Vorsprung durch Technik

For the past month or so I've been making a concerted effort to eat better and exercise regularly. I had been good about it for awhile, but six to nine months ago I broke the good habits and resumed some bad ones, namely being less discriminating in what I ate and not exercising. Naturally, I put some weight back on that I'd worked hard to lose. I've been tired of carrying it around, so it's back to the grindstone.

At least five times a week I've tried to walk around the neighborhood for an hour. If my pace is anything like what it used to be, I estimate that I cover four miles in that time. It's all level, so there's not much to it other than putting one foot in front of the other again and again and again. I can tell a difference more in how I feel moreso than in appearance, although the weight loss is starting to become a little more noticeable to the naked eye. Feeling better makes me wonder how I stopped doing this in the first place. (Well, I know why...a lot of work stress, lack of time, etc.)

Finally I feel like I'm at the point where the food cravings have settled down, which should help too. Water consumption has increased a lot while drinking pop has dropped substantially. (Those kidney stones sure have me focused on staying hydrated.) I'm really curious to see how the latest addition to my routine affects things. It took a lot of effort to locate one, but I finally found and purchased Wii Fit. (If you don't know, it is is notoriously hard to find in stock.)

I took the balance board for a spin this afternoon and certainly worked up a sweat. On the plus side, Wii Fit provides immediate feedback and tracks your progress. It also gets the internal competitiveness firing, especially if and when you don't perform well at some of the games. I don't think it's probably recommended as one's sole form of exercise, but it looks to be a wonderful complement to a routine.

On the downside (or maybe it's a positive), the game alters the look of your Mii to reflect your body mass index. At least it doesn't change the optimistic hairline I've bestowed to my digital avatar. Then again, it's just another way--negative reinforcement--of encouraging exercise.

In the thirty minutes of exercise time I learned that I have terrible balance. No surprise. I'm interested to see what the results are as I continue to exercise and play this game.

When I lost weight before, I didn't weigh myself once. I figured it would be discouraging. I'm changing my mind now that I have the Wii Fit. It's silly but I want to show the machine that I can drop the weight. (With it you can't fool yourself through selective reading of the scales.) While the number I saw displayed wasn't where I would like it to be, it reinforced that what I've done for the last month has worked. I've lost a decent amount already. Now it's time to show the Wii who's the boss.