Not Your Usual Suspects: May 3 retreat for you

Do you sit around a lot — at work or in a car — even if you exercise?

If this is true, you qualify for the #1 habit that is just as unhealthy as smoking.

The folks at Rodale, who bring you Prevention Magazine, learned that six habits lead to the same cancer rates as smoking or expose you to the same contaminants that are in cigarette smoke!

Smoking is one of those habits that I call The Usual Suspects. The other three are drinking or eating too much and using street drugs. Most of us recognize these as unhealthy behaviors.

But what about habits that are Not The Usual Suspects.

These behaviors create problems that are easier to ignore, avoid or cover up with a joke or a smile.  But just because they aren’t likely to lead to an arrest or an emergency room visit doesn’t mean you’re not hurting.

Thirty years ago I started helping addicts and alcoholics find new directions for their lives. I began to wonder about what all habits have in common because unlike my colleagues, I had little personal experience with addictions. But I certainly could relate because of my own experiences with smoking as a kid, overdoing alcohol and drugs as a young adult, and the impact of certain foods on my health.

It became clear that there can be just as much suffering from habits that aren’t life-threatening or as serious as the usual suspects. I decided to find what I could about this.

Over time, I learned about the hidden patterns underneath most self-defeating habits. These perspectives were helping my clients in addiction recovery, and it just wasn’t fair not to share. So I began bringing this to other folks who wanted to find peace and empowerment in their everyday lives.

On Saturday, May 3, 2014, I am hosting a 4-hour retreat in Lafayette to support you in exploring your own dilemmas, no matter what kind of habits are perplexing you.  Check the sidebar for more information and to sign up.

Here are some examples of the kinds of unhealthy habits that might be blocking your way:

• Procrastinating

• Eating too little

• Putting yourself down

• Blaming others

• Pleasing others

• Yelling or screaming

• Stuffing your feelings

• Controlling others

• Worrying

• Rushing around

• Being preoccupied about somebody else.

Here’s the Rodale top six list, which you can find more about here:

#1: Sitting around.

#2: Eating too much meat and cheese.

#3: Cooking with natural gas.

#4: Cooking with the wrong oil.

#5: Tanning indoors.

#6: Not getting enough sleep.