We’ve all felt like we’re playing catch-up at some point or another in life. Either we feel like we didn’t learn enough about our chosen profession in college or in training, or we feel like we’re not saving enough money to live comfortably in our old age.

For me, the biggest game of catch-up I’ll be playing is that of how to live a healthy lifestyle.

The problem with this particular lesson of life is that we are filled with a feeling of invincibility in our respective youths. You feel like you can eat this greasy meal or drink that fatty beverage and just leave it to a young body to take care of it. All too often, we are not reminded that the body is essentially a machine — a complex intertwining of sophisticated circuitry and gears, put together to run perfectly. That is, under perfect conditions.

Failing to acknowledge the need to maintain our machines as best we can usually leads to the breaking down of essential parts. And believe me, the experiment that is my body would be the equivalent of what would happen if you were to use melted Laffy Taffy as motor oil in a brand new Mustang.

In catching up on what is healthy for me, I’ve learned — perhaps a bit too late — that the better you care for your machine early on, the better off you’ll be in the long run.

Luckily, the good people at the local YMCA are making wonderful strides to arm children with the knowledge they need to care for their young machines. This Saturday, the Suffolk Family YMCA will be taking part in Healthy Kids Day. At the event, children and parents can learn about living a healthy lifestyle while having a good time with games and activities.

Having attended the event last year to take pictures, I can honestly say it’s one of those events that put children on the right track to getting healthy and staying that way. It’s also a lot of fun with mazes, rock walls and all kinds of reasons to getting some exercise (but you parents can just tell your children it’s “playing” to disguise all that good activity.) And if you can educate a child in a fun environment, it’s a win-win situation for parent and child.

Life is a long journey. And nobody likes to play catch-up in any aspect of life. So parents, bring your children out to the YMCA and help them avoid putting too much melted Laffy Taffy in their Mustangs.