Think you're tough? Think again. It's not about gender. Let's discuss us men.

[Major Nikon]

7. A guy I used to work with had a serious wake up call

He was a good natured guy with a good sense of humor. Everyone knew he was a heart attack waiting to happen. He was obese, ate crap constantly, smoked, and was in his PJs watching TV the moment he got home from work. He always said he never wanted to live forever and was going to live how he wanted to live.

Then the inevitable happened. He had a major heart attack at a relatively young age. It completely changed his outlook on life. He started exercising, lost weight, started eating right, and stopped smoking. When asked about it he said having your chest cracked open and your ribs spread apart is a serious attitude adjuster.

Fortunately for me I worked with a lot of old guys who had made a lot of bad choices and I was able to see the results at a very young age. It sort of gives you a 20-30 year time machine to peer into your future and I didn't really like what I saw. So I made a lot of lifestyle choices that have paid pretty good dividends now that I'm in their shoes.