My Functional Body

Lately I have had to remind myself a lot that it is not how I look that matters to me as much as what my body can do. Thinking about my body that way is a lot better than thinking about it in terms of numbers. I find myself thinking things like "I will be happy when I am a single digit size" or "I will be happy when there are no (put a number here) in my weight". I also catch myself looking in the mirror and contemplating where things are and where they ought to be. But when I look at other people I tend to consider more about what their bodies can do than what they look like. At the gym I noticed that I didn't tell myself I wanted to look like the rail thin chemical blonde girl, I wanted to be like the girl that was kicking butt on the treadmill or intimidating the male loungers with her weight lifting skills. That is what is more important.
When I look at old people and what makes aging better it becomes all about function. I hear a lot of older people talking in the terms of what they used to do and how they can no longer do it. Then there is a whole different class of old people who defy odds and are still doing it. The key I think is to never stop. Another key is to focus more on function than looks. Which is where I struggle somewhat. Like I said at the beginning I feel myself gravitating more towards numbers and looks than function. If I keep my physical goals about function than I have a true goal. An achievable goal, whereas my weight naturally shifts and alters throughout the day, week, month and even year despite what I may be doing. My genetics control a lot of what clothes I can and cannot wear. But I can control what my body can and cannot do. I just need to remember that the gravitational pull on my body is not my problem. My problem is increasing the function of my body.