New Habits on the Way - We Hope!

Happy Wednesday! I hope you're having a great (and on-plan) week!

My husband and I went to the health club together for the first time yesterday. We just added him to my club membership, so yesterday was his orientation for all of the cardio equipment, plus a lecture on nutrition and weight loss (he could have skipped that part, as he has maintained his 50 pound Take Shape for Life/Medifast weight loss for over two years). While he had his orientation, I did 45 minutes of cardio. Even though we weren't working out together, it was great just being there with him. This morning we're heading back for his orientation to the weight machines and free weights, where the trainer will help my husband set up a routine. While he's having his orientation, I'm going to do my own strength training. After today's orientation, my husband will be ready to start working out on his own.

This is something he has never done before, and at age 59, he will be working to develop a new healthy habit - exercise! He's used our treadmill on occasion (hates it!) and has also gotten on our elliptical from time time to time. I have some workout videos at home that I use, and I also like to workout using our Wii (I use both Wii Fit and EA Sports Active for Wii), but he has no interest in them.

While I have been challenged, as most of you know, to make exercise a regular part of my life, that really hasn't even been on my husband's radar until recently. He lost 50 pounds, is doing great keeping it off, and was happy with that. However, as he continues on his own journey towards optimal health, he has recognized that being healthy involves a lot more than just being in a good BMI range. Regular exercise, both cardio and strength training, are important if we are truly to be as healthy and as active as we want to be for the rest of our lives.

So, another chapter in my husband's journey is unfolding, and this step in his journey will also help me make exercise a higher priority. One of the things I want to share - and hopefully this will encourage someone reading this - is that this is a journey. We don't always get everything in place at the same time, and we certainly don't always do this perfectly. The point is that we continue to make progress, that we be willing to change.

Change isn't easy for any of us, and the older we get, the more challenging it is to incorporate new habits. The key word is "challenging," not "impossible." The more we focus on what we want, and what we want is optimal health, the more we are willing to make the changes needed to keep ourselves on that path.

Those changes happen one day and one choice at a time for us, and they happen one day and one choice at a time for you, too. Choose wisely :-)