If you Fail to Plan, You Plan to Eat Twinkies and Sit on the Couch

School is starting. Even if you don’t have kids in school anymore, you can still feel the change in the air. It’s a lovely time of reset — and eventually cooler weather. And yes, the bugs will die. That’s my favorite part. I love being outside without feeling like a buffet for mosquitos.

But back to the point. This is the perfect time to get clear on what you want to do for exercise.

You might have big aspirations — a 5K, 10K, or even a marathon. Or maybe you just want to get through your 9-to-5 without feeling completely wiped. Either way, there’s a method to the madness: small, intentional steps.

That could mean:

• Increasing your daily step count.

• Walking at lunch.

• Doing a few laps while you wait for your kids at practice.

The key? Plan it out. I cannot say this enough.

I have a weightlifting schedule I follow, and I know some workouts will take longer than others. So I plan those for weekends when I’m not waking up at 4:45 a.m. I keep a week’s worth of workout clothes ready so I don’t have the “I have nothing to wear” excuse. My gym bag is usually always ready to go.

This morning, I realized I forgot my headphones after I was already at the gym. Every part of me wanted to leave. Who wants to be trapped with their own thoughts for 45 minutes? But I stayed. (Whether that was discipline, habit, or a disorder is a subject for another day.)

And let’s talk about food. Make a list for the week. Do you have the groceries? Can you batch-prep meat? What can you make ahead so you’re not scrambling at 6 p.m.? Is there anything you can stand to eat as leftovers? Will there even be leftovers, or will your wonderful starving children inhale everything the second you make it?

Here’s the truth: our culture has decided it’s “normal” — even preferable — to run through drive-thrus on the regular. Sure, there’s a time and place for that. But planning ahead is key. Plan for the drive-thru. Plan for pizza night. Plan for the treat.

Life is about balance. If you want to eat chicken and vegetables and get shredded, great. If you want to be strong, mobile, energetic, and still enjoy a Twinkie now and then, also great. But you have to shake the societal norm that the Twinkie-and-couch life is better.

They’re lying to you.