Check out these healthy tips from you neighborhood fitness professionals!

Jeff Rustein of Custom Fitness in Mission Hill, offers the following tips and says, "Small changes make a HUGE Difference. Improving your lifestyle does not mean swearing off chocolate or living in the gym. You don't have to eat wheat germ for lunch and you can still enjoy a nice plate of pasta. The key is moderation.”

Practical tips about staying healthy courtesy of Custom Fitness:

-Choose salad over chips or fries
-Don't add butter to your food
-Eat fresh produce with every meal
-Purchase fat free dairy products
-Limit desserts to one or two per week
-Cut out mindless snacking
-Drink water, not soda

Rebecca Cooper, Health and Wellness Director for the Dorchester YMCA, suggests these practical tips for staying healthy.

1. When eating out:

-Try and stay away from these terms or menu options: melted cheese; cheesy; breaded; sautéed; Southern fried; golden fried; special sour cream sauce; creamy sauce; luscious sauce; rich; crisp and golden; au gratin; gravy, cream-based soups; chowders; potato/pasta/tuna/chicken salads; scalloped; hash browned; stewed; pot pie; hollandaise, or butter sauce.

-Instead, look for these terms or menu options: Gazpacho; cool and juicy fruit cups; raw vegetables; crisp; crunchy; shrimp cocktail; baked; roasted; grilled; broiled; poached; marinara; dry (ex: fajitas ordered ‘dry’ means very little oil); steamed, or on the side.   

2. Get moving! There are little things that you can incorporate into your daily routine that can help you get your 30 minutes of recommended activity a day. 

-Park your car as far as possible from the door.
-Take the stairs instead of the elevator or escalator. 
-Get outside for a brisk walk whenever possible.

3. Keep things interesting! Do you do the same exercise everyday? Instead, try adding a few new activities into your normal workout routine. 

-On day one of exercise, take a leisurely stroll as your cardio activity. On day two, make it a jog. On day three, speed up your run, or a try water aerobics class.

-Changing up your routine will help you to keep up motivated and actually look forward to exercising! 

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