All 3 of our "kids" are in college or recently graduated. Their romantic relationships are getting more and more serious, so Dad is doing his best to insert a touch of reality into the equation. Admittedly, there's an inverse relationship between a child's age and the perceived value of a parent's advice. (At least until they're 30, when they wake up and say, "Hey, maybe Mom and Dad were onto something after all!")

Since our daughters and son were youngsters, I've constantly advocated 3 standards with regard to possible future spouses. The first 2 aren't relevant to this column, but the third one is. It's "Demonstrate rules 1 and 2 with actions, not just words."

You've seen it repeatedly in your daily life and, if you've been integrating wellness services into your offerings for patients and clients, in those folks, as well. People who seek to change their behaviors in healthy, positive ways are quick to issue pledges. Sometimes they'll even add an exclamation point, vowing "It's my passion!" or "It means everything to me!" But then, the next day or the next week, they're back to doing things exactly the way they were doing them before the big public announcement. The heart may be willing, but the feet and arms? Not so much.