Breaking habits for a healthy heart

By Clare E. Urwin

This is the last of three articles on having a healthy heart. The writer is a nutritionist and health advisor based in Surabaya. All the writer's articles are interactive and readers are encouraged to ask questions or make comments through the writer's e-mail address, clareu@attglobal.net or features@thejakartapost.com.

SURABAYA (JP): Making any kind of change is hard. Doing something different to what we normally do makes us feel strange and uneasy. Especially at first. We all like the "familiar" and seem to be drawn irresistibly toward doing what we have always done.

In fact, this is quite normal. An unconscious tendency for wanting "more of the same" is also called a comfort zone. We all have them. Comfort zones are our habits, our routines, and they make us feel content, secure and cosy.

By definition, a habit is repetitive behavior, and as long as this behavior is serving us well, we should continue with it. However, if it's holding us back and damaging our health, we need to modify or to change it. Sadly, a comfortable habit can easily become a harmful rut.

Decreasing our chances of heart disease usually means having to rethink some of our habits. This is not a catastrophe. Nor is it an end to life as we know it. Deliberately improving our diets and routines so that we can keep the big boss healthy, is being responsible, intelligent and smart.

Unfortunately, men hate changing habits. They resist leaving their comfort zones and want to remain with their familiar practices. It's understandable. Whenever a man does something out of the ordinary, a feeling of awkwardness and embarrassment normally follows, and he appears self-conscious.

Today's society puts a great deal of pressure on a male. Any hint of ineptitude, no matter how temporary, is taboo. But, isn't being momentarily embarrassed or awkward, a very small price to pay when your health or even your life itself is at stake?

Anyway, breaking free from your comfort zone can be an exciting and exhilarating experience. Changing bad habits into good ones will bring many bonuses. More energy for a start. With a new, healthy diet and lifestyle you will soon feel 10 years younger. Then you'll ask "Why did I wait so long?"

We are all perfectly capable of changing habits by ourselves, no matter how many times we have failed to do so in the past. Of course it requires proper thought, and it takes real effort, determination and commitment.

But, even more importantly, there are also certain stages involved and each one has to be gone through to make our habit change successful and permanent.

Too often people want a quick, easy, fix. How about this for a typical scenario? Let's say you have had an abrupt warning about your health. Perhaps it's been a wake-up call with sudden breathlessness because of being overweight. Or you have been diagnosed with high blood cholesterol.

Your first response is likely to be sheer fright. This will be quickly followed by an immediate grabbing of whatever magic cure promises to work the fastest. You want instant results.

Undoubtedly, there will be a strict, boring "healthy" diet, as well as an equally hasty, ill guided and unsafe exercise effort. Large quantities of supplements will be bought and promises made that you will never smoke or drink again, ever!

But, after a week, the fright fades. Food restrictions become too hard and there seems to be no time for exercising. Smoking one cigarette leads on to smoking the whole packet and soon the supplements are forgotten.

Before you know it, everything settles back into your previous routine. That comfort zone feels just like home. Sound familiar?

The problem with that method of changing habits is this. Diving straight into the "action" stage without proper thought and before you are ready, is almost certainly doomed to failure.

For instance, suddenly deciding to alter your whole lifestyle and live like a monk, without doing any preparation or groundwork, was unrealistic, unreasonable and unsustainable.

So, how can going through stages help? They do, and they apply to whatever habit you want to correct. Starting an exercise plan, losing or gaining weight, eating healthily, stopping smoking, cutting down on caffeine or even not biting your nails.

There are five stages involved. Success lies in a common sense, gradual approach to each one, starting with the first stage - "Denial".

In "Denial", you have no real wish to change habits or behavior. Totally repudiating there is a problem, you will probably refuse to read, listen, think or even talk about the situation. Concerned wives, partners and children will be accused of nagging.

This is the most difficult stage. You may think you're a lost cause and it's too late to do anything anyway. Feeling demoralized, it's humiliating to admit that a change might be necessary. Consequently, numerous excuses will be offered to retain the status quo.

"Contemplation" is the next stage and finally recognizing that a change of habit is needed, means a big break through. You now acknowledge that there is a problem and want to think about how to solve it. Realism is very important at this phase. Set achievable goals.

The "Preparation" stage follows. This is where planning is carried out and definite dates are set. If you are giving up smoking for instance, arrange extra games of tennis and more physical activity in those testing first few days. At the same time postpone certain social meetings where you know you will be tempted.

"Action" is the "bite the bullet" stage. This is the real thing. You have thought about this moment and have had time to psych yourself up. Now, just do it. Rewards for reinforcement, and praise and encouragement from your friends and family are vital during this period.

Lastly comes "Maintenance". Working at sticking to your goals; forever. How to support that good resolution for months and years after you have taken the action. This stage even allows people to contemplate relapse and helps them to get back on track after a possible hiccough.

Changing ingrained habits is one of the hardest things you will ever do. But, it's usually essential if you want to have a long, active and healthy life. The challenge is there. Do you need to make some changes to protect your heart? Be honest. Why not try just one for a start?

Of course, to put a change into practice is far more complex than to talk about it. Good news though. Anybody reading this article is already past the first stage. If you were still in "denial" you would have studiously avoided this column.

The cost of heart disease in financial terms is tremendous. But, more importantly, any economic losses can never take into account the human suffering involved to both the victims and their loved ones. What is your healthy heart worth? It's absolutely priceless. Make those changes soon. Good luck.