Old Habits Die Hard

Old Habits Die Hard

A habit can be many things, some good, some not so good. I believe almost everyone has habits they would like to change or improve upon. I think most of the habits I have are good, but three bad ones stick out to me, smoking, staying up late at night, and my eating habits.

When I was 18 I picked up my first cigarette and I've regretted it ever since. I started out smoking a few a day but, 8 years later I now smoke like a chimney. (S) It's a disgusting habit that I've tried to quit what seems like a million times and I've just simply cannot kick this habit. I know I must find a way to quit for many reasons, but most of all my health. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, male smokers' lives are shortened 13.2 years and are much more likely to die between the ages of 35-69 than someone who has never smoked. Smoking is a bad habit that is not only harmful to me, but also to the people that are closest to me, namely my family and friends. I inhale through a filter, but they inhale my second-hand smoke directly.

Another of my bad habits is staying up late at night. According to www.health.com, the average person needs 7-9 hours of sleep per night and I rarely sleep that much. Each and every night I find myself saying "Ok, it's 10 o clock. One more hour and you're going to bed." But, it never happens. There's always something that needs to be done around the house, an assignment that I need to work on, or simply there's too many interesting shows to watch on TV. I'm like an owl, up all night. (S) But, unlike an owl, I can't sleep late into the day. I must be up by 6:30 am to start getting ready for work and I'm always exhausted when I wake up and must drag myself through the day. I know it's not healthy for my mind or body to continue to put myself through this and I must take the necessary measures to change my sleep schedule.

The last of my habits is my eating habits. I have a horrible diet; I eat too many greasy foods, too many sweets and drink too many sodas. With all the unhealthy foods I put in my body, I'm lucky that I'm not as wide as a truck. (S) I often find myself in my kitchen looking through my refrigerator and cupboards' trying to figure out what I want to eat and it seems like 9/10 I always choose the easy way out and eat something microwavable or I just head to a fast-food restaurant and order a greasy burger and fries. I must start paying more attention to what I'm putting in my body because I won't always be young and have a high metabolism. It will catch up with me.

In conclusion, I have both good and bad habits but, I need to change the bad habits I have if I want to live a long and healthy life. As good as it sounds to say "stop smoking, get to bed at a decent hour, or start eating