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Just because banging your head against a wall burns about 150 calories per hour doesn't mean it's exercise. We don't see people doing this, but we do see people doing other activities we know are just as destructive. Einstein said doing the same thing over again and expecting a different result is the definition of insanity.
When you think about it, many of our habits are insane behaviors. They are ingrained because the immediate action of doing the behavior is not painful. Mindless eating is a habit where the immediate satisfactions of convenience and comfort override the chronic diseases that lay ahead.
Certainly habits that revolve around food are the most difficult behaviors to change because we need to eat. There are many plans: 6 steps from WebMD, a different set of 6 steps from Simple Bean, 37 secrets to habit change from Meg Selig, and many more. All present slightly different common sense approaches to behavior change.
As aforementioned, the first step to breaking a bad habit is simple. It is deciding to change your behavior. The difficult part is that this action needs to be undertaken with sincerity and determination. Talking about something is not the same as doing it.
Unfortunately, most people need an "aha moment" to propel them from words to action. Maybe that is a visit to the doctor, or possibly just as expensive, standing in front of a closet full of clothes that no longer fit. Perhaps your friends will finally say something to you.
As we get older, willpower should come from within, from wanting to live longer, healthier lives. Use this as a reason to start developing healthy eating habits.
Article first published as Make It or Break It - Habit Control on Technorati.
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