creatures of habit

› By Lisset Lanza

The road to a healthy body and mind begins with our selfcontrol, which goes hand-inhand with our behavior. Much of our behavior is made up entirely of habits, and most of the time, we don’t even know we’re doing them.

Maybe you want to stop a bad habit, like chewing your fingernails, or maybe you’re interested in starting a good one, like going to sleep earlier. Either way, experts agree the best way to go about it is to not just focus on completely dropping a habit. Rather, it’s recommended you replace a bad habit with a good one. Instead of chewing your fingernails, pop in a piece of gum to divert your attention. When it’s time to sleep, put down your phone and open up the book you’ve been meaning to read. By doing this, you’re picking up a new activity in place of an old one, e ectively altering your behavior without outright halting it. The next steps are the key to keeping up with your plan. or a specific event? Is it a combination of factors? Recognize what triggers you, and then think ahead to put a plan in place in case you feel like you could break your habit.

Stick To It

Keep track of how long you’ve stayed on track with your behavior changes, and set a goal, like a certain number of days to aim for. A 2012 study cited 66 days as the magic number for habit-forming behavior. Remember to hold yourself accountable. Tell others if you need to in order to feel motivated to continue.

Give Yourself A Pat On The Back

KNOW YOUR TRIGGERS

Learn what triggers you.

Is it a mood, a time of day

Habits are reward based. Most of the time, you have a habit because it makes you feel good. Smoking relieves stress, and dunking a donut in your cup of joe tastes delicious. It’s OK to reward yourself for continuing down the path of changing your behavior. Just be sure to notice what works for you and when rewards could be a bad idea. Most importantly, look back at your progress and see how far you’ve come.

#DetectionSpecialists

Lung cancer is the #1 cause of cancer death in the US. By the time symptoms of lung cancer develop, such as coughing, wheezing or shortness of breath, it is usually too late to treat. If you are or were a heavy smoker, a Low Dose Computed Tomography screening can catch changes in the lungs early, when treatment is usually highly successful. Our Board Certified, fellowship-trained radiologists subspecialize in CT scanning, for an extra measure of accuracy.

If you’re 50 or older and are or were a heavy smoker, talk to your doctor about a Low Dose Computed Tomography scan from RAO. This painless test takes only minutes, and can help ensure you’ll be around for years to come.