The Wisdom in Weight Loss

I was driving to a birthday party the other day when a bright yellow car zipped past me on the highway. It reminded me of my younger, more irresponsible days, when I relied on my “lead-foot” to get me from Point A to Point B as fast as possible.

As I tried to trace back the moment in my life when I became a more conscientious, (and yes, slower driver) it occurred to me that fatherhood, and the added responsibility of caring for a child, ultimately slowed me down. Having somebody relying on me for their safety had finally made me realize that speeding down the road in a giant metal cage just to get some place five minutes faster wasn’t worth it. As a father, getting someplace safe and sound was.

It can be both fun and scary tracing back the moments of wisdom in our lives and when they hit us like a cold frying pan across the head. The moments can be small—like when you stopped driving like a speed demon on the road—or they can be quite large and meaningful—like when you lose a loved one to something like a heart attack.

It’s the latter when most people realize that they have to renew their sense of self simply by taking better care of themselves. Maybe that means eating less fatty, artery-clogging foods, or maybe it’s just getting out and exercising more. Whatever the case, the inches you lose around your waist could add on years to your life, and there’s no reason to wait around for that “moment” to hit you.

Better yet, you can take the time now to grab a parent, sibling, or friend, and convince them that weight loss is worth it, especially if it means spending more time together. You can even use a double diet plan to motivate one another, and to pick each other up when the weight loss goals get bogged down. Before you know it, losing 10 pounds becomes losing 20 pounds, and the “old” you in the mirror suddenly looks a little bit wiser and more trim.

It doesn’t matter how long it takes to get there—the weight loss road can be a long and winding one, but your final destination is the key. When you think you see that fad diet revving its engine at the red light, know that its empty promises will ultimately be left behind in your healthy tracks.