Lean and Green

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#5: Count Calories and Steps
To lose weight, we have to burn more calories than we consume (the guidelines recommend less than 2,000 calories a day for active women between the ages of 19 and 50). Still, the real shock in the new dietary guidelines isn't about the food but about the exercise. If we want to prevent illness, such as diabetes and heart disease, we should get at least 30 minutes of activity most days. To maintain a healthy weight, we need 60 minutes. And people like me, trying to lose weight? 90 minutes. That's a lot more than I get with a treadmill in my office, a gym membership, two flights of stairs and two acres on which to chase my children and pets. "I find it disheartening that there is no effort in the guidelines to remind people that even if you can't meet these goals, some exercise is better than no exercise," Nestle says.

Stealth move: Give yourself credit. I'm already spending 45 minutes on my treadmill, four days a week. If I do the vacuuming, I'll get another 20 active minutes; if I park at the far end of the shopping complex, I can walk for 15 minutes more. Buy a pedometer at any sporting-goods store and measure your steps for a few weeks: Look to increase activity by about 2,000 steps or 20 minutes (about a mile) each day.

Health benefits: Besides burning calories, exercise reduces the risk of coronary heart disease (the nation's leading cause of death), stroke, colon cancer, diabetes and high blood pressure; and reduces symptoms of anxiety and depression, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

Environmental bonus: By walking, running or biking instead of driving, we reduce smog and greenhouse gas emissions. If I can walk seven miles per week on errands for which I normally drive, I'll keep 413 pounds of CO2 out of the atmosphere per year. Assess your contribution with the personal calculators at www.yosemite.epa.gov and www.safeclimate.net.

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