• Choose activities you enjoy the most. You'll be more likely to stick with them.

Be an advocate

The makeup of our environments — where we live, work, learn and play — strongly affects our health. If we are in places that encourage healthy habits, and make them easy choices, we are more likely to benefit.

Think about where you spend the majority of your time and what types of choices you have in those places. Try the following to improve your environments:

• Be an advocate for safe and convenient places to be active in your neighborhood.

• Make sure snacks and lunches offered at work functions are healthy.

• Find out if your employer offers incentives or rewards for healthy behavior.

• Support healthy food options in school cafeterias and vending machines.

• Breastfeeding is a very early way to begin a life filled with good health and benefits both the child and mother, but nursing is not always easy for new moms. You can help by contributing to a relaxing home environment — drop off healthy meals or snacks for mom, or volunteer to do some housework. Go to www.utahbreastfeeding.org/index.php for more.

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E-mail: lucy@desnews.com