Ditch The Bad Habit: 2 Top Tricks

It’s a good thing I’ve never done heroin. Because I’m officially on my 3^rd try of giving up Diet Pepsi – my 3^rd try in 3 months, mind you. Can you imagine my success rate if I were giving up something even more addictive? Here’s the new approach I’m taking to increase my odds of success this time around:

1.     Create barriers & give yourself permission – I’m not going to keep any Diet Pepsi in the house. This way if I really want it I’ll have to jump in the car and go get it. This doesn’t mean it’s off limits always, just that I have to work for it. Am sure this will trick my brain into appreciating soda as a sometime bonus, just not an every day one.  

 

2.    Substitute – I have tons of sparkling water in the house. The downside is that while I like its fizziness, I don’t like its taste. So I became a mixologist for a day to figure out what it’s best spiked with, which turns out to be apple juice. This concoction not only  tastes pretty good, it’s hydrating too. Bonus!

This approach would work with all kinds of stuff that’s bad for you. For instance, my friend Jane doesn’t keep any sweets in the house for her kiddo. He still gets plenty of cookies and candy, but only when they’re out and about. Jane is my foodie friend so I’m sure she keeps all kinds of delicious substitutes around, but if it were me, I’d keep a bunch of almonds on hand – or peanut butter & apples – for when snack attacks strike.

Now that I’ve adhered to my plan for all of 6 hours, I can go back to reading the January magazines without feeling like the only dud in America not on some kind of a health kick. Join me in a sparkling water toast, to kicking ass on your own personal health kick!