a food expert from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), who can help you make smart food choices to stay powered up.

Try the free BAM! (Body and Mind) Dining Decisions App

Dining Decisions is a game that places you in control of your food plate. Decide which foods give you more energy and powerful muscles, and which ones are better to eat only sometimes.

You can download the free app at the iTunes or Google Play store.