Eating one more serving of fruit, vegetables and nuts contributes to 1.25 pounds lost every 4 years.

What foods are most strongly associated with weight gain? Is it really any surprise that in a 20 year study of more 120,000 participants, potato chips and sugar-sweetened beverages contributed 1.28 pounds and 1.00 pound of weight gain every four years? Yogurt, nuts, fruits, whole grains and vegetables were associated with significant weight loss over the same period of time. All of these items are per serving added per day to the diet.

PositiveTip: Which direction is your scale going? Remember, consistently skipping the tempting bag of potato chips and or a cold sugar-sweetened beverage can tip the scale downward.

Each hour of daily television viewing contributes almost 1/3 pound weight gain every 4 years.

In a remarkable study of more than 120,000 men and women followed for 20 years, researchers have confirmed that small changes in lifestyle can significantly impact long-term weight control. Participants were assessed every 4 years. Not suprisingly, physical activity contributed to 1.76 pounds of weight loss every four years. Each alcoholic drink per day, added 0.41 pounds and each hour of television viewing per day added 0.31 pounds over the same time.

PositiveTip: Small choices made on a consistent basis contribute to significant changes over time. What kind of little changes do you need to make to improve your health?

Start strength training with the weights you already have--your own body!

So, you want to start a strength training routine but are waiting to purchase a set of weights? Why not consider using your own body weight for resistance to work your muscles? You can strengthen your arms with chair dips, your legs by getting up from a sitting position, or strengthen your abdominals by doing sit-ups. These might not work for bodybuilders, but they certainly are sufficient for most of us.

PositiveTip: Begin strength training with what you already own! Check out trustworthy websites like NIH Senior Health and the American Council on Exercise.