Letting Go of the Numbers

Source: www.westga.edu/~distance/

I was at a conference a few weeks ago on personal finance. One of the speakers--who was excellent, by the way--said something in the course of her long, detailed speech that had nothing to do with personal finance and everything to do with personal health.

This woman was quite the stunner: in her mid-fifties with a figure to die for and energy radiating out of her entire being. She mentioned that she has been a runner for a long time, but decided to work with a personal trainer who really pulled her out of her comfort zone. Her trainer started her on weights and she freaked out. Why? Because she gained weight. Why did I put "gained" in bold italics? Simple. Because while she gained weight, she actually lost inches.

And herein lies the moral of the story.

Weight loss warriors are so obsessed, obsessed and (dare I say) obsessed with the numbers on the scale that they will sacrifice healthy habits just to see a smaller number on the scale. This woman had actually done something good for her health by gaining muscle mass and her first reaction was "oh, no!". Fortunately, she realized the error of her ways, but maybe that's because she's already gorgeous and famous (lol). Who knows.

It's this numbers obsession that has people forgetting the basics: eat healthy foods in reasonable portions and move your body. And take time to smell the roses and eat a piece of chocolate, if that what rings your bell. That's what it's all about.

The rest is just a meaningless numbers game.