HABITS

With today being the start of a new week, and with the New Year just around the corner I am making it my main focus to start the New Year with a complete change of habits. As I have been working and striving for a healthier lifestyle I still find myself struggling with some bad habits that very much can be done away with. As I think about these bad habits I have developed over the years, I have to wonder how I am going to overcome them. They say that it takes 21 days to develope a habit, so how am I going to take the old habit and turn it into a new and positive one that will benefit me. Well first thing is to recognize the habit that I no longer want or even desire. Examine the habit and how its bad for me and is'nt doing me any justice what so ever!. Then to figure out the new habit and how I can incorprate that one instead of the bad one.

So lets begin with one of my habits that I know I really need to change. That is eating when I dont need to. Ever find yourself not really hungry but because of the food being there you decide to eat it anyway. It is like the food looks at you and it calls your name and tells you to eat it. I struggle with that all the time. (Its like its totally irresistable and you just have to have it). So in light of that I must figure out why it is that I need to eat when I dont need to. Could it be emotional eating? Am I bored? What things am I thinking about when I want to eat? As I ask myself these questions I also need to look at what I have already consumed during the day. Am I close to my calorie limit? All these questions you should ask yourself. After then answering these questions, which of course the final question is going to be, Do I really need this? (and this is when you will make the ultimate choice of whether or not you will cave). If the answer is NO, that you dont really need it, and you are already close to your calorie limit, or you are eating emotionally and your bored, then what can you do to stop it? As for myself, I am going to stop, look at the food, imagine the calories that are in that food, stare at it for a few seconds and then walk away to find a big glass of water and drink that and hopefully I will in the end be content with the choice that I just made. Now for some people that may not be so easy, and for those of you that find it not as easy I strongly suggest doing some finding in yourself what you can do different. Things dont always work the same for everyone. Everyone is different, but if you do find that this works for you then I salute you and say "LETS ROCK"! The old habit can be formed into a new, and positive one. So 21 days of this constant, repetive behavior of looking and thinking and walking away and drinking water in place of the food will result in no more eating when I am not hungry and no more eating just because it is there.I think it can be done! Just need a psychological makeover when it comes to the way we think about food. As the saying goes, "You can do anything that you set your mind to". Happy New Year Everyone! :)