The Power of Reinforcement

Wii fitness has revolutionized exercise. Prior to the Wii there were obviously work out tapes, etc. but the interactive element of the Wii takes it to a whole new level (I am not on the payroll of Nintendo). I first stepped onto the Wii fitness exercise console 9 days ago when it told me I was slightly overweight and much older than my actual age, really? Well, this triggered a reaction which spurred this lifestyle change and the decision to actually follow my own advice as a physician. This morning I stepped on again and was given positive reinforcement. I lost a few pounds (probably mostly water weight) but this has obviously encouraged my change in behavior. I have heard that people that weigh themselves regularly tend to stay within a more narrow weight range. It makes sense that having objective data will change our behavior. I guess ignorance is not bliss when it comes to our health. A great feature is that the Wii fitness tells you how many calories you have burned with a given exercise similar to a treadmill at the gym. One problem may be that many people do not know how many calories they should be consuming a day or how many calories there are in certain foods. Hopefully, this will change when more restaurants put their calorie counts on the menu which has been encouraged by health care professionals.

Hearing nutrition experts, friends and patients tell success stories it is clear that this is about changing an unhealthy lifestyle that may have been ingrained in many of us since we were children. The overwhelming data on childhood obesity elucidates this point. The negative connotation of the word "diet" is something that I have tried to avoid in both my own mind and when I discuss necessary changes with others. A nutrition education based on the psychology and physiology of food will certainly enable us to make more conscious decisions.

Moderation is key. Last night we had some friends over for dinner and it was clearly going to be difficult to avoid a bolus of sugar (spaghetti, wine, cheese, cookies...) so I focused more on portion size which is probably just as challenging as making healthy food choices. This morning I woke up feeling a little less light and energetic as I had during the previous days when I had eaten a protein for dinner. Although, had I eaten as much as usual I probably would have felt worse. Maybe this will serve as another element of reinforcement.

Please share your stories in the comment section so we can all benefit together. Questions and ideas for other topics are definitely encouraged.