If the image staring back at you when you look in a mirror doesn’t accurately reflect the image you’ve been dreaming of, it’s time for you make a commitment to do the things necessary to make you the person you’ve been dreaming of becoming. Just as it’s true that you can’t spend money like there’s no tomorrow and wake up with untold riches, you can’t pay $79.95 (plus shipping and handling) for a magical pill, potion, or lotion that will mysteriously melt away all evidence of the kinds of unhealthy habits that are slowly eroding any chance you have of living a dynamic, active life.

While it is technically possible for one of these quick fixes to gloss over a problem and give you fleeting results that can convince you’re getting somewhere in your quest to remake the person you’ve become one bite at a time, keep in mind these high-priced solutions are only temporary. They will only work for as long as you’re willing to shell out your hard-earned money to look the part. The real you will still be just under the surface, struggling to get out.

To further aggravate the problem, these quick fixes have absolutely no positive impact on your health. So if you insist on eating unhealthy food without a corresponding change in your lifestyle, you may look great because of the pills you pop to look the way you do, but your internal organs will still be suffering silently because of the poor choices you’re making on an on-going basis. Eventually your body will surrender to the constant onslaught and you’ll suffer the consequences of your bad behavior.

In the meantime, if you fall on hard economic times and you can no longer afford the “magic” pills, the perceived benefits will go away as quickly as your “friends” would after squandering your winnings from a lottery jackpot. Real lasting benefits are going to take a change of mind, a change of heart – a change of lifestyle.

Instead of sacrificing your health, your well being, and your prospects of a long life by making poor dietary decisions, you can embrace a new, healthier you by eating properly, exercising regularly, and making a small series of positive changes in your daily routine that will have a dramatic impact on your health.

What kinds of changes am I talking about? First of all, I’m not asking you to sacrifice your first-born child at some Altar of Sound Nutrition. I’m talking about cutting some saturated fat and over-processed foods from your diet. Upping your protein intake, while decreasing the number of carbs you eat. While you’re at it you can start getting some exercise. You don’t have to run a marathon race or enter an Iron Man (or Woman) Competition. Take a brisk walk once in awhile. Get off the couch, pitch the remote and the bowl of Dorito’s out the window and do something – anything. It really doesn’t matter if you go for a bike ride, walk a trail while you commune with nature, or even have an argument with your spouse on your cell phone while walking. Actually, that last idea has a world of potential! While you’re busy arguing you won’t be thinking about what you’re doing – and it might even help you to pick up your pace!

Your life is literally in your hands. An oblong metal instrument that weighs just a few ounces will help determine your ultimate destiny – or fate. The decisions you make when you finish this article could determine whether you’re around to see your children grow up – or to help influence the kinds of parents they’ll become. Start today by putting the fork down and adopting a lifestyle that can help ensure that you’re around to help influence your children’s decisions for many years to come.