What is "Make the Better Choice"?

Every day, we face numerous choices.  When to wake up, what to wear, how long to shower, how early to leave for work, what to eat are just some of the many choices we encounter. Several years ago, while I was doing Weight Watchers, I began to think about the notion of making choices as it applied to eating. 

I am an all or nothing thinker.  If the choice I make is not perfect, I instead throw in the towel, which has led to lots of extreme thinking, extreme eating, and extreme weight fluctuations. As a psychologist--as a human--I understand that people don't routinely choose perfectly.  Rather, we consider our options and make choices accordingly. 

Thinking about all of this led me to coin the phrase "Make the Better Choice."  I decided to start thinking about my eating not in terms of perfect choices, but rather instead of better choices.  Sometimes, the better choice is a salad, but on other occasions, perhaps it is something different.  Perhaps you choose the low fat mayonnaise or decide not to go with it all.  Perhaps you choose to eat one burger instead of two.  Perhaps you forgo the appetizer and the dessert.  There are many ways in which we can make wiser choices with our eating.  The more often we make those better choices, the better long term outcomes for our health. 

Perhaps more than anything, maintaining the mantra "Make the Better Choice" allows you to be more mindful about how you choose to eat.  Greater awareness is definitely an asset to healthy eating. 

After conceptualizing of this idea, I began to post a daily thread on the Weight Watchers "Guys on a Diet" message board.  It quickly became a popular daily thread as people would share their successes.  Later, we got together a group of people who ordered green bracelets reading "Make the Better Choice" on them.  They were very popular as they served as a daily reminder of the importance of making wise choices.

I also soon realized that the MTBC concept applied not just to eating, but to many other areas as well.  Parents were ordering them for their teens, encouraging them to use the phrase to help them make better choices as well. 

I have made use of this phrase for a long time.  I think it can be beneficial in many areas of your life. Won't you join me on the journey?

Getting moving

A few days ago, I was helping my daughter work through her physics homework.  Part of the lesson was understanding friction.  It turns out that it takes more energy to start something moving than it does to keep it moving.  In other words, the coefficient of friction (static) > the coefficient of friction (kinetic).  The author rightly pointed out that the same thing seems to be true in our lives when we want to get moving.  It has been a while since I exercised consistently.  I know that I enjoy exercise.  I know that I feel better when I do it.  With that said, it is hard for me to get moving.  I make excuses like "there is no time in my day."  Well, this morning, I mapped out my time and it turns out that there is plenty of time before work to get moving.  If I plan to spend 45 minutes each morning exercising, I will have plenty of time to get going.