Bad Habits Vs. Good Habits – Does Bad or Good Win?

I have received a lot of emails from many people who have joined me in my journey to wellness. One of the things that we all have in common is bad habits. I simply asked them to tell me some of their bad habits and would like to share them with you. It is quite a list so I am going to address the most common bad eating habit this week; staying up late at night and eating was at the top of list. 

I was guilty of this myself. I am unemployed, so staying up late was a novelty for me that turned into a disaster. After my husband went to bed around 10pm, I thought it was party time for me. That has all changed. I promised Dr. Oz that I would not eat after 7:30pm, and I always keep my promises. For me, that bad habit of staying up late at night and eating is gone.   

How can someone turn this bad habit into a good one? Have a plan implemented and post it on your refrigerator. The following is my plan:

• I make sure that I eat all my meals and snacks for the day. I don’t skip any meals or snacks, so that I am not hungry late at night.
• My night time snack is usually 3 cups of air-popped popcorn with a little bit of olive oil, and that is very filling. Be sure to eat a snack at night that is filling, and eat it before 7:30pm. My husband loves the popcorn as well, and it is his job to make the popcorn for our evening snack.  
• I have conditioned myself to go to bed at 10-11pm and wake up around 7am. I wake up refreshed and ready to start my day, because now I am getting at least 8 hours of sleep.
• I make sure that I do not drink any decaf coffee or tea in the evening and always drink herbal tea in the evening, which also relaxes me. I now have a pantry filled with all different kinds of herbal teas which are delicious. I look forward to my evening herbal tea ritual.

For those of you that cannot get to bed at 10-11pm for whatever reason, you need a plan established to ensure that if the “munchie monster” appears, that you don’t feed him with food. Here are some suggestions that might help you, as they have been helpful to me:

• Keep your hands occupied by doing a craft, knitting, crocheting or sewing.
• Read a book.
• Drink a bottle of water or make yourself a large cup of herbal tea.
• Call a friend or go on the internet and surf around.
• If all else fails and the “munchie monster” just won’t go away, then have a pre-portioned 100 calorie snack.  

You can change a bad habit into a good habit and have fun doing so. I hope these suggestions are helpful to you.

I am staying at my shore house this week, and I am excited because they have water aerobics available and I took my first class this morning. I feel so energized.  

Here is this week’s food menu: 

Sunday and Tuesday:  grilled salmon

Monday and Thursday:  whole grain pasta with veggies

Wednesday and Friday:  grilled tuna

Saturday:  baked turkey with root veggies and a large salad with raw veggies. (I am having my children over for my daughters 25th birthday, and I am making a turkey)

Remember, keep your menu simple and plan ahead. I always double my recipe so that I have enough for another meal during the week.  

Please join me in my wellness journey and keep me posted at Riare43a@aol.com. Have a great happy and healthy week.