There are lots of habits out there that people believe are healthy at first glance, however, upon further inspection, you’ll see that they can actually be really bad for you. The ‘healthy habits’ in this guide can actually be more detrimental to your health than anything. Take a look and see if you’re guilty of doing something that is bad for your health.
Exercising all the Time
Going hard in the gym and getting some great workouts in is fantastic, but not if you’re exercising all the time. You should not be exercising every single day. The body needs rest to make progress, so you should aim to have at least one full rest day per week. You might think you’re doing your body the world of good, but you could actually begin to suffer from overtraining syndrome. You might even get so sick of your hardcore routine that one day you decide to quit altogether. Make sure you exercise because you enjoy it, and not as a way to punish your body or get extreme results.
Firms like Hasner Law PC deal with people who injure themselves, even people who were just walking. Walking is probably the only thing you can do every day without injuring yourself, so aim for 10,000 steps if you want to be sure you’re being healthy.
Eating Nothing but Healthy Foods
Eating nothing but healthy foods might feel great at first, but if you ignore cravings, you will end up binging. Having a little of what you fancy will help you to keep going and stop you from stuffing your face in a moment of weakness. Living a balanced lifestyle can help you maintain your habits because you’re not depriving yourself. I love the 80/20 rule: 80% clean 20% other.
Flavored Water
Think that drinking flavored water is a good way to get your water intake up? Think again. This water is usually full of additives and things that ruin the effect of water, sometimes containing as much sugar as a donut. Drink regular water, and add your own fruit or herbs if you like it flavored.
Cutting Out a Food Group
Heard that fats or carbs are bad for you and thinking of cutting them out? Well, don’t. They aren’t bad for you providing you eat the right ones. Eating things like sweet potato, fish, nuts and nut butter, avocados, and similar foods is a great way to get nutrients into your diet and should not be cut out.
Replacing Your Breakfast With a Smoothie
If you think you’re being healthy by throwing a bit of nut milk and some fruit into a blender, think again. This isn’t a well rounded, balanced meal. For this to replace a meal, you’d need to add some kind of protein, and some healthy fats too. Adding too much fruit can cause insulin spikes that can lead to weight gain. Juice cleansing and ‘detoxing’ is just as bad, so avoid that at all costs as well.
For a healthy breakfast shake, mix a protein powder with 1/2 a banana, unsweetened almond milk and a handful of spinach.
Don’t be Fooled by “Healthy” Foods
It’s so easy as consumers to be fooled by the food industry when it comes to “healthy” foods. Labels marked “low fat” are usually chalked full of sugar and other additives to make it taste good. Get into the routine of reading nutrition labels so that you know exactly what you are putting in your body.
Tip: when grocery shopping, shopping mainly on the outer parameter as that’s where the whole foods usually are.
Want more tips on living a healthy lifestyle and building more healthy habits? Be sure to check out this post with quick and easy tips!
