Hmmm. Have you ever worked really hard to change something in your life? Making a lifestyle change is never easy. So why is it so easy to fall back into your old habits?It’s interesting how the old habits sneak up on you. I’ve had several heart to heart talks with some of my old habits that seem to be in my face lately. I thought I’d write about them to see if they strike a cord with you too.Take the old junk food habit. No, I haven’t swung by the local drive-thru burger stand lately, but we recently bought a Costo-sized bag of salty trail mix. You know, the tasty kind with whole almonds, raisins and lots of M & Ms. The contents of the super-sized bag has been diminishing daily with a handful here and a handful there. If you add up the handfuls, they probably come to about 1-2 cups a day. I don’t even want to think about all the calories that adds up to. It’s certainly more than a single serving. So, what do I say to the half-eaten bag of trail mix? You are not my friend. Your salt content is miles over my daily limit. Even though studies have shown dark chocolate is good for people with heart disease, I’m afraid your milk chocolate M & Ms don’t count. Bye-bye trail mix, it’s in the trash for you.Next is the old “I think I’ll sleep in today” habit. Okay, some of you might argue with me about this one. We do need a good night’s rest. But I’ve worked really hard to establish an early morning meditation and yoga practice. I did this for several reasons: 1) I like the quiet time in the morning. 2) Starting the day talking with God seems to make the day go by more peacefully. 3) I feel virtuous about stretching in the morning. It lengthens my spine and makes me feel more flexible throughout the day. So, why do I forgo all these good practices for an extra hour of tossing and turning in bed, arguing with myself about whether I should get up and do my morning practice or stay in bed and snuggle under the covers? Old habits are just hard to break. So I try not to beat myself up over my lapse in judgment and make a vow to myself that I’m going to get up early the next day and do what I need to do. Funny, when I stay in bed for that extra rest, my day is filled with more aggravation.There’s one more old habit that sneaks up on me from time to time. The old habit of procrastination – especially when it comes to exercise. My life has changed a lot this past year. I’m now doing things I never in a million years thought of doing, but one thing is a constant. When I get involved in an activity, I jump in with both feet. I immerse myself to the exclusion of other things – like daily exercise. Only when my back starts to ache or my neck becomes stiff do I realize that – oops – I forgot to exercise today.But my life has changed to the point that I am more aware of my lapse in judgment about the food that I consume. I’m more aware of my early morning laziness. And, my body talks to me about needing to exercise and I listen. So, instead of feeling guilty about falling back into old habits, I’m grateful for the strides I’ve made in my life. I treat myself with kindness and compassion and remind myself of how much progress I’ve made toward living my life through my heart. Ahh. Life is good.If you’ve fallen back into old habits, be kind to yourself, don’t feel guilty about what you should have done. Instead, remind yourself that your human and get back on the path to health and wellness.