A few weeks ago, I went to the doctor. We moved nearly two and a half years ago, and I hadn’t really gotten set up with a new doctor here.

Truth be told, I hadn’t really had a doctor in Chicago either — unless you count the OB/GYN who took care of me through two pregnancies and two births.

At age 41, I figured it might be time to take better care of myself, including scheduling some routine tests, including bloodwork.

I consider myself a healthy person, with few bad habits and at least one good one (running regularly.)

I do enjoy my peanut M&Ms and have had a longstanding love affair with a daily glass of Coca Cola (and not the diet kind.) And I’ve tried to give it up before, but my commitments to “drink only one Coke a week” always crumble and soon I’m back to my daily habit. Despite that, and despite regularly eating handfuls of M&Ms before breakfast, my weight is reasonable; we don’t eat much fast food; I eat fresh fruits and vegetables daily, though perhaps not as many as I should.

So, I met the new doctor a couple of weeks ago, and she told me that all my tests looked great, except my cholesterol levels. I am genetically predisposed to high cholesterol, it seems.

She wants me to return for blood work in 6 months, so I decided to make a real effort to eat more healthfully and exercise more consistently.

It’s been nearly 3 weeks.

I have had one glass of Coke — on my birthday, with pizza. I’ve started a new coffee habit, and one cup in the morning seems to satisfy my need for caffeine. I am drinking water instead of Cola, and I’ve forsworn sweets, save one small square of dark chocolate after lunch.

I’m hoping that these new habits are sustainable and that they will make a real difference in bringing down my higher-than-desired cholesterol level.

Tell me something! How do you stay healthy? What’s your worst health habit?