Bad Habits, a term we often associate with the Ed Sheeran song of the same name. A good track to sing along to in the car and perfect for belting out in the shower. But like the artist, we've realised that bad habits, such as drinking too much alcohol or hanging around in dark clubs night after night until the small hours, rob us of valuable energy and stop us from unfolding our full potential.
Do you also have one habit or another that you'd love to strike from your life? We give you valuable tips and tricks on how to cut bad habits out of your life and show you how, for example, you can establish new, healthier routines with child's play using our shot cleanse.
What are bad habits?
Bad habits are simply habits you'd rather not have. Habits are small and big actions that you do so often that you hardly notice them. Like tying your shoes after putting them on, or brushing your teeth in the morning and in the evening. Habits are always triggered by a stimulus. A stimulus, such as getting up, is followed by your habit, brushing your teeth.
Whether a habit can be regarded as a bad habit is first of all a subjective judgement. And not all habits are bad. It's actually immensely important that you do most activities unconsciously. Imagine having to think about what to do next every morning after getting up. Your brain would be working constantly and would surely be overloaded quickly. Through routine actions you create "thinking breaks" for yourself and give your day a structure. That frees up space to deal with important topics.
But just as there are good habits that support you in your everyday life and with your goals, there are also bad habits that rob you of energy and time, lead to an unhealthy lifestyle and stop you from unfolding your full potential
Here are a few examples of habits that could count as bad habits:
- Going to bed too late
- Spending too much time on your phone
- Cigarettes, alcohol and sweets
- Not drinking enough
- Too little exercise / Too much time sitting and on the couch
How can I get rid of bad habits?
First, it's important that you become aware of your habits and assess them individually for yourself. Ask yourself where your journey should lead, and which of your habits support you on the way and which put obstacles in your path.
Once you've defined your habits, the next step is to eliminate bad ones. There are different ways to do this:
Your habit has to be invisible
As mentioned, our habits are triggered by stimuli or triggers. If you let your phone wake you every morning and as a result spend far too much time on your social media channels and leave the house too late, that's a habit you might want to get rid of. To succeed, you should track down the trigger and make your habit invisible. One option would be to swap your phone as a trigger for an analogue alarm clock. Make sure your phone is out of reach in the morning, so it's invisible for the moment.
Your habit has to be unattractive
Have you made it a habit to open a bottle of wine in the evening to wind down after work? Perhaps your underlying thought was that you wanted to relieve stress and do yourself some good. But if you want to eliminate this habit, you have to change your mindset. Change your attitude and become aware of the benefits (this is where attractiveness counts) of not drinking wine every evening. You might sleep better, or spend the time in the evening on exercise and so achieve your goal of moving more.
Your habit has to be difficult
If you want to stop reaching into your sweets drawer during breaks, one option would be to put the sweets somewhere else. If they're not within the usual reach next to your desk, but a walk is needed to get them, ideally even a shopping trip, your habit becomes harder to carry out and it will be all the easier for you to give it up.
How can I establish new habits?
As with bad habits, new habits start with becoming aware of what your goals are. Where should your personal journey lead? In the first step, feel free to think big!
Possible goals can be:
- Moving more
- Running a marathon
- Eating healthier
- Finally reaching your goal weight
- Keeping up your social contacts
Have you defined your goals? Great, then let's go!
As with bad habits, there are a few simple steps for new, good habits too that let you outsmart your head.
Your habit has to be clearly defined
New habits are easier to establish if you've defined them clearly and given them a time and a place. Want to eat healthier in your working day? Then your habit could be: "Every evening at 8 pm I prepare my food for the next day".
Your habit has to be easy to put into practice
If you've set yourself the goal of running a marathon or moving more, that shouldn't be the goal of your new habit. What's important is that your goals are small and easy to put into practice. Want to run more? Then first resolve to go jogging for 20 minutes at a set time (see above). Compared to a marathon, 20 minutes sounds like an easily achievable goal. Once you've managed that, you can slowly increase the time
Your habit has to be obvious
If your new habit jumps right out at you, it will be easier to remember it and act as you want to. Take the goal of moving more. If you lay out your running clothes in the evening, your morning self is immediately reminded that you want to exercise. The choice of location for your gym can also play a significant role. If it's right on your way to work, working out before work seems more attractive. If it's 2-3 streets further away, you have to make a "detour" and it will be harder to put your goal into practice.
Establishing new habits with the shot routine
As with our juice cleanse, we aim to support you in establishing healthy habits. Have you resolved to make your lifestyle healthier in future, to feel fitter or even to reduce your sick days?
Great! As you've already learned, it's right to set your goals big and, when it comes to putting them into practice, to take small steps! Especially with your diet, the journey is the destination!
Do you already know the shot cleanse from Frank Juice? In one bundle you get our tasty shots Yellow, Red and Violet and, on top, in our Shot Guide, instructions that will help you establish your new shot cleanse.
The colourful ginger shots are meant to support you in strengthening your immune system and establishing your healthy lifestyle. In the morning, Wake Up Call gives you a natural freshness kick. Fast Lane pulls you out of your afternoon slump with the pick-me-ups mate and guarana, and the lavender in our Lavender Skies provides a moment of relaxation in the evening.
Our shots come to you in sustainable packaging. Best place them at eye level in your fridge, so the new routine is obvious to you!
Have fun!
