REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala. -- Life changes begin with changing the way people think.
That's the premise of The Daniel Plan, a 40-day program to living a healthier lifestyle through optimizing the five key essentials of faith, food, fitness, focus and friends.
As students graduated from The Daniel Plan on April 12, Aviation and Missile Command Chaplain (Lt. Col) Adolph DuBose encouraged them to incorporate its principles and teachings in their everyday living.
"Make this course part of our life," DuBose told the graduates. "It gives you a healthy outlook on life, and the courage to go for your goals, even if you stumble on the way.
"Now, the ball is in your court to be a good steward of your body, to help yourself and to serve others. You have an obligation to help yourself and encourage others. I know you will continue to do great things."
About 25 students met once a week for six weeks to review and discuss The Daniel Plan teachings, found in the book and study guide "The Daniel Plan: 40 Days To A Healthier Life" by minister Rick Warren. For most of them, the goal is to adopt healthy eating and exercise habits into an overall better lifestyle, to build a deeper relationship with God and develop a community of supportive friends.
"I wanted to improve my diet and I was looking for something I could continue over the long term that wasn't a fad," said student Kenneth Bruton.
"To me, it's about a healthier lifestyle," added LaDonna McCann. "One of the things I will take with me from this is the 90/10 rule. If you hit a healthy lifestyle 90 percent of the time by eating right and exercising, then it's okay to enjoy the other 10 percent. I like that because it's doable."
Debra Scruggs and her daughter, Candice Scruggs-Hunter, attended the class together.
"We're always looking for things to do together that will makes us healthier," Debra Scruggs said.
They had tried The Daniel Fast, a spiritually motivated diet based on the Bible's book of Daniel and involves a 21-day program of abstinence from foods declared unclean by God in the laws of Moses. They found that to be too restrictive, and said The Daniel Plan was more management and doable over the long term.
"This is something we can continue, even when we have setbacks," Candice Scruggs-Hunter said. "It is something we can do together. We can support each other and help each other.
"We are even having a conversation about doing this at our church. I really want to get my friends involved. They don't do a lot of working out and eating healthy."
Debra Scruggs said she liked how The Daniel Plan makes "you're more aware of your current lifestyle and what you are doing that you can change to be healthier. It makes you accountable to yourself and to your friends."
During one of the group's meetings, Heather Hough, a dietician at Fox Army Health Clinic, spoke to the group about developing healthy habits.
"This is about the process of eating healthy, not about perfection," Hough told the group. "We want you to develop consistent healthy eating habits and fitness that you can live with for a long time. We want you to be able to stay motivated for a long period of time."
It's important to build an "arsenal of tools" that will set each person up for success with their healthy lifestyle goals, Hough said.
"The smallest changes can make all the difference," she said.
Hough used The Portion Plate to illustrate for the class what a healthy meal looks like. When eating a meal, half the plate should be fruits and vegetables, a quarter of the plate should be a meat and the last quarter should be a serving of whole grains.
"Eat three healthy meals a day or six small meals," she said. "When deciding on in-between meal snacks, think about what food groups you want to have as snacks.
"It is recommended to have two cups of vegetables at each meal, one protein that looks like the size of a deck of cards and about a quarter of a plate of grains, beans or starchy vegetables. That's how you divide the plate. For snacks, fruits are a good choice."
Adults should participate in at least 150 minutes of cardiovascular activity each week throughout life. To lose weight, Hough recommends 150 to 300 minutes of cardio each week.
"Low impact exercise -- walking, biking, swimming -- are all good choices. Using an elliptical machine is also beneficial," Hough said. "You want to get your heart rate up because it helps to burn calories faster."
Graduates included: Alfreda Alexander, Darnesheia Alexander, Barbara Alquist, Kimberly Blanding, Kenneth Bruton, Etta Buttner, Karra Cochran, Levern Eady, Sara Finigan, Maj. Jarrod Gillespie, Billy Gravitt, Capt. Andrea Green, Melissa Kilgore, Ruby Lunz, LaDonna McCann, Denise Myhand, Sara Northcutt, Marina Okraski, Cassandra Patton, Molly Preston, Eura Reeves, Candice Scruggs-Hunter, Debra Scruggs, Jae Steele, Alejandro Vargas, Jen Vogeltanz and Willie Watson.
The Daniel Plan was coordinated by the AMCOM Chaplain's Office and will be offered again later this year.
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