Healthy habits

It is traditional for people to make resolutions for the new year. They vow to stop smoking, consume less sugar, or exercise more. A month later and here they are with most of these resolutions little more than sad regrets. There is always next year to revisit them. Most of the time their unsuccessful attempts are attributed to a lack of will power. If they were to look at them more carefully they would see that it was more likely a lack of planning and discipline. Changing habits requires a conscious effort. Generally there is something that generates the behavior followed by a predictable response and a reward. Once you identify the pattern and change one of the three parts of it, you will begin to see a change. For example if you tend to snack on sugar-filled items while watching television, consciously trade them for carrots and celery. Your reward will be the numbers you see on your scale. There is no magic formula for the amount of time it takes to change a habit. Most people say 21 days, but that is a ballpark figure. It takes whatever time is needed to change your patterns and that requires discipline. You are worth the effort. What habit are you ready to change and what is your plan for making it happen?