Bad Habits Broken

We all have our vices.  And trust me, I've had mine over the years.  Fortunately I've found it in me to give up all most of them and feel that life is better because of it.  For the most part anyway.  I still crave some of these habits though, that is for sure! 

So here are my top 10 habits; BROKEN!

1. Tanning.  You are talking to a girl who worked at a tanning salon in high school and college.  I cringe looking at pictures from my senior year in HS.  I was a walking advertisement for melanoma.  I'm still terrified to this day that I'll develop skin cancer from my tan-orexia days.

2.  The Treadmill.  What???  We're talking about bad habits, right?  You betcha.  I used to rely on the treadmill waaaaay too often.  Any time the weather wasn't perfect, I'd head to the gym.  And I hated it.  And it made me dread running.  Once I pounded out an 18 mile training run on that stupid machine.  Never again.  I've toughened up in recent years and am proud to say that rain or shine, I'm running outside!  I've only run on the treadmill once in the last year and a half!  I will definitely say that I am a happier and tougher runner for it.

3.  Ben & Jerry's.  The Mister & I have a thing for sweets.  And we like our occasional ice cream dates.  Back when we were first married, we would make a grocery store run to pick up a pint of B&J's... EACH!  While delicious, those suckers contain over a thousand calories and a day's worth of fat!  And we would have them almost every week!  Fat & happy.  Now we are a bit more sane when we go out for ice cream, and we don't do it nearly as often.  But sometimes on special occasions we will still split a Ben & Jerry's.  It's always a toss up between Phish Food and New York Super Chunk.  Yum!

4.  Diet Coke.  Oh how I love Diet Coke.  I haven't had one in over a year.  Every time someone pops the top on an ice cold DC I have to remind myself that I'm so much better off without it.  But iced tea just isn't the same.

5.  Sleeping in.  I think it's all psychological, but I've completely convinced myself that I'm a morning person.  My alarm goes off at 4:30 and I'm ready to start the day.  I don't get up that early on the weekends, and do occasionally sleep in, but getting up and making the most of my day makes me feel so much better than wasting away my weekend in bed.

6.  BRGR.  Okay, you know I still love me some BRGR.  But since starting Supper Club last year, we've really expanded our restaurant horizons.  Now instead of always heading to the same ol' (delicious) spot, we are usually out trying something new!

7.  Processed foods.  Let's be real.  I still eat processed foods.  But we have done an amazing job of cutting out most overly-processed packaged products full of chemicals and artificial sweeteners (see #4).  At the store, I look for products that are more natural and have fewer ingredients.  Plus I'm making a lot more foods from scratch.  My homemade granola is the shiz.

8.  Meat.  Oh how I love being a vegetarian.  Let me sing to you the joys of not worrying how the animal I'm eating was treated, or what ill-effects this factory farmed meat has on the planet, or what-the-heck is actually in this hot dog.  I do not miss meat one bit.  Everyone seems so shocked by this, but for me, giving up meat was such a relief.

9.  Fast Food.  This ties in well with #8.  It isn't easy finding a real vegetarian meal at a fast food restaurant.  For the most part I don't eat at any of the big chains.  This goes for "casual dining" as well.  We almost never eat at boring chain-type restaurants.  It isn't worth the money and I'd much rather eat at home.  Chipotle is the (big) exception.  Love me some burrito bowl.  Especially since they started serving brown rice!

10.  Smoking.  I know, right?  I was a smoker for a loooong time.  People always seem shocked to know that.  Quitting was one of the hardest things I've ever done.  If there is one thing I regret in life it is that I ever took up smoking.  But hey, I'm a sucker for peer pressure.  I was not the one going out for a smoothie.  I was the one hanging out at the gas station trying to convince someone to buy us a pack of cigarettes.  It kills me to think how much faster I'd run today if my poor lungs weren't recovering from nicotine & tar.  But honestly, even so many years later, I still get cravings whenever someone lights up.  Sick.

Okay, let's hear it.  What bad habits have you given up?  What are you still working on?  What vice will you never ever give up, no matter what???