GOOD HABITS

**FOUR STEPS TO STARTING A GOOD HABIT***

Breaking BAD habits is hard. Starting GOOD ones is even harder. Whether you want to exercise more often, start the perfect diet, or have more sexy time with your spouse, here are four steps that'll help you get in the habit of doing something good for yourself . . .

#1.) BE REALISTIC. The first step to doing anything consistently and successfully is to be realistic. If you want to start exercising three times a week, just start slowly. When you're not used to going to the gym, just getting there ONCE a week will be a challenge.

#2.) MAKE IT EASY ON YOURSELF. When you start a habit, you want to make it easy to incorporate it into your life. For example, if you're trying to do yoga every day, get a course on DVD, or sign up at a studio that's close to your house, not 20 miles away.

--Your goal is to get the habit going. Another yoga studio might have more classes and better teachers, but unless you get in the habit of going, none of that matters.

#3.) DO IT AT A REGUALAR TIME. Whether it's first thing in the morning or first thing after work, stick to a regular time. You won't ALWAYS have to do it at the same time, but being consistent NOW will help you make it part of your daily routine.

#4.) ACKNOWLEDGE YOUR FIRST LANDMARK. After a week or two, take a moment to recognize the success you've had . . . as well as any roadblocks you've encountered. If you've successfully incorporated a new habit into your life, GREAT.

--And if you haven't, then now is the time to make any necessary tweaks OR go through the steps again if you think you need to. (AskMen.com)