Habits develop over time. It’s just a part of our day-to-day lives. But it is important to define our habits — the good, the bad and the ugly. Bad habits can take over our lives, becoming dominant problems that ultimately lead to damaging behavior.
Loma Linda University Health offers a health library. One article, titled With Help, You Can Break a Bad Habit, focuses on the steps to breaking bad habits. Of course, the most efficient way to break a bad habit is to avoid it in the first place.
Another article in the library, titled Developing Healthy Habits in Children, offers ways to help children develop good, healthy habits. Here are some key suggestions from the article.
- Lead by example, making healthy food choices yourself and encouraging the entire family to exercise
- Help children set realistic expectations that are achievable
- Limit the amount of screen time each day, be it television, computer or hand-held devices
- When good habits develop, reward children with positive, healthy rewards (as opposed to sweet treats)
- Encourage children to find something they can become passionate about, such as a sport, swimming, running or another exercise-oriented activity
- Protect family meal time and enjoy healthy, tasty and fun foods together
Define your habits. You probably already instinctively know which ones are leading to positive results in your life and which ones you should eliminate. Then make a change for a better life.
URLs for books
Library
healthlibrary.lomalindahealth.org/
Article 1
healthlibrary.lomalindahealth.org/search/1,457
Article 2