Bad Habit Smackdown Challenge

on April 14, 2009
in All Posts

It’s been three days since the 15.4 mile trail race, and I gingerly stepped out of bed (OK, fell over in a sleepy stupor)…. only to discover my knee pain is almost gone!  The left one still hurts when I climb the stairs, but I can happily walk.  Which means I can now elliptical or bike.

 

I think a trip to the gym for some cross training is in order! I’m going stir crazy.

 

Breakfast was something different — I was craving something cold and fast.  I also wanted no clean-up.

CIMG3910

Ta-da!  Yup, my favorite snack made its appearance at brekkie.  I had yogurt + a crushed TLC bar, strawberries, and coffee.

CIMG3918

I had a little more yogurt than I would’ve if this was just a snack to make it more "breakfast-like." 

CIMG3914

The Bad Habit Smackdown Challenge

 

I’m joining Heather in her quest to break one bad habit this month.  My bad habit is poor dental care.  Yes, I brush two (or three) times a day, but I only floss once a week and I rarely use mouthwash.

 

So, I pledge to brush, floss, and rinse every day, twice a day.  I’ve put a note on my bathroom mirror to remind myself.

 

Here’s a great Prevention tool to help you break your bad habit, whether it be nail-biting, fat-talk, late-night snacking, or something else.

 

What bad habit would you like to break?

{ 39 comments }

 

  • sarah April 14, 2009, 4:08 am

    i’m already working on flossing and heather inspired me to also fight my nail biting/peeling habit! flossing has definitely gotten easier though — i started at the beginning of the year, went through a lazy spell in march, and am back on my game! i like the way my teeth feel after a good floss 🙂

  • Alison April 14, 2009, 4:08 am

    Breakfast looks delicious. Great idea to crumble up the bar into the yogurt rather than just eating it as a bar.
    Good luck with your dental challenge. Flossing is a hassle, but once you get in the habit, you don’t even think about it.

  • Tami April 14, 2009, 4:27 am

    we started using this store brand whitening dental rinse (you use it before you brush) we are addicted to it, it works great for whitening and really cleans your mouth. We also started using a new type of tooth paste, Natural Dentist. so I LOVe brushing my teeth now and like Alison said, once you floss for awhile it will just become a habit.

  • Lauren April 14, 2009, 4:30 am

    Ugh! I forget to floss daily too! It’s such a pain but definitely a good habit to get into!

  • Erica April 14, 2009, 4:31 am

    Glad your knee is feeling better! I cannot believe that fire!!!!!!!!! I am so glad you and the pups are ok 🙂

  • Nicole (anotheronebitesthecrust.wordpress.com) April 14, 2009, 4:48 am

    I always forget to floss too! Oops. Maybe I should work on that along with stopping the nail biting.

  • VeggieGirl April 14, 2009, 5:03 am

    Good luck with the challenge!!

    Bad habit I need to break = getting stressed out so easily.

  • Amelia (AC/DC: Highways to Health) April 14, 2009, 5:04 am

    I definitely need to get better about the flossing. I always forget!
    Glad to hear your knees are feeling better this morning!!!

  • Balance, Joy and Delicias! April 14, 2009, 5:13 am

    I need to join you on this one, I don’t do proper dental care!!! 🙂

  • jenngirl April 14, 2009, 5:28 am

    For some reason I wanted the same type of thing for breakfast yesterday, it was nice to switch it up!

    Hope cross-training goes well today!!

    I’m breaking out of sleeping in my contacts too much, so far so good!

  • Susan April 14, 2009, 5:49 am

    I definitely need to start flossing more. I always do it for about a week after I go to the dentist, then it dies down.

    Glad your knees are feeling better!

  • iowagirleats April 14, 2009, 5:49 am

    I want to break picking at my split ends…soooooo bad!!

  • Dori April 14, 2009, 5:51 am

    I jumped on Heather’s challenge too. My bad habit is eating like someone is about to take my food away at any second. I need to SLOW DOWN.

    Yay for yogurt for bfast — it’s what I have every day!

  • Colleen April 14, 2009, 5:51 am

    Oooo, late night snacking is a big one for me! I don’t know if I can break it though!

  • Meg April 14, 2009, 6:08 am

    Good luck with your habit breaking. I would like to break the habit of chewing too much gum.

  • Lynne April 14, 2009, 6:12 am

    I’m awful about flossing also. But the habit I need to break the most is nail/cuticle biting. My nails look awful because of it!

  • Leah @ Simply Fabulous April 14, 2009, 6:19 am

    I definitely want to break the fat talk habit! Definitely!!

  • Brandi April 14, 2009, 6:19 am

    glad your knees are feeling better! that’s awesome!

    I’m thinking of my habit, still, but flossing is one I don’t do enough.

  • J April 14, 2009, 6:19 am

    A few years ago I made a new years resolution to floss and it worked! How did I do it? I told myself I didn’t have to floss on weekends. I know it sounds silly, but for some reason it made it easier to stick with.

  • Hi! I'm Erin April 14, 2009, 6:21 am

    Ah yes, the flossing. I started doing that several years ago and now my mouth feels disgusting if I don’t do it. I don’t do the mouthwash, though.

    My biggest bad habit is picking at my cuticles until I’ve got a raise flap of skin and then nibbling at them. I’ll also bite my nails if they’re raggedy. Sometimes I pick and bite until my cuticles bleed. I’ve tried everything but nothing works. I guess I’m just too anxious and this is my outlet. I’d love to stop, though. They look hideous.

  • RunToFinish April 14, 2009, 6:37 am

    I was trying to think of a habit to break and I couldn’t really decide. I mean my honest one is to eat less sweets, because they are totally a habit. But I know I need to get more specific to make it successful

  • Oh She Glows April 14, 2009, 6:47 am

    Glad the knee pain is almost gone! 🙂

    Habits…hmm…picking at my split ends! lol

  • K from ksgoodeats April 14, 2009, 6:55 am

    That breakfast looks great and I’m glad your knee pain is almost gone!!

    I’m horrible at flossing too 🙁

  • Siobhan April 14, 2009, 7:05 am

    You should try floss picks- I like the G.U.M brand. They are really easy to use and you don’t have to stick your whole hand in your mouth like with regular floss!

    As for me- I’m going to see if I can go a week without eating after 9pm!

  • Ellen April 14, 2009, 7:08 am

    amazing how quickly the body bounces back right? take it easy!

    just wanted you to know that mouth washes containing alcohol have been linked to causing cancer. something to look into anyway. good luck on your challenge. i have got to stop chewing my nails.. yuck.

  • peanutbutterandjuli April 14, 2009, 7:10 am

    I never used to floss, but now I am quasi-addicted to it. It makes my mouth feel so clean! Also- I’m hosting my first giveaway (eee!) so enter if you like!!!

    xxoo

  • tfh April 14, 2009, 7:23 am

    I have a number of bad habits I need to break! My husband would put “sticking everything and anything down the garbage disposal” as #1. #2 is probably leaving my clothes in the dryer until it’s time to wear them, then having to run the dryer for a few minutes to freshen things up…that’s kind of an embarrassing one.

  • nibblesandwiggles April 14, 2009, 7:26 am

    Good luck on the flossing. After my last painful cleaning I have been flossing nearly every night. I keep one of those reach flossers next to my bed in a makeup bag and have incorporated it into my bedtime routine.

  • Ashley & Bo April 14, 2009, 7:29 am

    Great idea! I highly recommend you use Crest Pro Health paste and rinse along with our new +Scope line of floss as they’ll leave you nice and fresh! In fact, if you send me your address i’ll mail you some! 🙂

    Remember- CROSS TRAINING TODAY- NO RUNNING:)

  • Katherine April 14, 2009, 7:35 am

    late night snacking…i neeeed to break this habit!!

  • Lacey Nicole April 14, 2009, 7:41 am

    just a suggestion: i carry floss around with me everywhere i go! i started using it after every time i eat it just became a knee-jerk reaction!!! def having it on hand, esp if it is in sight will help you i bet!!!! hope this helps! 🙂

  • Danielle April 14, 2009, 7:42 am

    What a good habit to work on, I feel you on the flossing, It takes what a minute? Yet I always find an excuse not to do it.

  • Trish April 14, 2009, 7:53 am

    I used to hardly ever floss – now I do it every single morning. I made it a habit. I just decided that I would floss first thing, rather than just doing it whenever I remembered to. Morning means flossing – no exceptions! 🙂 One habit I do need to work on is stretching more. I am so bad about it sometimes.

  • Niki April 14, 2009, 7:53 am

    Glad your knees feel better! Good luck with the cross training! I am bad about flossing too!

  • Sarah (lovINmytummy) April 14, 2009, 8:20 am

    Have you ever tried a flosser? It’s this tool that looks like a toothbrush with a little flossing head on the end. I used to hate to floss, but now I don’t mind at all.

    I am going to attempt to stop grabbing bites here and there of little things all day. As you know, its hard to be at home and so close to the kitchen all day!

  • runsarah April 14, 2009, 8:49 am

    Great idea…I definitely need to floss more often too.

  • Allison April 14, 2009, 9:06 am

    Mine is also def dental care! I brush well, but lack in flossing/mouthwash too 🙁 I’m going to work on it with you!

  • HangryPants April 14, 2009, 9:57 am

    Oh god, I’ll have to do that next month! I guess I’m one big bad habit.

  • just me April 14, 2009, 10:26 am

    i don’t know what habit i would try to break…i suppose mine might be something along the lines of better hygeine when it comes to dirt? keeping my toenails clean? not possible in a place where we live! bah!

Previous post:

Next post:

Search The Blog

Read by Month:

Read by Topic:

Healthy Tipping Point