“I’ll gladly pay you Tuesday, for a hamburger today.”

Popeye’s friend Whimpy was always promising to do something later. I wonder if he ever paid Popeye back for the burger? To me, Whimpy’s attitude reminds me of those who want to get the reward before putting in the necessary effort to get it; in other words, those who opt to be wimpy.

I say “opt” because it’s a choice, not a fait accompli. We all have free will and can make the effort. There may be obstacles in our way, but we can overcome them, or, at the very least, go around them.

It’s a tradition to make a New Year’s Resolution (though I don’t particularly believe in them). But how many of us keep those resolutions more than temporarily? These types of resolutions can often be impossible to achieve or too vague to set us on the course to reaching them, thereby setting us up for failure.

So, if we wish to be in better shape, whether it’s to look leaner and feel stronger, or just live a longer, healthier life, we have to make an effort, perhaps going out of our way or out of our comfort zone to get there.

What’s actually useful is to set smaller, specific and more achievable goals. Goals that focus on the process needed to get to the resolution-type goal. For example: to workout 3-4x a week (or more) and not postpone those efforts ‘til tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow.

If getting to a gym is too difficult or expensive, for under $100 total there’s some very effective exercise equipment one can use at home and store in the closet. But this equipment or your gym is effective only if you use it at frequent intervals and use it correctly.

Obviously, I recommend having a personal trainer show you what to do with that equipment or in the gym or and help you set attainable goals. Even if your budget can’t include weekly training, I’m positive it can handle bi-weekly or monthly sessions to set you up on the road to success and keep pushing you further as your initial goals are achieved.

Don’t put off until tomorrow what you can do today. (Sorry to use a cliché aphorism, but it’s a good one!)