How to Break a Habit in 21 Days

People are creatures of habit. Many of the things we do every day are done without even thinking because we have formed a habit. Research shows that about 40% of what we do is habit.

Habits can be a good thing because they save us a lot of time and energy. If we had to stop and think carefully each time we did something, we would never get anything done. Did you ever consider how many actions you do every day without even paying attention to what you are doing?
Research shows that we can develop a new habit in about 21 to 30 consecutive days if we can commit to working hard and being patient. Since people have a natural tendency to be negative, we learn bad habits easily. Good habits require us to focus on positive thinking which is harder, so we lose interest quickly and give up.

Bad habits keep you from being the best person you can be. They rob you of precious time and stop you from enjoying life. Bad habits often become out of control and turn into attitude problems, emotional issues or addictions that can destroy your life and the lives of people around you.

We all need to take inventory of our habits and determine which ones are helping us and which ones are hurting us. Bad habits have a strong hold on us and control our lives. It is important that we take steps to change any bad habits, replace them with good habits and take control of our own lives.
It is hard to change bad habits, but if you can make a habit through repetition, you can break it through repetition. Here is how to get started:

• sit down in a quiet place with pen and paper
• write down the habits that you would like to form and the habits you would like to break
• consider the ones that are urgent and number them accordingly
• choose the one that needs immediate attention and write it in a journal or notebook for 21 consecutive days with specific instructions to follow
• after following these daily instructions, cross it off so you can keep track of your progress

If you have been working on creating or stopping a habit, it should become easy for you to do. If you are still struggling with the habit, write it down for another 21 days and keep working on it until you can do this without thinking very hard. Once you feel confident in the results, start working on your next habit by following the same steps.

When you are working on your habits, try to focus on the positive, not the negative. For example, if you are dieting, don't focus on dieting or on not eating because your mind will continually be thinking about food and it will be hard to follow a diet. Instead focus on healthy eating and make daily food plans based on healthy choices.

Don't allow yourself be overcome by bad habits so they will continually defeat you. Take control of your life and allow yourself to overcome bad habits with good habits.

For more information on habits and self-confidence visit http://www.imconfident.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Brenda_J_Silveira

How to Choose a Good Diet Plan for Weight Loss?

The truth behind weight loss may not be always what you see at the face value.

First, you should realize that weight loss involves 100% dedication and a diligent adherence on your part towards the set diet plan. Make sure there is not even a slight deviation from your target.
Prepare a checklist to chalk out a good diet plan, which includes:

i. Your lifestyle
You may not be ready to remodel your lifestyle drastically. For example, if you practice just 2 meals/day and the schedule stresses on 4-5 times/day, then you may not feel comfortable with it.

ii. The level of exercises you undertake
In case you like to take up exercise sessions on your own, with no rigid conditions, whereas the proposal forces you to do exhaustive exercises at a stretch, then you should think twice before choosing it.

iii. Suitability to continue
It is not wise to stick to a diet plan just temporarily; you should feel good to follow it throughout your life.

iv. The ingredients
Sometimes, you may be required to replace the usual items with food that is prepared in a special manner or has some unusual ingredients. Check if you are comfortable with such a requirement.

v. The pace at which you aim to lose weight
Understand the difference between the actual loss of weight and the seemingly quicker loss of water, which may give a wrong impression. So, it is advised that you aim at reducing your weight in a slow and steady manner.

vi. The elimination of any kind of undesirable habit you possess
You may have to give up habits like spending the night time in a bar or being a couch potato to accommodate the new plan of diet.

vii. The possibility of including your all-time favorite items
Denial of your favorite foods can lead to an unstoppable urge to indulge in overeating binges, which is detrimental to your weight loss preparation.

viii. Your ability to adapt to changes that are recommended
Determine the nature of changes you will need to adapt to so that you can prepare your mind and body!

ix. The need to use any supplements or detox techniques
Most of the times, you don't need any kind of supplements as a perfectly followed schedule of food intake and exercises is self-sufficient in managing the pounds you gain and lose for a healthy body.

x. The nature of the plan
If you like flexibility, you should choose a plan that allows you to select your own menu that is by all means a healthy platter.

Fiber-rich foods [http://www.fibrefoods.info/] help you in reducing weight considerably by removing unwanted collections of fats from your body. Make sure your diet plan includes high fiber foods [http://www.fibrefoods.info/] like soups, vegetables and fruits to maintain the intake and expenditure levels of calories in a healthy way.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Atul_Khanna

How To Stop Smoking Forever!

Well that is a bold statement! But in 1991 on a cold winter day I found myself out on the fire escape in the freezing rain holding an umbrella, freezing cold but driven to smoke. I worked at a hospital-based treatment center at the time and they had just banned smoking from hospitals. Of course that seemed insane for our unit as probably 95% of drug and alcohol addicts smoke cigarettes. But I was compliant as I stood on the fire escape willing to go to any lengths to smoke that freezing January day.

Just for a little background - I started smoking when I was eleven. It is embarrassing to admit that, but my need to have a substance relieve me of how I felt started at a really young age. I always felt ashamed and guilty for smoking. I knew at 11 that I was doing something I shouldn't be doing; multiple times had I tried to quit, swear off, taken an oath, and prayed to quit smoking. Just like many people I had quit what felt like a thousand times. Sometimes it was a thought and sometimes I went a few days to only return to the bondage of cigarettes.

On this particular January day, I was pretty disgusted with myself. As I stood there freezing, taking my puffs, I realized I was chained to this stupid cigarette. This stupid white roll of tobacco owned my time, my money, my health, and my attention. I was angry at myself for not having more will power. When I returned inside, I commiserated with one of the counselors I worked with, and he told me what to do to solve my smoking problem forever. I was all ears as he shared this simple technique. He told me every time I lit a cigarette to thank God that he was removing the desire to smoke and to thank Him that I wouldn't be smoking much longer. Well, that seemed a little too simple but I thought, "What the heck?" So from that day forward every time I lit a cigarette I would say "Thank You, God, for removing the desire to smoke cigarettes; thank You that I will not be smoking much longer". Sometimes I would forget to thank Him as I was smoking, but I would just say it when I did remember no matter how long it had been since I had smoked. I would pull the cigarette out of the pack, look at it and state those words... "Thank You, God, for removing the desire to smoke cigarettes; thank You that I will not be smoking much longer".

One day I woke up and I knew I didn't smoke anymore. It is a pretty weird thing to wake up and know you don't smoke anymore. I had full carton of cigarettes in my freezer but I knew it was over. So I gave the carton to someone who appreciated the gift and went about my process of detoxing.

I still had to go through this detoxifying process, which was pretty painful. I could literally smell the nicotine coming out of my pores. I was angry and irritable. I would cry myself to sleep as the nicotine left my body. I can remember sitting at red lights watching people take drags off their cigarettes. But still I knew I didn't smoke anymore and that this would pass. I cleaned everything I could get my hands on and I had to completely re-paint our entire condo to get the smell out. The cravings, the anger, the tears, the crazy cleaning - it all finally passed.

That has been almost 23 years ago now. I will tell you there have been times I have thought about wanting a cigarette - times of extreme stress like a funeral of a loved one, chronic marriage problems, and financial troubles. But I have always known that if I picked one up, I would quickly be back to 2 ½ packs per day.
God says in all things to come with prayer and thanksgiving. So if your New Year's Resolution is to quit smoking or any other bad habit, give this technique a try. After all, you have nothing to lose!
Blessings ~ Tammy

Tammy Hardin has overcome addiction in her life, and now uses therapeutic techniques to help her clients do the same. She is a Faster EFT Practitioner, Certified Life Breakthrough Coach™, Relapse Prevention Specialist™, and Biblical Counselor™. she utilizes her training in Theophostic Prayer, SOZO, and Freedom in Christ to help her clients to create permanent changes in their lives.

If you are tired of the yo-yo diets, anxiety and fear, and insecurity associated with emotional eating, Tammy knows how to stop emotional eating, and can help you.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tammy_Hardin