If you’re someone who thinks about improving your health a month before your annual medical check-up and think you only need to lose 5kg when you need to lose 20kg, it’s highly likely you’re an Australian man.

We’re not going to knock you.

We know you probably used to love playing sport when you were younger, worked off Friday night drinks with you mates by running every other day and could keep up with the best of them. Then, you had a family that enriched your life but also made it super busy, on top of a demanding job that became even more pressured with each promotion, and you may have even lost that part of yourself that felt confident.

That’s when you may have become more reliant on alcohol, struggled with depression and health became the least of your concerns. Or, if you know a bit about it, you’d rather not think about it.

Fact is, a lot of Australian men are overweight, over stressed and are notorious for not seeking help with their health. Many decided to get a check up when their hero Shane Warne died tragically suffering a heart attack but, if they decided to get in shape at that point, it’s likely the plans will have been shelved.

There’s peer pressure to contend with and a fear of looking strong. If only they knew that the strong man is the one who can say No, I don’t want another drink; No, I don’t want fries with that; No, I like being in shape because I respect myself.

Discipline is choosing between what you want now and what you want most. Anything that is a good habit is usually a long-term benefit while anything that is a bad habit, usually only has instant and short-term benefits.

No-one is particularly motivated to brush their teeth every day but we do it because the consequences of not doing so are not worth risking. It’s far better to just do it, just as it’s far better to go and exercise. Put your exercise gear in the boot so you can stop at the park on the way home to walk or run so you don’t get home, get overwhelmed and forget to go out to exercise. Set up the routine so it can’t fail, and I promise you’ll never say 'Gee, I wish I didn’t do some exercise' when you get home. You’ll never regret it.