Health isn’t a goal, it’s an ongoing work. You can’t just eat healthy once. Running a few laps won’t put muscles on your legs. It’s just not that easy. Oh if only it were.

Lots of dads and moms out there are all about getting healthy these days. They forget those few simple truths above. So they join the gym and go a few times. Dad starts preparing a few meals here and there at home. Maybe the family even goes on a walk together.

That lasts until the first crisis.

Then it’s a mad scramble as usual. Food needs ready not in an hour but in 15 mins. Work doesn’t end at 5PM but a few nights at 8PM, and too late to get to the gym. The kids have practice every night for a week.

The rhythm that was beginning is already broken. It’s over before it’s begun.

It doesn’t have to be this way.

The problem isn’t in the desire to be healthier. It’s in the attitude that it’s impossible or that their family just can’t make it happen. They’re wrong.

My wife and I had always heard that losing weight and getting healthier wasn’t about dieting or making goals but about changing our lifestyle. I believe we’ve finally grasped the concept.

I’d like to share a regular tips, tricks and insights we’ve found in a regular series of posts. We’re no experts but we’ve decided to get on the path and work it and sharing will help keep us honest on our intentions.

To start off here’s one tip and it’s the most important one.

Decide ahead of time.

You’re probably asking yourself just how that applies to getting healthier? It’s the most basic thing folks fail to do and that failure contributes most repeated failures.

Deciding ahead of time isn’t so much as planning out specific meals or exercise times, but deciding what you’re committed to and what path you’ll follow when those urgent situations arise. As above, when suddenly faced with a short amount of time to make meals, or no window to make that appointment at the gym, don’t be at the mercy of your stomach, your tiredness, or your attitude. Make that decision before you get there. Make that decision before the week even begins.

In a practical sense, this means coming up with solutions for those times when your head is clear and your stomach is full. In our case, this meant deciding that on evenings with no time to plan a meal that we’ll have simple sandwiches, and possibly a simple side to go with them. But that requires that on Saturday or your regularly scheduled grocery day that you buy quick fix but healthy foods.

This should extend to your snack planning as well. Snacks?! Yes, snacks. Decide ahead of time what will be acceptable snacks on your path and buy and stock those in your house, and only those.

Exercise might be a problem? Plan out your favorite places to grab a walk, places where the weather won’t be factor. Plan fun and easy exercises for the evening, such as weights or Wii time.

The above strategy may sound simplistic but it’s help my wife and me the last several months to make significant progress. We’ve lost not just weight but also moved the numbers a bit on the blood work.

I’m not there yet, but that means nothing now that I’ve realized there really isn’t a stopping point. Health isn’t something you throw together, it’s a path you choose.

Join me today!