For you older movie fans out there, especially if you like comedies, the flick City Slickers, in my humble opinion, is one of the best. Billy Crystal plays the lead role and the story is about three New York City friends that are at various crossroads in their lives and they travel to a cattle ranch in the west for several days to attend a camp for adults that includes riding horses an herding on a cattle drive. An older veteran actor, Jack Palance, won an Academy Award for his portrayal of an old, experienced cowboy that teaches these inept New Yorkers how to be “cowboys”.
In one of the scenes, Billy Crystal is riding on a horse (wearing his Mets baseball hat)alongside Jack Palance and they are discussing “life”. Palance provides his insight that the “Secret of Life” is “one thing”. When Crystal asks him to elaborate, the wise Cowboy says “everyone needs to figure this out for themselves.” By the end of the movie, Crystal realizes that the “one thing” for him is his love and appreciation of his wife and children.
Off the movie set and on to the weight control green screen: When I ask you what your “thing” is, what would your answer be. Of the top 10, 20, 50 or 100 answers, I doubt that any of those have anything to do with a carbohydrate, beer, wine or any other ingestible item that derails weight control. Rather, similar to Billy Crystal’s character, your answer would mostly be about love of family.
Focusing on weight control efforts allows all of us to enjoy a much more fun and fulfilled life. Being heathier and spending more quality time with our loved ones translates into much more happiness than immediate gratification food/drink items provide us. Think this through before allowing yourself to indulge in behaviors that are damaging to the body.
Enjoy the scene from City Slickers when the Cowboy teaches the New Yorker about life.
