As a one-two punch of looking at how sugar addiction affects your personal finances, try writing down every "treat" you buy, and what you spend on it, including tips. Bear in mind that if you made a special trip to satisfy a craving (to the store, bakery, cafe, etc) you're also spending gas money. A twenty minute drive to your favorite bakery for a brownie, for example. I know, I've been there.

For the purposes of this exercise though, simply record all those sweets. You can round off : if you ate most of a box of cookies this week (or two or three) just put in the total for the box(es). Every soda, every candy bar, every pastry, every ice cream, every sweetened coffee drink, iced tea, etc. Yes, this included all those "natural" sodas and teas most of which are loaded with high fructose corn syrup or wow, pure cane sugar. Guess what, nearly all those "healthy" sounding sweeteners: honey, brown sugar, brown rice syrup, turbinado sugar, beet sugar -- it's all metabolized by your body as, you guessed it, sugar. So write it all down for a week and you may be shocked. And this is just obvious sugar - it doesn't begin to look at hidden sugar, loaded into everything from corn flakes and ketchup to salad dressing and canned beans, and just about every processed food you can think of. Fruit juice-sweetened items also impact blood sugar and are best used in moderation. I usually limit fruits to 2-3 servings a day, counting a tennis ball size portion as a serving.

Now for the reward. You can cut out this sugar expense with its damage to your blood sugar, moods, undermining of your weight loss goals, its risks of metabolic syndrome, and diabetes, (for more details, see William Duffy's amazing book, Sugar Blues). Next you take those funds and apply them to active gear!

Invest in some good hiking boots. Get yourself a waist pack so you can carry your water bottle, healthy snacks, camera, field glasses, first aid kit, windbreaker, etc. Being equipped can up your motivation to take more adventurous hikes. If you'd prefer a better bike, or want running shoes, or gym wear - whatever is going to inspire you to move more - invest in yourself!

So, you come out with a healthier diet which helps to support your fitness activities, and, item by item, fantastic gear with which to enjoy your fitness activities. I get a bigger kick out of all my great gear than I ever got out of a brownie or ice cream sundae.

Use Your Gear to Support Your Active Lifestyle: It's interesting how your gear starts calling to you. I keep one of my pairs of hiking boots in the car. I get a good feeling each time I catch sight of them. I use them nearly every day. I also keep extra socks in the car. I like the antimicrobial ones with padded soles. My feet are much happier in dry socks, and since I often hike at the end of the day, a freh pair feels really good. This is aslo a great back-up for when a wavelet dumps into your boots (or you step in a creek or whatever). A couple weeks ago at Goat Rock Beach I hunkered down puzzling over a big washed up piece of mystery fish, and splash. I had my Tevas sandles and a towel in the car, so no biggie. If I need to put shoes on, though, I'm always glad for those extra socks.

Alternative Treats: These days my treat-foods are unsweetened chocolate, mochas made with unswetened almond milk, agave syrup (a low-glycemic sweetener), unsweetened cocoa, and fresh coffee (usually organic). I'm also fond of frozen cherries, and mango, trail mix (best to portion this out in individual servings), and my homemade brown rice pudding: made with almond milk and agave syrup, real vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg, and sometimes an egg, for a custard texture.

Having and using my hiking and camping gear has changed me. It's such a tangible sign of this is who I am now. I was so amazed on my last camping trip when I'd get up at dawn to watch the sunrise over the bay and take a run! Still blows me away. I used to be the guy sleeping in. "Run" was not in my vocabulary. And now, albeit with still a few extra pounds, I have a body that likes to run. Ever since I read in Men's Health about the heightened fat burning from interval training I've been adding these bursts of running to my hikes. By increasing the duration of my hikes, choosing steeper hikes, and varying my intensity from a moderate, easy to converse speed, to brisk, to running, and back to moderate, I've noticed great results in increased muscularity in my legs, and feel firmer all over. My clothes fit better, and my stamina for hills and stairs and yardwork is much better than it used to be. After a two hour hilly hike, other chores in my life fall into perspective as literally no sweat. Uphill hikes especially bust stress for me like nothing else. (I'm 47 now, and my current lifestyle is far more active than in my 30s or even 20s).

It can take a while to get used to passing up sugar and alcohol and other trigger foods (pay attention to notice what things you consume which make you want more). Keeping a food journal helped me a lot. I ran across the concept many years ago of stabilizing and destabilizing substances. The idea is that things which whack your blood sugar (various high glycemic foods from sweets to potatoes) and things which cause inebriation and other altered states are destabilizers. Those substances which nourish us are the stabilizers. From my experience, raw foods are particularly good sources of energy - I usually eat two salads a day. Lean protein and vegetables are stabilizing and very few people get into trouble with these (though there are people who can overeat any category). I use whey, cottage cheese, some eggs, some cheeses, (be aware of sodium and fat levels in cheeses - fresh mozarella tends to be the lowest in sodium, and there are some good reduced fat cheeses available), sometimes fish. I like nuts and almond butter, and for my last camping trip found raw macadamias and goji berries especially satisfying and energizing.

This isn't intended to tell anyone how to live or to judge anyone else - I've had remarkeable results from changing my diet and activity level, so if any of this is of benefit to someone else, that's great! I used to be so moody, and have problems with fatigue and body aches. I would sometimes pass out in the afternoon. I once ate a big cookie and started nodding off while driving. That was quite a wake up call. Now I rarely get that irritable edgy feeling and those sudden mood shifts and that 'so tired and achy I don't want to do anything' feeling. When I do, it was something I ate.

Maybe trading out sugar for hiking isn't for everyone. It works for me.

Happy Trails! Trent

Obligatory disclaimer: Neither the author nor this fine host bears any responsibility nor liability for anything you choose to do or not do after reading this hub. The author is a layperson and does not directly or indirectly dispense medical advise. By all means get to your health provider for any needed evaluation and one hopes motivation to make dietary improvements and get a move on. Evey choice we make, every day, creates the life we have, and the future we grow into.