"Let's say that I offer to buy you the car of your dreams. You can pick out any car you want, and when you get out of class this afternoon, that car will be waiting for you at home."
He goes on to explain that the only catch is that it will be the ONLY car they will receive their entire life. Knowing that fact, he suggests how they should respond:
"You're probably going to read the owner's manual four times before your drive it; you're going to keep it in the garage, protect it at all times, change the oil twice as often as necessary. If there's the least little bit of rust, you're going to get that fixed immediately so it doesn't spread--because you know it has to last you as long as you live."
And while young people are visualizing that prospect, he offers the wisdom that how you treat that car, should be exactly how they treat their body.
"You have only one mind and one body for the rest of your life. If you aren't taking care of them when you're young, it's like leaving that car out in the hailstorms and letting rust eat away at it. If you don't take care of your mind and body now, by the time you are 40 or 50, you'll be like a car that can't go anywhere."
Most people take a lot better care of their car than they do of their physical body. We know the kind of maintenance our physical bodies need but we often ignore those tune-ups.
Warren Buffett is not a Christian to my knowledge, but I found it interesting that in his analogy, he mentions reading the owner's manual. We also have an owner's manual in the form of the Bible. And that owner's manual does have some things to say about how we treat our body! 1 Corinthians 16:19-20 admonishes us to use our body to bring glory to God:
"Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body." (ESV)
If we poorly maintain the one beautiful gift of the body (including spirit and mind) that we were given, do we truly glorify God? Consider the parable of the talents in Matthew 25:14-30. The owner entrusted his servants with his property and expected them to use it wisely. The first two servants invested the property in their care and both increased their master's yield but the third servant buried what was given and did nothing but return it to the master. Consider your body as the Lord's property and our life as the time we have been allotted to use it wisely. Have you invested your body, mind and spirit in pursuits that will yield profits for the Master? Or have you buried yourself in sloth and gluttony, only to be found unfaithful when the Master returns for us?
It may cost us some financial investment now in eating healthier, perhaps investing in a gym membership, and even paying for a tool to assist in getting healthier like I chose to do. Keep in mind, that the long-term rewards of better health will always be greater than what we spend to get healthy. If paying for something now helps prevent heart disease, diabetes, and future surgeries, then you are actually saving money in the long run.
I realized that being obese wasn't really a choice between paying now or paying later. I was actually paying now AND looking at the sobering reality of paying even more later. Here are just a few ways that I paid up-front for my poor health:
Cost of Physical Health
- I developed circulation issues and severe ankle swelling (which then lead to doctor visits and buying compression socks--more costs!).
- Inflammation throughout my body
- Sores and rashes from tight clothing or chafing from skin rubbing against itself
- My snoring affected not only my sleep but my husband's as well. Our kids could also hear the snoring and it affected their sleep, too
- I was on track for becoming diabetic
- Unhealthy diet may have contributed to my gallbladder issues
- When I was battling constant inflammation and sore joints, I was spending money on pain relievers (some over the counter, and some prescribed).
- When I was dealing with swelling ankles, I was paying for medication to help alleviate water retention.
- The few times I would try to be active with my kids while still overweight, I often injured myself which lead to either doctor visits or chiropractic treatment.
- Because I was not keeping my body healthy with exercise, I often would strain muscles when tackling a household project. I had a period of extreme shoulder pain that involved months of physical therapy.
- I am embarrassed at the number of fillings I have in my mouth as well as multiple root canals and crowns. Every time I chose a sugary treat or drink, I was sacrificing oral health and literally eroding my teeth.
- I remember one time indulging in some Jelly Bellies (a former obsession of mine), when I literally pulled off a crown from biting into that sticky treat. It was even more embarrassing to confess it to our host, a dentist! Having that crown repaired was very costly.
- It gets expensive to continually buy new clothes because you have outgrown things. I feel sick to think of how many times I rebought a new wardrobe to accommodate my obesity.
- At my highest weight, I struggled to find a place to even buy undergarments. The average department store did not carry anything close to my size.
- I still remember the embarrassment of being in elementary school and having to shop in the adult section (more expensive) and then my mom had the time cost of having to hem them for me
- I rarely said no to myself when it came to snacks--buying ice cream, cookies, and a variety of unhealthy snacks. Every activity was paired with food: reading a book, watching a movie, doing laundry, helping kids with school. Like a chain smoker, who rarely is without a cigarette, I was rarely far from my next snack.
- Fun activities with family always had to involve food. Going on a trip, I was always annoyed when my husband wanted us to pack food from home because I wanted the excuse to eat the greasy offerings of fast food.
- When I failed to plan ahead with meals at home, there was always the temptation to order a pizza. Using food as entertainment becomes a very expensive prospect.
- As my weight climbed after graduating from college, I avoided seeing people from high school and college because I was so embarrassed by how much weight I had gained.
- I once had a friend reach out and ask me to go walking with her. On one of our walks, she commented on how many women "let themselves go" and I assumed that she was talking about me. The sad thing is that I was so hurt, I started making excuses to stop walking with her. Talk about sabotaging myself! Even if she was referring to me, it would have been the truth, because I had definitely let myself go. I should have swallowed my pride and been grateful that she had reached out and was trying to help me get healthier!
- I missed out on swimming with my kids because there just are not swimsuits to flatter a morbidly obese body.
- When my son was in baseball, the moms played a scrimmage game against their sons but I was too embarrassed to even try--too afraid of not being able to run to first base (if I were lucky enough to hit the ball).
- When we took our children to amusement parks, I missed out on rides that were too hard to get in and out of at my heaviest.
- One summer we made a family trip to Colorado and missed out on hiking a mountain with them. Pretty sad to travel hundreds of miles and not even be able to experience the beauty of the mountains because I was too out of shape.
- irritability
- self-loathing
- depression
- shame and embarrassment
- self-isolation
- lack of self-confidence to try new things
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