Making A Change For You And Your Family

I was 26 before I met my wife and I lived in a typical bachelor manner.  My diet consisted of Hot Pockets, Pizza and cereal which is pretty typical for a single guy.  I avoided the doctor (I still do but for an entirely different reason).  My roommates consisted of friends from school and college and I was comfortable with this setup.  My relationship was very different from the “typical relationship” and allowed me to maintain this lifestyle for a couple more years with few changes.

As time went on, I began to think about what I wanted to change in my life and taking better care of myself was pretty high on the list.  My wife never pushed or “trained” me to make this change, it was something I wanted to start so I could be around longer for her.  Changing for someone else and not yourself rarely works and if it does take, it’s usually doomed to fail.

Examples of change:
New/Altered Diet: This is one of the best options for trying out change but you have to really be willing to go for it to see any success.  Try small things like switching to less meat or more greens and slowly transition new, healthier foods into your diet while removing ones that are worse for you.

Less Television: TV is a black hole that will make time disappear quicker than anything. Sitting down to watch a show or movie with the family is fine but try to avoid mindless channel surfing on days off or after work.  Try to substitute TV with music or a more active type of video game (The Nintendo Wii was designed for this exact situation).  Music will allow you to get other things done and active video games help get you off the couch and get the body moving.

Splitting the workload: The idea that the woman is “supposed” to take care of housework is an old and dated concept that got planted into the male brain through family and pop culture.  Wipe this from your mind and start splitting the workload.  Try these:

• If she normally cooks dinner, why don’t you clean the dishes.  She will appreciate the help and it will give her a chance to relax.

• If she is specific about how the laundry is done, try separating the dark & light loads and moving them into the laundry room for her.

These are all very basic changes but they can go a long way in positively affecting you and your family.  Many men will hit a groove and avoid making changes because we like our “comfort zones” and don’t want change. This will probably be the biggest challenge when attempting most changes so keep it simple and small. Decide on one thing to change and stick with it for a month. Odds are, it will become habit and allow you to try another change. QUICK TIP: If you find it difficult to remember what you want to change, leave notes in frequently viewed areas (such as your computer desktop or wallet) to remind yourself on a constant basis. This has helped me immensely.