How bad habits get started

We have the best of intentions. Eat well, exercise and live a wellness-focused lifestyle. Occasionally, we cut ourselves a little slack, maybe indulge in a little but too much good food and wine, or rationalize why it’s OK to skip a workout here or there. But if we don’t keep this behavior in check, it’s where bad habits start.

Take my trip to China for example. I was naughty in the food department. Our hotel had a fabulous breakfast buffet of Western, Chinese and Japanese breakfast items. Since, we didn’t know where our next meal was coming from (and our bodies thought it was dinner with the time change), I ate a BIG and I mean BIG breakfast. Of course, since I was in China, each morning I had to have the Chinese doughnut of the day, and loved the fried (yes fried) Chinese milk buns that I dipped in honey. Hey, this was great, and boy was this pretty awesome compared to my ultra-regulated breakfasts at home. Take dinner for example, I had beer every night and frequently ate fried food. There was seldom bottled water in the restaurants, so beer was the “safe” choice. Hey, this was refreshing after a tough day of site seeing! This all bothered me a bit at first, but by week 2 I was in the groove.

My eating was in “vacation mode.” When I got back, it was hard to immediately shift back into the old routine. I was hungry and missed all my sweet treats! Last Saturday morning, I treated my girls to doughnuts, and I actually considered having one. I practically had to shake myself silly. This is exactly how bad habits get started. Oh, one little doughnut won’t hurt! Ladies, this is like a ball rolling down hill, it only picks up speed.

This topic frequently comes up with clients. It’s so easy to go from vacation, to holiday, to special occasion, and before you know it, you’re 5-10 pounds overweight, with bathing suit season around the corner. I’m in week 2 of my vacation detox, and am feeling on track, and a little shocked at how bad I allowed myself to eat! How about you…have you allowed any bad habits to sneak into your food routine?