Practice Makes . . . Easier

My son has a Nintento Wii, and to encourage him (and ourselves), we bought Wii Fit several months ago. Wii Fit is a fun way to exercise, because it's exercise disguised as a video game. The first time I used it, I was shocked when I realized that an hour had gone by, and I only stopped because I was getting tired.

One of the Wii Fit modules is designed to improve balance. I thought it would be pretty easy, but was surprised to see how much I wobbled, and I didn't have a very good score on my first attempt. As I continued playing the balance games, however, I got a lot better, and it happened pretty quickly. It was amazing to see how fast things improved with a little focus, and I quickly learned to make the minor adjustments needed to keep me balanced so I could get a higher score. It got easier and more fun!

You probably know where this is going, don't you? :-) Getting started on Take Shape for Life/Medifast takes a lot of focus and we can wonder if this will ever feel like a natural part of our lives. When I first started on the plan, it was pretty all-consuming for me. I was focused on making sure that I ate every 2.5-3 hours and I spent a lot of time on the internet getting support and encouragement from the on-line community. In retrospect, I think I was afraid that if I adverted my eyes for a minute, I'd fall off plan (and I probably would have). For a while, I lived, breathed AND ate 5&1.

The good news is that, over time, this has become a part of my life. It's been almost a year since I reached my goal and I don't spend a lot of time focused on what I'm going to eat or how I'm going to do the program. I've learned to make the minor adjustments needed to maintain the balance between calories in and calories out - it's gotten easier and a lot more fun!

Of course, just like the Wii Fit balance games, this only happens with practice :-). Right now, most of you are in the "practice" stage of this plan, learning the healthy habits that, if followed, will keep you at your healthy weight for the rest of your lives. But it gets easier and becomes more a part of your life with each on-plan day.

So who's committed to an on-plan day today?