I’m tired. I started a new exercise routine 3 days ago and the soreness is setting in. I have one hour before I have to be up and at it for a 60 minute workout that might cause me yell out near-expletives at the TV. If yesterday is any indication.

Michael Hyatt just blogged about Bad Habits and how to break them. We tend to take the bad habit and try to beat it into submission. That works for period of time, from days to months or even years for the willpowered among us. But as Hyatt convinces, bad habits will really only be broken when we figure out the why related to the habit.

I’ve been trying to do that with the habit of health and body. I’ve always been able to decide to pick up an exercise routine and do it, most often to excess. This has helped me lose weight, for periods of time. But recently I’ve been deliberate about asking myself why I want to eat when I am not hungry. It starts as simply as a question. “Why do you want to eat when you are not hungry?”

It doesn’t always keep me from grabbing pretzels or cookies, but it does sometimes, and it makes me think. I also don’t always come up with a direct answer to this question, but I’m hopefully planting a seed, developing a new habit, that will grow and bear fruit.

What question do you need to ask yourself before you drink or eat something your body isn’t asking for or engage in your individual “bad” habit?