Bad Habits

Why is it that bad habits are hard to break and good ones hard to start? I wonder if bad habits are naturally tied into some instinct of doing things the easy way, perhaps taking the past of least resistance? For example, I have a habit of cracking my neck. Some would consider this a bad habit. With a simple rotation of my chin to the left, and then the right, my neck often gives off a cracking sound. I usually do it without even thinking about it. Maybe it's because it's so quick and easy that the habit lives on.

Now let's look at a good habit, like flossing. It keeps our teeth strong, helps head off bad breath, and some say it's linked to improving the condition of the heart. But does that mean I jump out of bed every morning and run to the bathroom and grab my little container of Crest Glide (mint flavored, of course) and floss my way to a healthier me? Of course not. Why not? It's simple, easy, and cost effective. But it does take time and effort...and I have to make it a priority when I'm at home. Since it's summertime and I have very few excuses for not flossing (although I can come up with excuses at the drop of a hat!), I am making a half-hearted attempt to floss at least three days a week. That's every other day for heaven's sake; I should be able to do that!

The same goes for exercise. I can make up some lame excuses for not going to the gym, but since I have the time right now, I'm trying to go at least four days a week. So far I've been more successful in reaching this goal than the flossing one. This week I've taken yoga with a deep voiced, gangly hippy, done dance aerobics to 50's doo wop music (I felt like I was "Sweating to the Oldies"with Richard Simmons"), and I went to water aerobics at the nearby community center. (I thought I had read the schedule wrong and maybe walked in on a senior citizen aerobics class, there were so many gray-hairs there!) Since I started working out two weeks ago I have had less neck pain and headaches, so maybe this exercising is worth following through on this time. :) I'll let you know how it goes.
-PT