Quit smoking. Lay off the junk food. Stop being a couch potato. Don’t stay up too late. All of that sounds simple enough, but simple doesn’t always mean easy. You’ll need a good strategy to break some of those bad habits.

Think About It

Knowing you need to change something usually isn’t enough motivation to do it. You may even think there’s a good reason you do it.

For example, sometimes people who smoke feel like smoke breaks are the only times they can step away from their work during the day. And eating together is a way to bond with friends and family, so you may go along with the crowd instead of choosing healthier foods.

But are those really good reasons? You can take a break and go outside without smoking. You can enjoy a meal with friends and make better food choices.

A good way to get yourself going is to figure out what benefits you’ll get when you change your habits:

• You’ll feel better when you take care of your health.
• Your chances of certain diseases and conditions may go down.
• More activity and better foods can help you lose a few pounds and feel more comfortable in your clothes.
• Getting more sleep will give you more energy.
• If you smoke, you’ll save money, and your clothes, breath, and home won’t smell like smoke when you quit.

Break It Down

If the change seems overwhelming, start with small steps and goals. One way to do that is a trick from the business world called SWOT:

Strengths: What are you already doing right? What skills do you have?

• Are you a good cook who can make healthy, delicious meals?
• Are you good at scheduling, so you can make time to exercise?
• Who will support you in this? Friends, family, co-workers?

Weaknesses: What could get in your way?

• Do you put things off so you don’t have time to make healthy meals or go to the gym?
• Do you have a hard time sleeping because of stress?