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Would You Rather Be Fit or Rich?

Posted: Monday, January 28, 2008 9:48 AM by Dan Fleschner
Filed Under:

This morning, Jane Chestnutt, editor of Women's Day, and psychologist Dr. Michelle Callahan (left) joined Hoda to discuss a recent poll conducted by Women's Day and AOL Body. WATCH VIDEO

The poll asked, "Would you rather have a million dollars or Jennifer Aniston's body?"

Of the 6,905 women who responded, 78 percent said they would take the money. What do you think the results of this poll tell you? And what would you do -- take the money or take the body?

Here are some more poll results:

--57% of respondents considered themselves overweight
--30% admitted to feeling "uncomfortable and ashamed" about their bodies
--37% said their fondest wish was "to be thinner"
--8% said they exercise regularly

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Comments

I'd take the money.  I wouldn't have to work such long hours and could walk a few miles every day.

Danielle Stanley (Sent Monday, January 28, 2008 10:04 AM)

I'd take the money.  How do you think the "stars" stay thin.. they hire a chef & a trainer... so get real.  I'd keep my job, cut back my hours and hire a chef and trainer.  I was a size 5 (after my 3 children) and I dont want to be that small again, my quest is to be healthier..

Denise Miller, Atlanta GA. (Sent Monday, January 28, 2008 11:24 AM)

DEFINITELY RICH- AT LEAST YOU DON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT WHERE THE MONEY IS COMING FROM -FOR YOUR HEALTH CONCERNS!THEN YOU HIRE PEOPLE TO HELP YOU AND YOU HAVE THE TIME TO EXERCISE!

C RIDDICK (Sent Monday, January 28, 2008 3:40 PM)

I would take the money, and pay to get the body!

Samantha, Pittsburgh, PA (Sent Monday, January 28, 2008 3:45 PM)

rich.  Then I could afford apersonal trainer and cook like oprah!

jenny rome georgia (Sent Monday, January 28, 2008 3:46 PM)

I would take the money. If you had enough money where you didn't have to spend countless hours behind a desk you would have greater opportunities to work out. Also its bad to say but its expensive trying to eat healthy! All the fresh produce and meat cost much more money than all those processed foods!

Jen Broken Arrow OK (Sent Monday, January 28, 2008 4:04 PM)

Wow! That's an easy one!! Take the money and hire a personal trainer.

Renay (Sent Monday, January 28, 2008 4:45 PM)

i ll take the money, its the stress from our jobs, that sometimes keep us trapped in fat.
The poor working folk, are on a treadmill
When I vacation, and have to purchase all my food, I eat less and better, I am not stressed, but when I return to work I eat to handle it..
take the money and enjoy a healthy body.

Cindy from Minneapolis (Sent Monday, January 28, 2008 6:05 PM)

The money.. I'd be able to afford the the better quality foods that all the health experts say we should eat.

Jeanine Zaleski (Sent Monday, January 28, 2008 7:05 PM)

I would take the money and buy me a body like JA and then some.

Katishia Yamoma (Sent Monday, January 28, 2008 7:33 PM)

I would rather be fit with a million :). I have had problems with my weight all my life and dieted every diet...and for once I'd like to look like the stars with millions.
Money can't buy happiness, so they say. But I bet it can be pretty close.

M. Babineau, Wisconsin (Sent Monday, January 28, 2008 7:37 PM)

There is no greater gift than that of good health...all the money in the world is useless if you don't have that...

Sylvia Winterfeld (Sent Monday, January 28, 2008 7:39 PM)

Sad isn't it that we want the money, and life is so short to be stressed, overwhelmed with work, home and responsibility.  Yep, forget the trainer and chef, start a farm, grow my own...oh yah, on my plantation in Hawaii just off the beach.  Now that would be all the excersize I'd need!

Barbara C, Little Rock, AR (Sent Monday, January 28, 2008 8:33 PM)

I'd take the body, then marry the money.

Cat, Melbourne, FL (Sent Monday, January 28, 2008 8:56 PM)

I'd take the money

l.Young Reno, NV (Sent Monday, January 28, 2008 8:59 PM)

I would take the money - stop working and work all the fat off! Who are we trying to kid? Money makes the world go 'round!

Tarsha Wingfield, Chapin, South Carolina (Sent Monday, January 28, 2008 9:29 PM)

Health for sure!!! Those who have never had health problems go for the money which I understand, but when at 46 you have a major stroke then find out you have a failing heart, you think second about the money and go for the health.

Tom, Des Moines Iowa (Sent Monday, January 28, 2008 11:51 PM)

Are you kidding me? I've been poor my entire life, It would be worth being overweight just to know you could pay all your bills this month.

Lisa P. of Baxter Springs Ks. (Sent Tuesday, January 29, 2008 12:06 AM)

All th money in the world can't buy you good health and a good body-so I would rather have the good healthy body.

Shirley Kessler (Sent Tuesday, January 29, 2008 1:02 AM)

I would take the money

Tabitha Bloomfield,Zanesville,Ohio (Sent Tuesday, January 29, 2008 3:55 AM)

Money & body of course!!!!!!!!!Without health money is nothing. Health is Wealth

Jenny Thong KL Malaysia (Sent Tuesday, January 29, 2008 4:05 AM)

I already have the body but it takes years to save a million on a low six figure income, so I'll take the money!

Lisa (Sent Tuesday, January 29, 2008 4:30 AM)

Girls... come on...  Take the body and use it to make millions.  If you take the million bucks, it will be gone in under a year and you'll be back to the unfulfilling sedentary job because you've spent the money on a personal trainer, a chef, plastic surgery, new designer clothes to go with the new body, a shiny and sleek new car to match your new body and wardrobe.  By the time all is said and done, you've created the snowball effect and you'll be broke.  Not to mention, wayward friends will come out of the woodwork with their hand out looking for charity.  If you don't have the body but have the money, then you will always have that lingering thought in your head that all of these single guys that have popped out of the woodwork don't really desire you as a beautiful person inside and out; they just see your fat wallet.

Evie, Seattle, WA (Sent Tuesday, January 29, 2008 4:36 AM)

If you're rich, you have a lot more opportunity to become fit.  Exercise machines, gym club memberships, sporting goods, proper nutrition, and most of all the time to take advantage of it, all costs money.

N Wright (Sent Tuesday, January 29, 2008 5:31 AM)

I'd take the body - $1 million isn't much these days.  And the best part of the choice of body is I actually have a chance of having that someday (when they outlaw ice cream!)

Barbara, Rock Hill, SC (Sent Tuesday, January 29, 2008 6:19 AM)

Money worries cause me to over eat.  So I would take the money.

Nancy, Minneapolis, MN (Sent Tuesday, January 29, 2008 7:10 AM)

Wow!  Great question.. The body.  Of course.  Who, money is abundant and easy to make.  A body like that takes serious dedication.  

If it was easy to maintain a body like that.... we would all have one already.  No one really lacks the desire to be healthy.  They lack the expertise and with all the whacks out there, that money will be gone in no time.

Someone already said that they would burn through that money in no time trying to acheive that same level of fitness and that's true.  You don't need a gym to be fit, you need a desire, and a strong support system.

On my Way (Sent Tuesday, January 29, 2008 7:18 AM)

The money, of course!  Then hire a personal trainer, a cook to make healthy meals.  And with money you'd have time to do the exercise to get the body you want.  If I had no more stress over paying my bills each month...u betcha I'D TAKE THE MONEY!

Jeanne, Long Beach, Calif (Sent Tuesday, January 29, 2008 7:32 AM)

I would take health.  You are only as rich as you think. I AM A CHILD OF A KING ( we all are) and all we have to do is ask and it shall be given unto you.  I am worthy of all his treasures.... aren't you?

Shoreline, Austin, TX (Sent Tuesday, January 29, 2008 7:33 AM)

I'd take the body.  A million dollars only lasts so long, a healthy body lasts forever!

Julie, STL Mo (Sent Tuesday, January 29, 2008 8:01 AM)

Health!!!  Money is temporary.  I am in the gym five days a week and watch what I eat and when I eat.  I take every step to ensure I keep my only body in top performing shape.  When you work for it, you value it more.  Taking the money will accomplish what?  Nothing.....so you have a million dollars.  What happens when you spend it?  You have a few toys but still have the body you started with.  Think about it people.  Nothing in life comes easy.  

Jeremy North Potomac MD (Sent Tuesday, January 29, 2008 8:25 AM)

I'd take the money.  My student loans need more help than my body does!!  (And I'm 30)!


Jen, Morris Plains, NJ (Sent Tuesday, January 29, 2008 9:03 AM)

I would rather be rich! Then I wouldn't have to worry about paying for all the "necessities" of life. Money buys time, and I would have all the time in the world to work out.  I, too, would employ a trainer & a personal chef!

Rachelle, Atlanta, GA (Sent Tuesday, January 29, 2008 9:09 AM)

I would take fitness because you can't spend money when you're dead and unhealthy people are well on their way.

Charlene, Atlanta, GA (Sent Tuesday, January 29, 2008 9:17 AM)

Most of you crack me up :)  ....

You think you can buy a nice bod with your $$$. Very
hard work and dedication to exercise, and eating correctly are the only way. This overall attitude on
this poll is why most of America is FAT! Most of you would drop dead 20 years before your "time" . What
good will all that money do you then? I see fat guys/gals in 'vettes which is cool while they are in it, but someone who's fit, is in their "sports car" all the time.

Mark (Sent Tuesday, January 29, 2008 9:21 AM)

Gone are the days when it was said that money can buy bed but not sleep but in today's stressful, competitive, despairing world, we need a comfortable bed to enjoy peaceful sleep; which can be bought with money and money only. Fitness can be bought with money but money can ALWAYS not be bought with fitness.

Lalita, New Delhi, Delhi (Sent Tuesday, January 29, 2008 9:29 AM)

I would definitely take the money, go back to freelancing and quit my day job.  Then I'd have more time for dance classes and a slew of other outdoor activities that would allow me to EARN the fit body.  Plus I agree with the person that commented on the cost of healthy food; it is more expensive than processed food and the money would help me shop smarter.

And besides, Jennifer Aniston's body is not my idea of a great body- she has no curves!  Now if you'd offered me a dancer's body, like one of those beautiful ladies from the Alvin Ailey Dance Theater, THEN I'd have a tough decision on my hands.

R.P., Brooklyn, NY (Sent Tuesday, January 29, 2008 9:48 AM)

I would definately take the money. Then I could stay home with my 2 year old son. Running around with a 2 year old all day will get you the body.

M. Gillum, TN (Sent Tuesday, January 29, 2008 10:11 AM)

These answers are ridiculous. First of all the question was... be fit OR rich... they never mentioned combining both. So being rich and hiring a personal trainer is not in the question. Id choose to be fit. Its not hard to be poor, fit, and happy.

Andrew, Somers, NY (Sent Tuesday, January 29, 2008 10:13 AM)

It doesn't take a personal chef or a gym membership to be fit. Just the desire to eat healthy, cook for oneself and quit watching TV.
Money can make life a bit easier, but if you invest your TIME better... you never can tell, maybe the money and the body is just around the corner!

Katie Carruth, Athens, OH (Sent Tuesday, January 29, 2008 10:15 AM)

It seems that those who answer "health" or "body" are under the impression that it will be granted to them for a lifetime with no effort on their part. I've known plenty of young women with better bodies than Jennifer Aniston working as waitresses and when I see them a few years later, the constant neglect that comes with a tough, stressful job has taken its toll on their health and appearance.  Anyone who has made a serious attempt to live a healthy lifestyle knows that the preparation of calorie-specific meals, snacks, and sticking to an exercise regimen requires time that our 12 hour/day jobs aren't allowing us to have.

Sean, Chicago, IL (Sent Tuesday, January 29, 2008 10:21 AM)

Fitness cannot be bought, nor can health or love...take the health, folks...otherwise nothing matters...

EGRK Bflo NY (Sent Tuesday, January 29, 2008 10:29 AM)

As a Personal Trainer......who use to be fat 280lbs, knowing what I now no at 130lbs and SUPERFIT I would take being fit over the money any day of the week!

It was the hardest thing I have ever done was to lose that much weight (it took 3 years) and I did it the hard way, changed what I put in my mouth and worked out 2 times A DAY!

Michele, Pittsburgh (Sent Tuesday, January 29, 2008 10:48 AM)

even though money can buy you much I'd rather be FIT
being fit can bring more happiness than money any day

chumsmum, maine (Sent Tuesday, January 29, 2008 11:00 AM)

I would say neither because both are only appreciated when you have really worked for them but with student loans looming I say money.  But minus those and it's neither.

Daniel, Huntsville, AL (Sent Tuesday, January 29, 2008 11:06 AM)

You people are sick! I would take the body.  You cant buy a nice body, it is something that you have to work hard for.

Glenn, Flagstaff, AZ (Sent Tuesday, January 29, 2008 11:10 AM)

Being rich or having a nice body doesn't automatically mean you are "fit" what about mentally and emotionally healthy!! There are plenty of skinny people who are not "fit" and plenty "rich" folks who aren't either. I guess you have to look at how you define "Fit" and "Rich". Today "I" was "Rich" enough to wake up and breath! Today I was "Fit" enough to put my feet on the floor and go about my day!!!Thank God for the blessings in my life!!!!!

Tina Berryman Tuscumbia, Alabama (Sent Wednesday, January 30, 2008 12:25 AM)

I would rahter live long and healthy enjoying my children and their children because money can't buy that smile when you show up to take your kid to lunch and it only takes $15 for lunch. Americans tend to put too much into material things. When I die it won't matter how much money I made or title I had but the difference you can make is in the life of a child is "FREE" and it will make a difference in the future of the country.

Janice Brown , Ontario, Oregon (Sent Wednesday, January 30, 2008 1:04 AM)

SO INTERESTING THAT THIS QUESTION IS POSTED. I JUST HAD THIS CONVERSATION WITH MY BOYFRIEND SEVERAL DAYS AGO. I'D RATHER HAVE MY HEALTH. WHEN ONE'S HEALTH IS COMPROMISED EITHER MENTALLY OR PHYSICALLY YOU CAN'T ENJOY THE MONEY IF YOU HAD IT. BEING FIT HELPS TO SUSTAIN ME IN SO MANY WAYS. WEALTH IN MY OPINION COMES TO US IN VARIOUS WAYS. I AM RICH IN MY VALUES AND THATS ENOUGH FOR ME. I LIVE PRETTY WELL...MY HEALTH ALLOWS ME TOO.

BRIDGETT, RICHTON PARK, IL (Sent Wednesday, January 30, 2008 1:20 AM)

Oh come on, this is only a wish!!!! Get working on your body now and keep the job. If you don't exercise now you won't with the money.  You always find time for things that are important to you, with or without the money. I exercise 5 to 6 times weekly and work.

Kathleen Johnson, Taos, NM (Sent Sunday, February 17, 2008 11:36 AM)



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