my easy rules for staying in shape and good health

this is from a conversation with anne that I wanted to snap over to my 'blog.
I don't claim these are the be-all-and-end-all ... but I have lost, maybe as much as 45 pounds ... and I haven't been sick/run a fever in well over 15 years ... also, in over 20 years of continual exercise, I've missed a grand total of two days working out from injuries.
(i don't follow all these rules hyper-religiously, but do most of them everyday.)
1. drink a glass of water before every meal, including breakfast.
doing so helps you get the amount of water everyone seems to say you need during the day, it fills you up and will boost your metabolism as much as 15%.  (i particularly dislike this one because I don't like water 1st thing in the morning.)

2. eat nothing white.
this includes bread, potatoes, pasta and sugar.  this EXCLUDES yogurt.
3. park as far as you can from the building you're walking into.  (corollary: consider riding your bike instead of driving for distances like going to the grocery store.)
provides more ambient exercise.
4. don't use escalators or elevators. use stairs instead. {don't use moving sidewalks, walk instead.}
again, more ambient exercise. if you HAVE to use an escalator, walk up it (and consider doing a lap.)
5. don't eat ANY food where sugar (or fructose or corn syrup etc.) is on the 1st 3 items listed on the food label. don't eat any item where sugar is more than 25% of the calories.  (multiply the grams of sugar by 4 to figure out the calories.)
it's only a very minor exaggeration to say that sugar is a toxin.
6. if you can stand, don't sit. if you can walk, don't stand. if you can run, don't walk.
all have cardio benefit.
7. no desserts.
again, sugar is not your pal.  if you insist on something sweet, eat fruit.
8. no fruit juice.
fruit juice essentially keeps the worst stuff and gets rid of the good part (the fiber also helps you metabolize the fructose more slowly).  eat whole fruit instead.
9. no granola bars.
same reason as tip #5.
10. don't keep food in sight.
if you see it, you'll eat it -- even if you're not hungry (exception: fruits and vegetables).
11. no flavored yogurt.
buy plain no-fat greek yogurt. use cinnamon, nuts, fruit or berries for the flavoring.  greek is better than "normal" due to the protein content.
12. lift weights at least twice a week (but not more than every other day).
this is the biggest thing you can do to boost your basal metabolism. 
13. exercise by time, not distance.
in chunks no less than 20 minutes.  do a minimum of 150 minutes per week, but not more than 300.  count vigorous exercise minutes (going hard enough that you can't talk for more than a few seconds) as double.
14. take one day off from exercise per week.
unless walking is your ONLY form of cardio...then you need ZERO days off.
15. (with the exception of walking) don't do the same exercise 2 days in a row.
repetitive strain is the enemy here.
16. eat your sandwiches "salad style" with no bread.
a good second -especially if you're looking for the bread taste- is to eat them open face ... one piece of bread on the bottom only.
17. have at least one serving of nuts or seeds a day.
these contain good fats, proteins and fiber.  nuts are a well known entity.  in the seed world I'm partial to chia and hemp; also consider pumpkin (with shells), sunflower, poppy and sesame.
18. determine how many calories you "should" be having a day and hit that number.
(I use myfitnesspal.com because it's free and has a giant database on the back end).  if you're a first timer to the calorie world - even if you're not interested in calories per se - you'll probably be surprised how little food your magic numbers represent.  (for me, portion size is easily the thing I have the biggest "problem" with.)  note: without any exercise, this number will become nonsensical because your body will just adapt and you'll still gain weight (or become more fatty).
good luck in your effort.