• AP Magazine

    An alternative way to explore and explain the mysteries of our world. "Published since 1985, online since 2001."

  • 1
Alternate Perceptions Magazine, September 2024


Examining Your Habits

by: Stan Prachniak, MBA





We all have behaviors that we do on a regular basis that have been formed throughout our lives. These habits are usually either good for us or bad for us, but we don’t always take the time to consider which is the case. Of course there are certain habits that are obviously bad for us that we choose to continue to do because they bring us pleasure in that moment. But, have you ever considered how the habits you have today will affect your life in the future?

It doesn’t matter whether a habit you have formed is good or bad, it will have an impact on your future. This is an important idea to understand as you navigate life. All of the decisions you make now will create future decision points—and, you never truly know when you will encounter these points. It is a good idea to avoid creating a habit of making spontaneous decisions, because decisions made impulsively are typically the ones that have a more significant impact on your life. Most of the time, bad habits are created by making impulsive decisions—they feel good in the moment. On the other hand, good habits are usually formed through engaging in planned behaviors or activities—they are more rational and responsible. Let’s consider some examples of how each type of habit can have an impact on your future.

Eating healthy and exercising regularly are both examples of good habits. Both of these things take effort and planning. In order to eat healthy, you have to be willing to make conscious choices about the types of food you are putting into your body. You have to consider how to balance your meals in order to maintain your optimal daily caloric intake. This is not an easy task unless you have formed a habit of doing so. And exercising regularly definitely takes effort, no matter what type of exercise it is. If walking is part of your routine, you probably do it at a certain time each day and on the same days each week (if you don’t do it every day)—you make a plan to exercise. When it is too hot or too cold, the habit of walking that you have formed is what helps you conquer the desire to skip a day. These are the types of habits that will likely have a positive impact on your life in the future.

Good habits foster opportunities for self-growth. Conscious choices tend to help reduce future stress because we are generally better prepared for future decision points. Another possible impact of good habits is that we may avoid future decision points. Consider the example in the previous paragraph. If you have eaten healthy and exercised regularly throughout your life, you will be less likely to experience major health problems as you get older. That is, you may not have a major health event that you have to navigate because you have made a conscious decision to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

The opposite of the good habits mentioned above are regularly eating junk food and not exercising. How much effort or preparation does it take to repeatedly grab fast food instead of planning out healthy meals? If you have formed a habit of eating whatever is easiest, then you are likely not getting the nutrition you need on a regular basis. And if you are eating fast food often, you are probably exceeding your caloric intake regularly. This also means that you are eating foods high in sugar, salt, saturated or trans fats, and lots of processed ingredients and preservatives. Choosing to avoid exercise can have similar consequences to eating unhealthy. Not using your muscles can be somewhat like letting a car sit without being driven for months at a time. When you decide to exercise (drive the car), things can go wrong. Because you have not established an exercise routine and stayed “in shape,” you are more likely to sustain an injury, and you will definitely be sore after your first exercise session—and being sore can deter you from working out again anytime soon. The thing that both of these examples have in common is that they are both the path of least resistance. It is easier to just mindlessly eat what you want. It is more comfortable to sit on the couch and watch TV than it is to get out and exercise. Both of these examples are focused on pleasure-based habits that can negatively impact your life in the future.

Just as good habits can foster opportunities for growth, bad habits can restrict growth opportunities. Consider again the ideas presented in the previous paragraph. If you are out of shape, it will be more difficult for you to participate in some of the activities that you might want to do. Things like playing with your kids or grandkids, joining a sports league, or exploring nature. And if you have formed a habit of eating unhealthy, then you have put yourself at higher risk for medical issues in the future. Unfortunately, some of the long-term risks of unhealthy eating are obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and stroke. Your habit of living an unhealthy lifestyle will likely create a health crisis in the future. In choosing an unhealthy lifestyle, you may create a future life-and-death decisions point. You will either have to change your habits, have a major medical procedure, or risk experience a life altering (or ending) event.

Proper diet and exercise are just a couple of things that people commonly struggle with, but are great examples of habits that we can examine, adjust, and control. Examining our habits and controlling what we can now can help us become the best version of ourselves, if we choose to follow our true path.

Freedom To Change offers a way for you to learn to examine your habits, make conscious decisions now, and make a plan to become the version of you that you truly want to become. For more information on the Freedom To Change materials, visit www.freedom2change.org.


Monday, November 11, 2024