Why do you care so much about your health?

BeachGingerOnTheRocks

Genetics are against me and luck with respect to those genetics haven't been in my favor.

BRACA1 gene carrier and breast cancer survivor with a family history of heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, cancers of all sorts, etc., etc....Lots could go wrong for me.

If I don't do this, I'm asking for an early grave.

kim4bs

I was fighting Type 2 Diabetes, a fatty liver, and no energy. My last blood work...liver normal and blood sugar in the non-diabetic range with no medication. I have so much more energy now. I've learned to put my health first.

cjsacto

I always felt I was overweight BUT pretty healthy... until I got turned down for health insurance last fall based on two minor health history issues and my BMI. I was even told that each healthy history item alone wouldn't have caused me to be declined.

For some reason, it wasn't a wake up call when my best friend had a stroke (we both have weight problems and she has some genetic bad luck), when my brother was diagnosed with diabetes, when I was told my cholesterol was borderline high ... but when some actuary somewhere said I wasn't healthy enough to insure, it was a real slap in the face and kicked me into gear for the first time in four years. I looked up my BMI and saw I was "obese" at 200 pounds, even though I saw myself through a filter that told me I looked not-great-but-OK and I felt capable of most activities.

Also, I'm in my 40s now and I want to keep my original knees and hips.

CoraGregoryCPA

I want to make the best of my life, I want to live it to the fullest, no medications or limitations.

jzammetti

Honestly, I just wanna look good naked.

Amen! me too!!!

aseymour13

Im 56 years old. Soon to be 57. and like a number of others, I want to be a fabulous fifty something and eventually a sexy sixty something. I have been active and fit my entire life until the past few years. Fractured my hip (which I actually didn't realize for over 2 years) and gained a lot of weight. All that being said - I have 2 college age daughters and I absolutely want to be around to torture them. My Mom died 26 yrs ago of breast cancer. My husband never even got a chance to meet her (2nd husband). My Dad passed away when my daughters were 4 and 15 months of a stroke (back when they didn't know NOT to take someone completely off Coumadin then putting them on full strength). I want to feel good and look good and be around for a long time.

rgrrgr

179 DAYS TILL I RETIRE

rabt6f

My parents are 50, obese, have no clue what healthy food is (they think they know), and they can't hardly keep up with my 2 year old. They are slowly killing themselves with their unhealthy lifestyle. I don't want to be them when I'm 50 and I want better for my daughter. I want her to know what real exercise looks like and what actual nutrition is.

NCchar130

- I work with disability claims and many of the patients I work with have become disabled by their lifestyle choices and I shudder at the thought of living like that. I know it could happen anyway, but I think I almost could accept it better if I didn't think I was to blame for it.

- I had back surgery a few years ago and spent 8 weeks or so "disabled" due to restrictions on what I could do. I think I appreciate my body more now than I ever did before. As long as it's working, I want to make it as strong and fit as possible.

- I've lost a couple of family members in recent years - that will make anyone reflect a bit on how short life is and how you never know when it's gonna be your time to go. I want to make the best choices possible so I can feel as good as it's within my control to feel every day.

auntsammy88

I'm 60. I miss a day of work due to illness about once every 3 years. I don't know I have a back, a stomach, knees, etc. because they just do their thing without bothering me. I'm not on any prescriptions. Part of it is good genes and part of it is work and I want to feel this way for a very long time.

And yeah, I want to look good naked!

I'm loving this! You go girl!

bushidowoman

As a cardiac/intensive care nurse, I see all the time what happens when people don't take care of themselves.
And then I see my grandmaster (a10th degree black belt), who keeps his body and mind strong through martial arts and clean eating.
Yeah, it's a no-brainer which one I'm going to shoot for.

msliu7911

I understand and accept vanity as a reason to take care of yourself - I love me, so I should be the best possible me - but I was surprised at how doing it the healthy way made vanity and health work both ways. I work out because I want to look hot, that's okay, but working out makes me feel like I'm hot! :smooched:

Great point!

msliu7911

I'm 60. I miss a day of work due to illness about once every 3 years. I don't know I have a back, a stomach, knees, etc. because they just do their thing without bothering me. I'm not on any prescriptions. Part of it is good genes and part of it is work and I want to feel this way for a very long time.

And yeah, I want to look good naked!

That is awesome! Thats something I want to be able to say when I'm your age. I had my spinal fusion when I was 12 and other than the staph infection it caused... I'm still up and going and better than ever 14 years later! I've been very fortunate in the sense that I can still do the same activities that I did before the surgery (minus a backbend/ crab walk) :P

Ultragirl2374

So many reasons.... But the biggest one is because I am worth it and deserve to be happier and healthier

MyChocolateDiet

same pretty much.

previous illness
second chance
but also my family there are people who rely on me so i have to be as healthy as I can and have no excuses right now so time to get to it.

msliu7911

Just going to be honest. I've always had a beautiful, fit body and always taken steps to maintain that. This was the next logical step, as I am getting older (ever-so-slightly) and I want to maintain my fitness, for life, with ease. Health is beauty (and happiness), so I take care of my health and enjoy it.

This is a great outlook and positive attitude to have. I wish most women had the positive thoughts about their body as you do. (big small, perfections, imperfections... etc).

ashleey1000

Because I'm only 24 years old and I feel like I let myself go. I'm too young to be this overweight and causing possible health problems for myself. I can't go to the doctor so I need to get healthy for me.

msliu7911

Let's see....
November 2006-my mom passed away and she was really obese and had heart disease
March 2007-gal bladder removed and they thought I had diabetes...
December 2009-liver problems
January 2010-heaviest weight ever of 346.6
February 2010-liver biopsy done
March 2010-weight loss journey started
June 2010-first time registered on a scale at 330.6
June 2010-same day I fell and hurt my knee real bad...sad had to lose weight to help it but they were both bone on bone due to my weight...
August 2010-stomach flu and an ovarian cyst found
October 2010-down 60 so far
January 2011-ovarian cyst had to be removed due to possibility of cancer
March 2011-down to 238 by my bday
June 2011-down to 205 and started the gym
August 2011-down to 185
December 2011-down to 165
...as I found out on here, starvation mode for about a year but lowest was 153.7 but not eating much...
January 2013-joined my fitness pal at 157.6
February 2013-148.4 right now

Wow, great job!!! I think that even though you started MFP at 157.6, you should still reflect your TOTAL weight loss in the ticker! You're down just short of 200 LBS!!!! That is amazing and something to celebrate in itself, especially considering all you've overcome.

msliu7911

Because I'm only 24 years old and I feel like I let myself go. I'm too young to be this overweight and causing possible health problems for myself. I can't go to the doctor so I need to get healthy for me.

You're still young enough to start getting healthy. Its never too late... start now before you have no choice but to see a doctor. Stick to MFP, great resources/support/motivation on here.

ashleey1000

Because I'm only 24 years old and I feel like I let myself go. I'm too young to be this overweight and causing possible health problems for myself. I can't go to the doctor so I need to get healthy for me.

You're still young enough to start getting healthy. Its never too late... start now before you have no choice but to see a doctor. Stick to MFP, great resources/support/motivation on here.

Yup I've started! The time is now I've procrastinated too long.

ClaireBoe

Just like with all the parents here, I want to be here for my kids and their kids (and maybe even THEIR kids!) I want to be able to go hiking, and stay active into old age, like my mom. She will be 80 in a week or so, has never been overweight and goes to the gym, still. I am so thankful that she has taken care of herself, and I owe that to my own kids.

Also, you just never know when the zombie apocalypse will happen, and I need to be able to run! LOL! (My zombie loving peeps will appreciate this..."CARDIO!")

BobbieLee1959

spent a lot of time being overweight, then about 10 years being skinny fat, then slowly went up over the years until I hit morbidly obese (I think now I am just obese)~~in my 20's, 30's and 40's, I was somewhat healthy even though overweight, but when I hit the big 5-0, I discovered due to some female problems, what I was doing to myself. So at 52, decided that I needed to make a change and become healthy if possible~~so far, it has been a great way to spend the past year! I feel soooooo much better after losing 20% of my body weight...I could easily stand to lose another 90 lbs, so that I would be at about 50% of my highest weight.

I have already seen an increase in stamina, my mood is better, I sleep better, and don't snore. My knees don't ache, my body only hurts when I have overworked it (which I do on occasion) and I can breathe...I don't sweat unless I mean to, I eat what I like, just not as much of it, and I am learning how to make better choices in how I fuel my body.

My life is 100% better. My family is proud of me, my friends on MFP, at work and in real life, are supportive and have been complimentary and have I mentioned that I can move without getting out of breath?

When I see people that are NOT taking care of themselves, it makes me want to cry...when I hear someone say, "I hurt all the time." and I can see that the reason they hurt is because they eat too much and move too little, I want to say, "Just start today and by this time next year, you can feel amazing, too!"

So why do I care so much about my health? I care because I have been possibly at the brink of death and not only is that scary, but it also feels miserable!

To quote my favorite actor~~"That is all I have to say about that." ~Tom Hanks as Forrest Gump

msliu7911

Just like with all the parents here, I want to be here for my kids and their kids (and maybe even THEIR kids!) I want to be able to go hiking, and stay active into old age, like my mom. She will be 80 in a week or so, has never been overweight and goes to the gym, still. I am so thankful that she has taken care of herself, and I owe that to my own kids.

Also, you just never know when the zombie apocalypse will happen, and I need to be able to run! LOL! (My zombie loving peeps will appreciate this..."CARDIO!")

LOL .. my husband makes references to this quite often. Survival of the fittest!!!!!!!!

never124get

Basically I was diagnosed with PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome, it's mostly becoming more common with overweight women) when I was 18 and was told if I don't get in shape and lose weight it will be difficult for me to conceive. I really want children, and I want to be healthy so I can be around for my children, grandchildren and maybe even great grandchildren if I'm as lucky and as healthy as my great grandmother was I want to be a good example for my children so they don't have to deal with weight issues growing up like I did.

simplyxaddicted

I want to be confident and I also want to have lots of energy to play with my daughter

NaomiJFoster

Because I'm watching my mother age right now. She is having a lot of health problems. And some of those are a result of not having been very active in her middle-age years.

TavistockToad

Honestly, I just wanna look good naked.

Primarily, ths! But also I have a morbidly obese mother who has a whole host of health problems, most of which are probably hereditary so I figure the more I can do to be healthy now, the better! I refuse to turn into my mother in 30 years!

emelia_

I like to compete in running events and watching what I take in vs what I put out has really shown me how much crap I was putting in my body. I want to be able to run for a long time and as a plus healthy = confidence!

smokinjackd

I want to enjoy getting older and try to stave off the diseases and frailties that effect older people, and more importantly i have four people that depend on me to be healthy and active.