Break bad habits by creating good ones

By: Tom Egan, U.S. Army Veteran*

The pandemic has led to a lot of new bad habits. At the beginning of the restrictions, social-distance measures, and cancellations of sports leagues, I’d justify behaviors that I knew were bad for me, but felt I deserved them since I was missing out on March Madness. I’d stay up late binge-watching documentaries about tigers. Each morning, my new habit was to spend way too much time on my phone, scouring social media to stay informed on the “news.” Instead, I’d start my day angry at people’s tweets. Since I was always tired, I didn’t have the energy to cook healthy food, so I was regularly ordering pizza. I ordered so often that the pizza place knew my order before I said a word.

Four months later, I was 8 pounds heavier, tired, and angry. I realized I needed a change. I needed to pull on my old buddy “willpower” and stop eating bad food, stop binge-watching, and stay off social media. Two months after that, I was 10 pounds heavier, still tired, and angry—and defeated. My “willpower” let me down in my efforts to stop my bad habits. It wasn’t until I read HPRC’s article on how to create good habits that I realized I was relying too much on my willpower and needed to create good habits to counter my bad ones. 

However, I couldn’t just rely on willpower to create new good habits. I needed to be smarter about it. When I’m tired, angry, and defeated—and my willpower is low—how can I craft these new, good habits in a way that I can follow through whether my willpower is strong or weak? I learned that I needed to go easier on myself to do those habits I wanted to build. I moved the TV out of my bedroom so I couldn’t get sucked into binge-watching shows until 1:00 a.m. I replaced my social media apps on my phone with a Bible app, so now instead of going on social media each morning, I read a chapter from the Bible. I also learned I needed to make my new exercise habits simple and connect them to my daily routines. Instead of sitting on the couch to watch the news after work, I go to my elliptical and work out for a minimum of 10 minutes while streaming the news on my phone. Each Sunday, I make and package my meals for the week. And when I get the urge to order pizza, I eat one of my packaged healthy meals and wait 10 minutes before calling. I’m now back to my original weight, much happier, and more well rested.

To learn other Total Force Fitness strategies to lose weight, check out HPRC’s guide to weight loss.

About the Author 

Tom Egan served 6 years in the U.S. Army and now works in telecommunications.

* The opinions and assertions expressed herein are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of USU or DoD. The contents of this publication are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, or policies of The Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, Inc. Mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government. The author has no financial interests or relationships to disclose.