Break Your Bad Habits

From Forbes Magazine:

You know that unhealthy habits can cost you – in time, energy and money. So here’s a step-by-step guide to the most effective ways to break your bad habits.

• Admit that you’ve got a bad habit! Researchers at the University of Alberta say that most people already know the dangers of vices like smoking, overeating, and not exercising. However, few stop to think about why they do any of those things. The fact is, most bad behaviors are adopted as an easy way to fit in with friends. So ask yourself: “What habits do I turn to in social situations that I’d never do alone?”
  
  
• Stop justifying your habits. Remember when you were a child, and Mom told you to stay away from the cookie jar? That only made you want a cookie even more, right? Well, that kind of childish thinking is what keeps most people shackled to their bad behaviors. Like when a doctor scolds you for smoking, and you say something like: “I know it’s bad, but if I stop smoking I’ll get fat.” The only way to change your bad habits is to stop justifying them.
  
  
• Be specific about what you want to change. Experts say you’re doomed to fail if you make resolutions like: “I want to eat better, exercise more, and lose weight.” Why? Because those goals aren’t specific enough! To truly succeed, you need to lay out precise, achievable goals. Like: “I’m going to eliminate fried food from my diet,” and “I’m going to start jogging to the corner store for coffee instead of driving.”
  
  
• Multi-task your goals. Researchers at the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute found that a lot of bad habits are intertwined. So you can eliminate them faster if you tackle two at a time. For example: To quit smoking AND get more exercise, start jogging around the block each morning. When you run out of breath by the end of the block, you’ll find more motivation to stop lighting up, and get in better shape.
  
  
• Here’s one last trick for breaking a bad habit: Get help. Studies show that buddying up with a spouse, friend or co-worker can improve your odds of breaking bad behaviors – especially if that other person is ALSO trying to change. Each of you will become a cheerleader for the other and you’ll find yourself feeling accountable to that person every time you get the urge to sneak out for a quick puff or skip your next workout.