We all have bad habits. It’s part of the human experience. Some bad habits have stayed with us since we were children like not going potty in public toilets. Others, we developed years later as struggling adults just trying to cope with our lives like binge drinking on weekends. It may have started off as fun or experimental but if it no longer feels good and it’s hard to kick, it’s a bad habit.

Here are 4 bad habits we come across a lot and 4 easy tips to make ‘em good

  • Substitute your morning coffee with warm lemon water, then drink your coffee

Notice that we didn’t say to never drink coffee ever again. How about just trying it the very first thing before your morning coffee. Think about it. If you were a body waking up from a night of rest and detoxing, would you want the first thing to flood your system to be potent black coffee or fresh filtered warm water? Or when you go swimming, would you prefer to dive into a muggy, dark brown river or a crystal clear pond? How about just for the very first thing in the morning, trying a cup of warm water with lemon and noticing how your body reacts and how you feel?

  • Ditch another 15 minutes of screen-time for more outdoors-time, then go back to your screen and see it with new eyes

There is no doubt that nature clears our minds and for good reason. There is growing evidence that being in nature actually alters our brain chemistry. So the next time you’re about to take a walk in the great outdoors—but only after you “just check Facebook for a sec” or you “just read a few new emails” only to ‘wake up’ bleary eyed two hours later when it’s already dark—ditch the “just doing” such and such. Your Facebook posts and emails are going nowhere! You’ll notice that once you step outside, your entire nervous system will relax and if you breathe in and get in touch with your senses, then when you do go back to your screen, you’ll feel less ‘addicted’. Try it. You may actually say “what the hell, I’ll check these tomorrow” and pick up a good old hard copy book instead. Imagine!

  • If you’re gonna snack, at least pack healthy snacks so you can avoid bingeing at the nearest Quickie Mart in a low-blood sugar panic

We’ve all been there. That moment when our blood sugar is so low that the thought of anything that even slightly resembles food is appealing. Yep, even highly processed factory foods at Quickie Marts. Instead of putting yourself in this position, pre-pack your snacks before you leave home so you never have to race around the convenience store shaking like a drug addict going cold turkey ever again. Pack some healthy trail mix (pumpkin seeds, cranberries, almonds, sunflower seeds), sugarless energy bars, a bag of raw nuts and/or bananas. You’ll avoid the blood sugar roller coaster and the sweaty, manic panic and the factory food trans fats that are ubiquitous in convenience store products.

  • Carry a refillable water bottle everywhere you go so you don’t opt for sugary sodas, fruits juices and energy drinks because you’re sufficiently hydrated

This is so key to optimum health. And really, it’s so simple. Nobody wants to be addicted to unhealthy sodas and juices. If there is one bad habit that is sure to backfire, it’s thinking that sugary sodas and energy drinks and ice teas are substitutes for water because they’re, after all, liquid, right? Wrong. There are all kinds of additives, flavoring and copious amounts of added sugars in store-bought beverages. They’re prettily packaged products for a reason. They’re meant to steer you away from free tap water to boost the bottom line of their companies. Don’t fall for it. These products’ ingredients all too often diminish the effects of hydration that regular water would have. Even coconut water is less hydrating than water because it’s full of sugar, albeit natural sugar. If you’re thirsty, drink water. If you’re not thirsty, drink water. Drinking water regularly throughout the day is the best habit you can make. So buy a big metal water bottle in your favorite color and stick fun stickers all over it and fill it up with free tap water all day long. You’ll notice the difference hydration makes in your system.

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