photo by Erica Chan

“I wish I took better care of myself”

Those words scare the hell out of me, and in a world where there is a lot that is out of our control, this is one of the big one’s that we can influence and even prevent.

I never want to have to say those words and I never want anyone else to have to say them to someone they really care about.

Looks are a major motivation that drive a lot of us to get in shape. Our looks are something that we can see, improving our body image by shedding fat or adding muscle can have an effect us immediately by the confidence it will add, and all the benefits we’ll gain from looking and feeling better about our bodies, and it’s not something that is shallow at all.

Changing my body was the driving force behind my gaining of 30+ pounds of lean muscle and counting. That decision to change my body has had a positive effect on so many aspects of my life from relationships and business, to attitude and energy, that it’s hard to count.

But besides enhancing the quality of my life today, I know it will do the same for years to come. It will keep me around, and active, longer than I would have been had I not decided to make the change to a healthier lifestyle. And besides from benefiting the quality of my life, and how I feel about myself, it’s going to keep me in the lives of the people whom I care about infinitely more than anything else in the world, including myself. Their happiness effects me more than anything else, and I’m sure you’re the same.

It’s hard to make a real change when you’re just thinking about yourself, but when you put yourself 30, 40, 50, or however many years down the line, when you’re in the hospital going through an operation that could have been prevented by exercise and healthy eating, and you imagine the look on your wife’s face, or your children’s face and you know, this could have been prevented if you took care of yourself, I’m pretty sure that’s enough motivation to do anything.

I’m 24 years old and hopefully as far from that moment as possible and you never know what can happen to you in life, but of the things I can control, that’s at the top of the list. I don’t want to be saying those words because I didn’t care enough about my family to run once in a while, to get to the gym for a few hours a week or to have a chicken breast instead of a donut.

The amazing thing is you don’t actually have to do that much. You just have to do something, do it right and do it intensely. I’m in the gym for less than 4 hours a week, that’s cardio included, and I have a body that I’m happy with, and I’m physically in a place that I know I can do anything I want to do, including enjoying myself. I’ll have a cigar a few times a year, I’ll eat cake or ice cream every now and then and I’m in good enough shape that I can do this stuff, in moderation, because I am taking care of my body.

Ask yourself, is it worth it?

• Is it worth doing cardio for 30 minutes a week?
• Is it worth being in the gym for a few hours a week?
• Is it worth eating right most of the time, then treating yourself a few times a week?
• Is it worth doing this, knowing that there’s a good chance being healthy and being in great shape is not only going to make your life better today, but allow you to be around and with the one’s you love more than anything in the world?

I think it’s a no brainer. If you’re thinking along the same lines, make a change today, don’t turn it into one of those “I’ll do it tomorrow” type things, because before you know it, tomorrow will be your last one.