When I reverted to my fit and healthy lifestyle a few months ago I had noticed that it seemed to be more difficult this time around to get rid of those unwanted pounds that crept up after many months of being lax. I wasn’t sure if I was doomed for failure, since the first time around seemed almost like an easy task, even though it did take thirteen months to lose all that weight. I turned sixty during that off time and was wondering if that number sabotaged my psyche as well as my waistline. Then I realized it is just a number after all, and that should not make a difference by hindering or slowing me down to reach my goal.

We can actually use numbers to our advantage when it comes to remembering and keeping our minds sharp. Is it all about the numbers, and are we being held hostage by those digits that seem to ironically weigh us down? It seems you need a number for everything these days and you’re supposed to remember all of them! Well, I must say it’s very good to keep your mind sharp and focused when you have to memorize all of these sequences. If it’s not a pin number or a password that needs digits in the code, than it’s something as simple as trying to remember and keep track of our caloric intake. Indeed experts tell us to read, do crossword puzzles or even play computer games to keep the brain active and functioning on a daily basis. Remember that old adage “if you don’t use it you’ll lose it”? Relatively speaking that’s a fairly good analogy when it comes to using the gray matter and retaining memory, by simply keeping track of dates, appointments and all of those bank numbers will exercise our minds.

You probably can rattle off the digits of your blood pressure, weight, height, Social Security and telephone numbers. Why not keep track of a few more statistics when it comes to tracking your daily intake of calories. I’ve noticed that there are a few helpful Caloric Calculators online such as one from the Mayo Clinic and by adding a few statistics will answer and let you know how many calories you should be consuming on a daily basis. Another counter known as Calorie King will calculate how many calories you will need daily to lose, maintain or if you need to gain some weight. Keep in mind, at our age if you do need to gain weight because you’ve been losing without changing your daily routine, there may be a reason and you should see your doctor as soon as possible, because this is not a normal occurrence as we age.

So I’m going to use numbers to my advantage by working out my brain as well as keeping measures on the scale and embracing my age because most of all I am grateful that I can still do all of the above. When you have your health you have everything as far as I’m concerned, and at the age of 62, I’m so very thankful this season and every season that I am able to count, write, move about, perform activities, and even cook in my senior years. A sincere thank you to all involved!