Everyone falls off the healthy-eating wagon from time to time. And that's OK. Life happens -- and so does chocolate cake. But when unhealthy eating becomes less of an occasional slip and more of a habit, it's time to take action. The good news is, even the worst eating patterns aren't hard habits to break:

• Late-night eating. Technically speaking, a calorie is a calorie is a calorie no matter when you eat it. But, more often than not, late-night snacking isn't really about hunger. Instead, it's just a habit to reach for the chips when your favorite show is on. If this sounds familiar, try eating dinner a half-hour later than usual. Also, go for a walk before or after dinner to help control your appetite. Then, during your down time, keep your hands busy working on a craft or doing a crossword. If you're feeling snacky, just wait out the craving for a while and see if you're still feeling hungry.
  
• Sweet tooth. Is your sweet tooth out of control? There's nothing wrong with having a small treat from time to time, but for many people, one small treat leads to a craving for a second treat (or third, or fourth). You can end up with a lot of calories and very few nutrients. When you've got a sugar craving, try soothing it with a sweet -- but healthful -- replacement such as dried fruit or some homemade trail mix. Check out Bethany's "Walking the Walk" to see how she nipped her sugar habit in the bud.

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Inspired by Bethany's Walking the Walk post, several of my fellow bloggers and I have been trying to ditch the sugar habit.

I started on my low-sugar plan just before New Year's. I wish I could say it was easy, but it wasn't. I thought that once the temptations were removed, I wouldn't crave sugar ... but I did. Oh, how I craved it. Now, however, several weeks in, it's easier. And I feel better ... more energetic.

Do you think you can go without refined sugars? Why not give it a try tomorrow along with many other people? Tomorrow, January 16th, is the Great Worldwide Sugar-Out Challenge. If you need some inspiration, check out some of these success stories.

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Duran Duran ruled the 80's. In fact, they still kind of rule. Selling out arenas around the world isn't too shabby in anyone's book.

Even though he's still performing with his legendary band, John Taylor has reformed from his very typical rock star ways of the past, and is now a genuine fitness fiend. We spoke today, and I was delighted to hear about his new lifestyle. John told me that he gave up drinking and drugs years ago and pays a lot of attention to his health. He actually said he considers himself a runner! So cute, he called himself the "slackest runner in the world" but knows he needs that outlet because of the mental relief it provides. To quote John, he says it "suits my psychology."

When we see rock stars living the party life, it's easy to wonder what effects it will have on their futures. Some simply don't survive the lifestyle. But John did, and it's wonderful to see the man so many people adore as he lives a truly healthy life. He does struggle a bit with something, though.

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My son likes many healthful snacks. Cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, carrots, celery, almost any variety of fruit, cheese sticks and sunflower seeds are his favorites. But if given the choice between any of his favorite healthful snacks and his least favorite type of junk food, he'll pick the junk food every time.

I adopted my son when he was 10 years old, so many of his eating habits were already formed. With time and determination, he's learned to enjoy home-cooked meals (he only liked frozen foods when he first moved in) and understands a lot more about nutrition. But the junk food addiction has remained a problem.

I've tried instituting other rules, such as having healthful "anytime foods" that he can snack on whenever he likes and in any quantity he desires. The treat foods were left for desserts and small treats each day. It's a good idea in theory, but it led to my son trying to sneak those foods up to his room. When they became hands-off foods, they were more desirable than ever.

Obesity is a risk factor for so many conditions. Subsequently, fat has become almost synonymous with unhealthy. In addition, we live in a society that trains us to believe that thin not only equals healthy, it also equals attractive. Daily Mail has an interesting article where two men -- one who is overweight and one who is thin -- are thoroughly checked out by a doctor to see who is actually healthier.

Surprisingly, the overweight man is healthier on almost every count. His blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol, lung function and liver function all fall within healthy ranges. The thin man, however, didn't fare so well. While his lung function is good, both his cholesterol and blood pressure are high. In addition, his liver function and blood sugar are approaching unhealthy ranges.

Weight is not the only difference between these two men -- they lead different lifestyles and those lifestyles have an effect on their health. The overweight man exercises regularly, eats healthfully and doesn't drink. The thinner man doesn't exercise, pays little attention to what he eats, smokes and drinks quite a bit.

Weight is an important measure of health and we should all strive to achieve or maintain a healthy weight. But, while this article is far from a scientific study, it does show that a healthy lifestyle -- including good nutrition and lots of exercise -- has a bigger impact on our health than anything else.

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Kids have many health habits that leave a little to be desired. As health habits spiral downward, childhood obesity and related illnesses are on the rise. It's the role of a parent to help change kids' bad habits and replace them with health-promoting foods and activities.

AOL Health counts down some of the worst health habits that kids have today:

• Eating too much white or refined flour. White flour is void of nutritional value, so while it might make that soft and squishy bread kids love, whole wheat is always a better choice.
• Drinking soda. Not only does soda add ridiculous amounts of unnecessary calories, it's also damaging to dental health. To help break the soda habit, don't keep it in your house. Water meets your child's hydration needs better than anything else. Milk and 100 percent fruit juice are also good choices in moderation.
  
• Not exercising. Kids should be active for at least 60 minutes each day. Many schools are cutting back on physical education and even on recess -- so it's important that parents create time for active play. One of the best ways to be sure your kids are being active is to get out there and play with them.
  

Check out the slideshow on AOL Health for more unhealthy kid habits.

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Every day, we are faced with healthy and unhealthy choices that can ultimately prolong our lives ... or shorten them. And though none of us are perfect enough to make the healthy choice every time, making just one healthy choice most of the time can make a difference: The choice between the elevator and the stairs.

According to the BBC, taking the stairs on a regular basis can reduce your risk of premature death by up to 15%. That might not seem like much, but imagine the impact it can have if everyone did it?

Here's the bottom line: The more you do for your health, the better, but if you can't, do this one thing. It's simple, it's effective and it more importantly, it's doable.

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Let's face it: Nobody's perfect. But most of us try our best, and that should count for something, right? Over at AOL Health, they've recently put together the Good Enough Guide to Health -- a handy checklist of bare minimum you can do to make a positive impact on your health. For instance, we're told we should be getting eight to 10 servings of fruit and veggies a day. But if that's just not possible? Five will do just fine.

We all have a strong points and our weak points. So we want to know, when it comes to healthy habits, which is your strength?

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If your dad is short and overweight, your mom is short and overweight, you'll be short and overweight, too, right? Not necessarily.

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How do naked push-ups sound to you? Well, let me tell you, I just got off the phone with a colleague and friend, Dr. Jose Antonio, Ph.D., FACSM, CSCS, Chief Executive Officer of the International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN) and one of its co-founders. We were talking health and fitness when he brought up something a fellow fitness pro, Suzy Favor Hamilton does and recommends on a regular basis.

You got it. Naked push-ups.

Before showering each morning, Suzy -- an elite athlete, makes a habit of dropping and doing 20 push-ups. It's simple and it may sound silly, but getting down and earning a good shower each day seems like a great idea to me!

Naked push-ups are smart for two reasons. They create a habitual time and place for you to make push-ups happen. Second, it seems as they would force you to get in touch with your body at least once each day. Do you like the way your legs hold firm as you go through the motion? Could you work on trimming down your tummy so it doesn't touch the ground first? I imagine that naked push-ups would give most of us the motivation to choose the right foods and pursue even more exercise as the day progresses.

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It's nearly impossible to be a healthy individual if the family you live with relies on unhealthy habits and lives an unhealthy lifestyle. It's unrealistic to expect yourself to eat nutritious, balanced meals when everyone around you is having pizza and KFC every night! One of the single best things you can do to help ensure your health and fitness success and give your efforts a much-needed jumpstart is to embrace your family and draw them into living healthier with you.

Of course lecturing and making steamed broccoli for dinner every night probably isn't going to do the trick-- you're going to have to get back to basics and make it a "from the ground up" kind of effort. Here are some tips to get you and yours all started on a healthier lifestyle, together:

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Unhealthy habits, we all have 'em. Eating too much, exercising too little, spending too much, saving too little, the list goes on. When it comes to your health and meeting goals for weight loss and fitness, some of the biggest obstacles standing in your way could be some the things you do everyday without even thinking: your unhealthy habits.

Habits aren't easily broken, but many of the methods for getting rid of them are the same across the board, regardless of what your specific vices are. Here are the most proven and effective methods for breaking unwanted habits:

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We're all stressed way too much -- I don't think anybody disputes that. Our schedules are too busy, our jobs too demanding, our family times too rushed. And although it seems like we're always talking about how we need to take it easy and relax,how often do we really make good on that? One bubble bath once every six months just isn't going to cut it!

The best stress relief happens when it's built right into your life, and the trick is to form a set of habits that you do on a regular basis without really thinking about it. You don't have to think "this action is meant to decrease my stress" in order to reap the relaxing and re-energizing benefits from it. Here are 5 ways to build stress-relief into your life:

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About 10 years ago, I stopped drinking soda. I lost seven pounds. The soda eventually crept back into my diet. One year ago, I stopped drinking it again. I ditched sweets too. I lost 15 pounds.

Is there one habit you can eliminate from your diet? A candy dish on your desk you could trash? A morning stop for doughnuts you could do without? A late-night dish of ice cream you could trade for a bowl of fresh fruit? Surely, there's something you can get rid of. Surely, you'll see results when you do.

Fitness magazine asks a few women in their May 2008 issue about small changes they've made in their lives that delivered great gains. One women nixed alcohol for one month. Social drinking was her diet downfall. She'd end up having a dozen beers while mixing with friends, and it always led to snacking on junk food. While this gal says she won't give up alcohol for good, she does plan to minimize her intake, for the sake of her health.

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Finding a way to thwart death and live forever is the stuff of movies and legends -- how many characters have gone in search of the fountain of youth? That's all just fiction and fun, of course, but in real life there are real things you can do to help not only get the most years out of your life as possible but also the most quality years out of your life. A good start to a solid fitness plan is implementing healthy (i.e. life-extending) habits. So try these on for size:

• Get enough sleep, but not too much! Studies show that people who sleep too much (generally 8+ hours per night) have shorter life expectancies, but then again so do those who don't get enough sleep (less than 6 hours). It seems there's a magical number of just enough sleep, which for most people lands somewhere between 6 and 8 hours.

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