For the past 25-plus years, I've been teaching my clients a super-simple algorithm to help make decisions faster.

In particular, use it whenever you need to decide whether to perform a task or pursue an opportunity.

Ask yourself this:

Will this (task or opportunity)  move you toward your ideal body faster than the other things you could be doing?

If yes, then do it.

If no, then don’t.

I think that, all too often, you get overwhelmed by the options in front of you.

Me too.

You fail by making the simple complex.

How to Create Generational Health

If you are over the age of 40, maybe you want to feel leaner, stronger, and younger.

Perhaps you want to leave a healthy legacy for your grand kids or future grand kids.

If yes, there's a new way of thinking about your goals.

Losing 40 pounds, 36 pounds, or even 14 pounds of bodyfat may seem overwhelming unless you make small, incremental progress.

In other words, results come in baby steps.

I know that's probably not what you want to hear; however, if you want to succeed, take heed.

You see, successful folks leave clues.

It's unrealistic to expect that all of your dreams will come true in the next 24 hours.

For example, if you want to build your dream home, it will take more than a day or two.

You can’t even obtain your building permits in such a short period of time.

Similarly, you can't get to your ideal body overnight.

Of course every "guru" peddling the latest juice cleanse diet or some other goofy shortcut would like you believe the opposite.

Good things take time.

Maybe you want to grow a garden so you can enjoy organic "farm-to-table" vegetables.

Perhaps you want to grow a relationship.

Neither your tomatoes nor your marriage will blossom in a moment.

Heck, the first ripe, juicy tomatoes appear in your garden approximately 45 to more than 100 days after you plant the seedlings outside.

And in a world that expects instant results, it can be disheartening when things take a long time to come to fruition.

But you can take consistent baby steps and make a little bit of daily progress.

And if you can keep doing that, day after day, you’ll eventually get there.

I’m all for big goals and big dreams but I’ve found that my most successful clients take life one step at a time.

They don’t engage in negative self-talk simply because someone else is doing "better" or making "faster progress."

Plato famously said, "Never discourage someone who continually makes progress no matter how slow."

After all, your only true competition is the person you see in the mirror.

It’s a helpful mindset to have, especially right now.

Oftentimes you get frustrated with something like lack of progress or you want to hit a goal by a certain date.

Although it is important to have some urgency, you must play the long game.

Decades versus days.

And that’s the way the most successful men and women, over 40 years, think about health.

It’s a game, there is no winning and losing, it’s just about playing the long game.

Make decisions that allow you to have more joy playing the actual game, make decisions and live in such a way that you leave things better than you found them.

A lot of decisions are tough.

In my personal life, I often find the most worthwhile goals are the ones that pay dividends for my kids. And my kid's kids.

I guess you could call it “creating generational health.”

Do today's decision allow you to create generational health years from now?

Until some catastrophic event happens and wipes out the entire planet, humans are not going anywhere anytime soon.

You can at least comfortably say that our kids, their kids, their kids, and their kids will be here, right?

And isn’t that the point of all of this?

To be fulfilled, to be happy, and to play the long game.

The never ending game of getting better, living your life’s purpose, and leaving the world a better place than you found it.

Now, to bring all of that down to reality.

Many over-40 men and women act like you’re playing a finite game, when in reality, it's an infinite game, a never-ending game.

Here’s what I mean.

A baseball game is a finite game.

There is strategy and performance that goes into the game, and at the end of the time a winner is determined based on the scoreboard. Or dual winners in the case of a tie.

But life is not like that, yet you make decisions like it is.

Consider the game of getting leaner, stronger, and slowing aging.

You want to live your best life, right?

You probably want to be around for your friends and family as long as possible, right?

Well, if you answered "yes," than working on your health and wellness is mission critical.

To that end, you'll have to focus on the fundamentals every single day.

Doing the simple things will always, in some capacity, have to be a part of your life.

It’s an infinite game. It never ends.

Do you have a shortcut mentality when it comes to your health?

“Let me lose 20 pounds and then I’ll be happy.”

“I’m going to do this 30-day juice cleanse and then I’ll be good.”

But your health and fitness is never short-term.

Consider parenting for a moment.

How you parent may change as your kids get older; however, most strive to become a better parent each day.

Consider personal development.

You are constantly looking at ways to become a better person, better partner, better friend, or a better co-worker.

It’s an infinite game.

So, why does this matter?

Well, hopefully two things come from it.

1. You develop a life purpose that is more motivating than any short-term goal ever could be.

You are forever intrinsically motivated to get better, in all aspects of life.

2. You don’t make decisions that “win” the short-term, the finite game, but then might sacrifice the long-term chances of the infinite game.

Short term decisions, short cuts, quick fixes, in any area of life, are often with that mindset that of “If I just get here…”

But that’s not the mindset of the infinite game.

The infinite game is a game that never ends, it’s just about having a true purpose, a deep cause for yourself, and getting better in all aspects of life, forever, everyday.

But if you want to create generational health, you must simplify things.

I always embrace simplicity.

And that's why I love Occam’s Razor.

It’s a problem-solving principle devised by William of Ockham.

He died in 1347, so it’s okay if you haven’t heard of him.

The premise of the principle is this:

The simplest explanation is usually the right one.

And it’s the way I teach my clients to think about most everything.

Do you want to create "systems" for achieving a lean-and-strong body?

Do you want a proven "formula" for getting the right amount of nutrition into your body?

Do you want a "roadmap" to get guaranteed results?

Here's what to do:

1. Find a person with the healthy body and lifestyle you want.
2. Follow them around and film what they do to complete a task.
3. Watch the video.

Ta-da! You’ve got a system.

Do you want to win your day?

Wake up early and exercise before life gets in the way.

Do you want to improve your nutrition?

Spend less time in the kitchen, and less money eating at restaurants, by batch-prepping your meals on Sundays and Wednesdays.

Or hire someone, like Coach Sharon, to do it for you.

If you prioritize your nutrition, and put forth the same effort you make preparing for a holiday party, or night out drinking with friends, you are bound to improve.

You want to stop the loss of muscle?

Many over-40 folks, especially men, want this.

Do resistance training, especially box squats, sprint up some hills, and get better rest.

And be consistent with these things.

You want to improve as a spouse or friend?

❤️ As selfish as it sounds, show up for yourself and take care of yourself first.

It's counterintuitive, but how can you help someone else if you aren't taking care of yourself?

In other words, lead by example.

Be the lean, strong, and happy person. Be capable of handling all of your responsibilities.

And if you aren't there yet, consider getting a coach.

You obviously believe coaching helps people reach their potential, right?

And you want to make big progress, correct?

• Spend more time on activities that foster the body and lifestyle you want.
• Spend less time with negative people who encourage you to fail. Maybe you should stop making friends altogether.

If you want to leave a happy legacy, define your number-one goal.

Actually write it down on paper.

Get a proven plan and expert support.

Take imperfect action and do the work.

Hit your goal and celebrate.

Honestly, I know it may sound simple and boring but give it a try.

Creating generational health is a byproduct of everything above.

To your success,

Coach Joe

Joseph Arangio helps 40+ men and women get leaner, stronger, and happier. He's delivered over 100,000 transformation programs to satisfied clients around the globe. If you want to lose weight from home, with the best online age-management personal trainer, or you want to visit the best longevity personal trainer in the Lehigh Valley, you can take a free 14-day trial.