We've all seen it, but do we actually believe anything that the Federal government would issue? Well, would we?! And why a pyramid? Why not a funnel or an iceberg? I'm sure it has to do with some USDA director that was really intrigued with the Pharaohs of Egypt. Who cares anyway? Most of the US population has chosen to ignore it. In this brief unit, we'll take a good, hard look at many practical things relating to our diets, fitness, and grocery shopping practices.

No, staying healthy has nothing to do with the "Sunny Girls of Kansas", "Pro Foosball and You", "Gunny Sack Beach", or "Bad Boys Have Fun" diet fads (or any of the hundreds of other ones that seem to crop up faster than IRS tax changes). What follows is my simple road to healthful living and, YES, I've stolen most of it from the common sense file.

Rule 1. Having a more positive - confident outlook on life is enhanced by being healthy. It's like your car - having it tuned makes it run faster, more efficiently, and pollute less. Now I'm not suggesting you "pollute" in the same sense that you're thinking I'm suggesting you "pollute" because when one thinks of "pollute" it's not a very pleasent visions and this site is about Nice Visions - not piles of refuse lying here and there.

Rule 2. Being healthy is a lifestyle commitment. It's not about buying the "Healthy Choice - Cream Corn and Chicken Knuckle" dinners in your local grocer's frozen food section. It most certainly doesn't have to do with ingesting mass quantities of colon choking red meat or any of the other "get thin" quick diets out there. You have to want to be healthy and commit the time and energy to it. Period.

Rule 3. Eating right is very important. Now let me take a big risk here and suggest that the USDA, a branch of a government really concerned about the eggs we beat, might actually have some good advice about the food you eat. Did you know that the new pyramid doesn't even mention good things like candy bars and twinkies? What? You didn't know that they changed the pyramid? Sure, they had a contest for five-year olds and posted them on the front of the White House. This one was select. It even has a person walking up the side of the pyramid to demonstrate that, yep, you need to exercise. Here, check out the site and read for yourself:

Rule 4. Exercise is a good thing and might even be better than watching TV if only applied in limited doses. Well, duh, why would anyone think that working your body through some aerobic exercise might do it some good? If you aren't exercising on a regular basis - do it. Make the change and get hooked. Here's a good site to get you started:

Rule 5. Set goals and work through them with a friend. No friend or close acquaintance? Take your goals down to the local police station and tell them that if you don't make steady improvements you want to be thrown in jail for a night. That'll slap some sense into you. My wife used a shock collar on me for a while but the Depends just didn't hold up. Working through an "I'm going to get in shape" lifestyle change is best accomplished en mass. Look at the millions of people using fitness centers. But you don't have to pay big bucks (even though it becomes a good motivational factor). Just make the commitment with the help of a friend.

Rule 6. Get rid of the temptation. Sell the TV, lock the refrigerator, and set all the junk foods on fire on your front lawn. You can't eat bad stuff if it isn't in the house. Have a friend who's out of shape? Dump him, too. Ah, well, I guess you could try to get him involved in all this healthy stuff as well.

Rule 7. Reward yourself. We like to feel that sense of accomplishment and what better way than a reward? You've worked out for a whole month? Take a trip to the Bahamas. Stopped drinking that 32oz Mountain Dew for breakfast? Get that nose job you've always wanted. You can even use smaller rewards. Tape $5 to the TV and, if you get out and walk each night, at the end of the week you get the money.

A positive and energetic you comes from being fit and feeling it. Hey, don't shoot me! I'm just the messenger. You know I'm right and it's not because I'm a highly intelligent, handsome, fit kind of guy. Do the homework, read the reports, but start that lifestyle change and you won't regret it.