There are certain routines that, despite their apparent upside, may actually be bad for your health.
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This intriguing notion raises the question: What are these seemingly “good” habits that might unintentionally harm your body? In this article, we will explore 9 everyday habits that, if not properly managed, could prematurely age you and negatively impact your health. You can safeguard your youthful appearance and overall health by understanding the underlying mechanisms and making the necessary adjustments.
1. You Only Walk for Exercise
Working out helps maintain strength in your heart, brain, and joints and improves blood circulation. A familiar exercise people do daily is walking, which is especially convenient if you’re older because you find it safe and easier to do.
However, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends at least 150 minutes a week of moderate-intensity activity like water aerobics, doubles tennis, brisk walking, or 75 minutes a week of vigorous cardio activity like jogging, hiking uphill, or swimming laps.
In addition, you need at least two days a week of muscle-strengthening activities such as weight lifting, resistance bands, or body-weight moves like lunges and push-ups.
These exercises, together, play unique roles in keeping your body vital, young, and healthy.
Thus, if you’re only walking, it may not be enough exercise for your body.
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2. Drinking Water Only When Thirsty
Drinking water when you’re thirsty is a good habit that might age you prematurely. If you wait until you’re thirsty before drinking water, you may already be dehydrated. Understand that dehydration causes your body or skin to wrinkle and dry since there’s no moisture.
So, in addition to doing other forms of exercise apart from walking, drink water often to stay hydrated.
3. Peeling Apples Before Eating
Often, all the good nutrients in some fruits and vegetables aren’t always within the fruit but in the peel. The peel or skin of an apple, for example, contains fiber. And almost 100% of an apple’s quercetin, an antioxidant that supports heart health, is in the peel.
So peeling your apples before you eat isn’t a healthy habit.
4. Eating Unhealthy Salads
Eating salad daily is healthy if you do it right. But you’re doing it wrong if you often make salads that are more caloric than sandwiches, with dressings that have no nutritional value.
To make a healthy salad, squeeze some lemon juice into your salad, along with olive oil and a splash of vinegar. You can also add fresh herbs and dried spices like red chili flakes, oregano, and pepper to season your dishes.
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5. Replacing Breakfast With a Smoothie
If you’re trying to lose weight, you might consider ditching breakfast for a healthy smoothie. Even though you might consider this healthy, nutritionists warn against this common weight-loss strategy.
A smoothie contains fruits, nuts, and milk, all of which are healthy for the body. Despite this, large amounts may still raise blood sugar and spike insulin levels, leading to weight gain.
In case you have to replace a proper meal with a shake while on the go, health experts advise restricting it to one cup of fruit. Include healthy fats, such as peanut butter or avocado, as well as protein.
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6. Going Hard at the Gym Weekly
There’s a reason experts advise you to exercise a few times a week and not the whole week. More exercise, especially vigorous exercise, may be harmful.
If you spend an hour a day engaging in intense physical activity to help you lose weight or boost your cardiovascular system, it’s a good habit that might age you prematurely.
Engaging in vigorous physical activity daily for a prolonged period may stress your body out more, cause your cortisol levels to rise, and keep your body trapped, say health experts.
Remember, taking a rest day after a workout will do the body good.
7. Drinking a Protein Shake After Your Workout
It’s true that consuming protein right after a workout may help with muscle growth and soreness reduction, but often, your next meal is sufficient. You might be overeating if you exercise after work or at night and consume a protein shake and dinner right after.
Also, you don’t need a protein shake if you only work out at a lower intensity.
8. Not Eating Before Working Out
Eating before working out makes you feel heavy and sluggish, even lazy. You might decide to stop eating altogether before exercising as a result of this. But given that exercising on an empty stomach makes you feel as though you have less energy or are sick, it might be best to eat something.
To give your body some fuel before working out, grab some nuts, green juice, or a small nutrition bar.
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9. Using Wine to Relax
Using wine or alcohol to unwind after a stressful day interrupts your sleep cycle. While you may fall asleep quickly, you’re less likely to achieve a deep sleep than if you let yourself naturally fall asleep.
Research suggests that red wine in particular has heart disease protective properties, but especially if you have trouble falling asleep, these advantages may be outweighed by the risks.
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