15 Bad Health Habits You Should Kick This Year
In the spirit of “New Year, New Me”, let’s talk about bad health habits you should think of dropping in the coming year.
1. Not getting enough sleep
One of the biggest bad health habits plaguing people is not sleeping enough. 8 hours is said to be the healthy ideal, but between late nights at high-pressure jobs & staying out late on weekends to blow off steam, many are not meeting this quota.
It’s proven that sleep deprivation affects your body’s immune system, hormone levels, mood, and decreases your ability to focus. As a result, you need to be proactive about making an effort to get more sleep.
You need to be proactive about making an effort to get more sleep. It is recommended to avoid caffeine for eight hours before bedtime and to remove distractions as you wind down for the evening. Have an evening routine that signals to your body that it’s time to catch some Zs.
2. Not drinking enough water
A lot of people mess this up. Staying hydrated has tons of immediate benefits to your well-being. It helps to clean toxins from your body via your kidneys, keeps your muscles & joints working better, and helps keep you motivated and your memory sharp.
Carry around a water bottle and get in the habit of drinking regularly. You should be drinking at least four to six eight-ounce glasses a day. One of the best ways to tell if you’re hydrated is by monitoring your urine colour, which should be a light yellow.
3. Skipping breakfast
Your parents told you for years that the most important meal of the day is breakfast, but busy human that you are, it’s the one most often skipped.
It’s easy to rush out of your apartment and rely on a coffee to get you through until lunch, but skipping the first meal of the day can have some serious consequences for your health.
4. Not making time to de-stress
When stress does build up, it’s important to find healthy ways to relieve it. Regular stress takes a toll on your health and body if left unmanaged and can even turn into depression, high blood pressure and high blood sugar, reduced immunity, etc.
You should be incorporating activities that reduce stress in your everyday actions, and there are plenty of different things you can do to reduce stress in your life, such as chilling with family, taking a walk, reading, gaming, visiting the beach, etc.
5. Binge drinking
Yes, we know you can cancel a crate of beer, but please pity your liver. The ways alcohol affects your health are well known. In addition to disrupting your immune system, binge drinking can increase your risk of liver damage, high blood pressure and depression.
There’s no getting around the fact that it’s healthiest to enjoy yourself in moderation. Make a plan before your night out about just how many drinks you plan on consuming, and stick with it. When you’re out, pace yourself with a full glass of water between drinks.
6. Smoking
It goes without saying that smoking isn’t doing any favours for your health. Among the many detrimental effects, smoking ruins your skin, is bad for sexual and reproductive health and causes diabetes and cancer.
Despite the obvious health reasons, there are tons of reasons to quit smoking that have nothing to do with your health. It’s a long, hard proces,s but well worth it in the long run. What better time to break the habit than in the new year?
7. Staying in toxic relationships
You’re wondering how this is a bad habit, but many don’t even spot a pattern because it’s all they’ve known. Sometimes there are obvious deal breakers but other times you can find yourself in a toxic relationship without realising it.
If you can break the habit of sticking around and staying with toxic individuals – this includes friends- you’ll be setting yourself up for much healthier relationships down the line.
8. Not practising safe sex
We all know why you should pledge to practice safe sex, but sometimes it’s easier in theory than in practice. Whether you’re in a long-term monogamous relationship or engaging in casual sex, you should always protect yourself.
Whatever your contraceptive method of choice (pulling out doesn’t count), make sure you’re always prepared when the moment arises.
You should also be getting tested for STDs once a year at a minimum.
And yeah, pee after sex.
9. Not taking oral hygiene seriously
There’s no better time than the present to start taking care of your teeth. Make sure your teeth are still there when you need them years from now by putting in the extra few minutes to take care of them today.
If you’ve gotten into the habit of calling it a night before making it to the bathroom to brush, fix that habit now. When you don’t brush regularly and skip on flossing, you’re setting yourself up for gum disease and even non-mouth-related diseases.
Incorporate flossing into your morning and evening routine before you brush. Once your mouth feels minty clean, you’re more likely to skip over the flossing step. Make an appointment with your dentist and schedule a cleaning every six months.
10. Going to bed without washing off makeup
Another step you need to add to your bathroom routine is washing your face. There’s a list of gross things that happen when you don’t wash your face, including breakouts and premature ageing.
Makeup clogs pores and oil glands and can cause eye irritation. Furthermore, it traps free radicals throughout the day, which can then wear down collagen. Even if you don’t wear makeup, it’s important to wash at the end of the day to clear oil build-up.
Wash your face as one of the first steps to winding down for the evening. This will keep you from falling asleep with your makeup on after streaming a few episodes of your favourite show, or not finding the energy to make the trip to the bathroom once you’re comfortable.
11. Eating too many processed foods
Even when we’re trying to make healthy choices, we’re inundated by quick and easy fast food options that aren’t really the best for us. Combat your desire to pick up an easy food fix by preparing your own meals when you can.
12. Eating late at night.
Late-night snacking is one of the big health mistakes you can make before bed. The calories you consume rev up your metabolism and raise your body temperature, interfering with your REM cycles and much-needed sleep.
Move your dinner earlier if you can.
13. Walking in high heels for too long.
If you’re a lover of wearing high heels, save yourself from future health ailments by wearing them smartly. Of the possible high heel mistakes you might be making, not taking them off might be one of the most dangerous.
Spending hours in heels puts stress on your back, hips, and knees that can bother you now but really hurt you later in life.
Give your feet a break & stretch your toes by switching your heels out with flats while you’re commuting & from time to time while you’re seated at work.
14. Spending too much time on your screens
Between jobs that require employees to stare at screens all day, to social media and streaming videos for entertainment, to our phones acting as mini-computers, it’s rare we’re ever completely disconnected from our screens.
There are serious things that too much screen time does to your body, as well as science-backed reasons to take a break from social media and screens in general.
Make a conscious effort to disconnect from your screens. Dinner should be an obvious break in time when you don’t look at your phone. Avoid falling asleep with your computer in your bed or your television on.
15. Not keeping up with preventive healthcare
One of the biggest health mistakes people are making is not staying on top of preventive healthcare. This means getting regular check-ups, vaccines, and exams. It’s crucial to detect health problems before they become serious.
Additionally, what may start as minor ailments can develop into serious problems if proper treatment isn’t received.
This is why getting a health plan is important: because it saves you the stress of thinking about money when you need to see a doctor or get a medical checkup.
If you’re considering one, visit www.avonhealthcare to get started.
