Improving your health to improve your life Published April 14, 2014 By Senior Airman Stephanie Sauberan Minot Air Force Base Public Affairs MINOT AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. -- It's been a long day at work on Minot Air Force Base and you are finally preparing to head home. You get into your car and realize that you're hungry; this is the moment when a choice can be made either to return home and cook a healthy balanced meal for yourself or take the more convenient route and choose fast food and empty calories. Even though it may seem like the choice is obvious it's not always easy for Airmen to choose the healthier option. Between long work hours, odd shifts, family life and trying to make time for themselves in their day, sometimes the faster route seems like the only route. There are a variety of tools available to Airmen that can assist them in not only making healthy food choices in the short term, but even assist them in changing their entire lifestyle if they choose. The base Health and Wellness Center is one such place that these resources are offered. "The Health and Wellness Center's mission is to bring health information to the masses," said Kristina Hokenson, 5th Medical Operations Squadron HAWC dietician. "We help to educate the base populace on how to make healthy nutrition, exercise and lifestyle choices a habit." When starting any new health plan it is important to seek professional advice first, said Hokenson. She went on to state that there are a wide variety of "fad diets" now-a-days and advised against any that recommend completely eliminating any one food group. Many people think that carbohydrates are bad and that eliminating them from their diet will help them to lose weight, said Hokenson. However, the human body needs natural carbohydrates to promote healthy brain function. "As a society we have too many processed carbs, but naturally occurring carbs that are found in foods like whole grains and fruit are very healthy and even improve mood," said Hokenson. The task of planning meals can seem daunting when you first start out but by using tools offered on sites recommended by the base HAWC such as www.choosemyplate.gov and www.eatright.org. Airmen can make meal planning much easier by learning tools to balance proportions of food types and portion sizes, said Hokenson. "One big change that is easy to do is to make half of your plate fruits and vegetables," said Hokenson. "By shopping the perimeter of grocery stores you are also more likely to find healthier non-processed foods." According to the National Health interview survey, one of the leading causes of obesity is living a sedentary lifestyle compounded by a lack of nutritious foods in a person's diet. "Being sedentary in general will contribute to poor cardiovascular health and weight," said Hokenson. "Simply taking the stairs or parking further away can help a person to improve their health." Obesity can be very hard on a person's joints, lower energy levels and even lead to chronic health problems such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease and some cancers, said Hokenson One of the tools available to Airmen who are working to lose weight and reach a healthy body fat percentage is the Bod Pod machine located in the HAWC. The Bod Pod measures just a person's body fat percentage helping them to get a better overall gauge on their actual weight and health, said Hokenson. The human body is made up of many other things than fat and as such simply relying on a weight measurement alone can lead to constant disappointment when dieting. "The Bod Pod is a free way to more accurately track your overall fat loss rather than fixating on your weight," said Hokenson. "The test takes about three minutes in the machine and appointments are for 15 minutes each." Airmen should refrain from eating, drinking or exercising two hours prior to the test and wear form fitting clothing such as spandex or a swim suit, said Hokenson. It is also important that the subjects clothing be free of wires and they remove all jewelry or any other metals. The NHIS recommends up to 150 minutes of exercise per week to promote good general health and 300 minutes to promote weight loss. The HAWC offers a wide range of classes on diet and exercise; to include a running and core strengthening class led by an exercise physiologist, a health education class which is open to the public, free commissary tours to teach healthy shopping habits and a healthy cooking class. The Healthy Body Healthy Life class also teaches a new health theme every week, and explores emotional triggers which cause poor eating habits while educating Airmen on good nutrition and life style choices. "There is no magic pill or diet to lose instant weight," said Hokenson. "You should always be wary of 'too good to be true' promises. Lifestyle changes are the best route to real and lasting change." For more information on classes please contact the HAWC at 723-5399.