to be healthy, inside and out; it is to love and appreciate your body the way it is; it is to be able to achieve a balance in your lifestyle that will benefit your body.

BodyWise will give you the information you need to achieve all of the above! It will help you change your behaviours, attitudes and ultimately, your lifestyle. You will learn how to identify and change the behaviour patterns that have led to weight gain; you will learn how to make healthy food choices without feeling like you're depriving yourself; you will explore different forms of exercise and learn how to incorporate them into your schedule.

BodyWise will provide you with the tools and knowledge that can help you change your lifestyle for the better! The weight loss industry is booming; in the United States alone, it is worth over $70 billion dollars a year! Over half of the female population in the United States have invested in the diet industry, with less than 10 percent achieving and maintaining weight loss successfully! There are thousands of businesses and products that have materialised in response to this growing industry. Unfortunately for the unwitting consumer, there are some unscrupulous people out there who are more concerned with capitalising on our weight obsession than actually helping us successfully achieve a healthy lifestyle. There are amazing fat-burning soaps and lotions, fat-eating powders, appetite-suppressing pills, meal-replacement bars and drinks, over-the-counter and prescription drugs, commercial weight loss centres -- the list is endless.

The claims of these products range from the sublime to the ridiculous, and it can be very difficult to separate fact from fiction. Although there are reputable, well-educated weight-management professionals out there, they can be hard to find in the sea of infomercials, television and magazine advertisements and quick fixes. And unfortunately these fad diets and miracle cures rarely help people achieve and maintain weight loss, and can even, in some cases, cause serious health problems! So how is a body to choose? What is the answer? There are basic principles that successful weight loss and maintenance must be based upon; they are followed by Nutritionists, Dietitians, Personal Trainers, Lifestyle and Weight Management Consultants and any other credible weight management or fitness professional. The Dietary Guidelines issued by the US Department of Agriculture in the form of the Food Pyramid provide the basis for a healthy eating plan, and widely recognised minimum exercise requirements have been set to help people achieve a good level of health and fitness.

BodyWise will help you interpret and apply these guidelines within your own life.

The most important link necessary to achieve weight loss goals, however, is our attitude. We need to forget about going on diets, which we think of as having a beginning and an end, and instead focus on making permanent lifestyle changes; we need to work on modifying our behaviours. Behaviour modification is not easy; it demands a great deal of hard work, will power and often major chances in personal habits and lifestyle patterns. If you are not prepared to set aside the time to change your habits, you will continue to have the same results you have had in the past. BodyWise can help you change your most fundamental behaviours and attitudes towards eating and exercise.

Every other week, BodyWise will explore a different topic that will help you make changes that become part of the way you live every day! Become Body Wise and improve the qualify of your lifestyle! *** Alison Hirschi has been in the fitness industry for years and is a certified personal trainer who now consults on lifestyle weight management. Her column will appear every other Thursday in the Lifestyle section.

Alison Hirschi