When we think of bad health habits, we usually think of smoking, eating too much fast food or consuming too much alcohol. It goes without saying that these are terrible habits that can be extremely detrimental to your health and may even cut your life short.
But there are additional habits that can slowly but surely eat away at your health as well. Here are 5 health-sabotaging habits that you need to start breaking if they're part of your life:
1. Ruminating about stressful situations
Stressful situations are part of life. Some are worse than others but typically, they cause our stress hormones to go haywire and wreak havoc with the body's natural balance. Depending on the situation, it can take hours for the body to calm down and regain its balance.
Oftentimes, we make matters worse by continuing to rehash and ruminate on those situations over and over again. We reflect on how angry we are. We feel disrespected and unappreciated. We simmer in resentment and bitterness as we play the scenario over and over again in our heads.
In other words, rather than engaging in a relaxing activity to relieve stress, we keep our bodies in a prolonged state of stress that takes its toll on our physical and mental wellbeing. Prolonged stress is a killer. It causes serious health issues like stroke, high blood pressure, heart disease and even cancer.
The next time you go through a stressful experience, make sure to de-stress immediately afterward. Next, put it behind you. Learn what you need to in order to avoid it happening again and put it where it belongs - in the past!
2. Mindless eating
Mindless eating can take several forms. It can include absently snacking throughout the day on unhealthy foods, continuing to eat after you're full or not eating when you're hungry.
Mindless eating habits also include skipping meals and not having fixed mealtimes. All of this throws your body cycle out of whack and can make you prone to obesity or eating disorders.
Manage your hunger by structuring your mealtime schedule and checking in with yourself regularly to keep hunger in check. Have a snack or light meal only if you\re hungry and at mealtimes, don't keep eating after you feel full.
3. Giving in to sugar cravings
Even people without a chronic sweet tooth get cravings for sugar once in a while. But if your habit is to give into them often, your body's not going to thank you for it. Sugar causes a cycle of spikes and crashes in blood sugar levels that make it hard for your body to maintain them at healthy levels. Sugar can cause weight gain and oral problems in addition to disrupting many bodily functions from working at their peak.
Break your sugar habit by satisfying your sweet tooth naturally. Sweeten foods with honey, fruit juice and natural syrup to get that sugar fix in a healthy way. Sweet fresh fruit or canned fruit in natural syrup is another healthy alternative to sugar.
4. Bad posture
You spend a large part of your day sitting down. But do you pay attention to how you're sitting? You may not be aware that you're craning your neck down over your keyboard or bending forward to peer at your computer screen. You may not notice that your legs are in a cramped position or that your shoulders are tense or that you're slouching.
Bad posture is a recipe for serious health issues down the line. These include chronic back and neck problems, joint and muscle erosion and even chronic fatigue and poor focus.
Thankfully, this is a habit that can easily be broken by paying attention to your posture and making sure that you have proper seating at your workplace. Over time, you'll grow the habit of sitting straight and maintaining correct posture at all times,
5. Ignoring oral health
Cavities, inflamed gums and other oral problems often go ignored for two reasons. One, they're not causing you real pan and two, you don’t want to make that dreaded visit to the dentist!
You may be surprised to know that good physical health actually starts with great oral health. Dental and oral problems can impact eyesight, joint health and digestion and cause inflammation in other parts of the body. Undetected cavities and abscesses can affect your even brain in addition to numerous other health issues.
No excuses - make regular appointments with your dentist and keep them!
Conclusion
These 5 habits may seem less serious than smoking or drinking but in fact, they can negatively impact your health just as seriously. Thankfully, however, they're much easier to break with consistent practice. So, if these habits are sabotaging your own health, take action now!