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10 Health Habits That Aren’t Quite as Bad as You Think
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We all know the really dangerous bad habits; smoking, heavy drinking, eating candy at every meal, watching Fox news. Seriously though, how about some of those other habits? You know the ones you try not to think about because you’re afraid you are doing something bad that could endanger your health?
It’s sometimes difficult to know if it’s actually a dangerous habit or just a lazy preference. So take a look at our list of the top 10 behaviors that really aren’t as bad as you might think they are.
1. Have that second cup of coffee!
Drinking that steaming cup of Joe may do more for you than just give you your morning jolt of energy, it could also minimize the risk of Parkinson’s disease, diabetes, and some types of cancer, this according to a recent study. How does a lowly cup of coffee do this?
Many diseases are coupled with inflammation and coffee is simply loaded with anti-inflammatory properties.
It also is loaded with antioxidants, so you can have as many as three cups of coffee a day with a clear conscience.
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2. After Work, Crack Open that Beer!
Really! Beer is another habit that’s actually good for you. Beer is better at fighting heart disease than that glass of red wine you’ve heard so much about.
Beer has all the antioxidants that red wine has, along with vitamin B6, which can keep your body from building up something called homocysteine, which is linked to higher incidents of coronary disease.
Hold the line at one beer per day, friends. Look for one with pale malt and lots of hops and you are good to go. Cheers!
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3. Plopping Down Bare on a Public Toilet?!
Perhaps your mother taught you to never, ever let your butt touch the toilet seat because of germs, but the truth is the toilet seat is most likely the cleanest thing in a public bathroom, at least according to the research team at the University of Arizona.
It’s not known if this is due to those nervous women who use those paper seat covers or if they are wiping down the seat with hand sanitizer first but let’s dispel with the idea that if you sit bare on the toilet seat you are going to come down with something terrible.
Syphilis, gonorrhea, HIV, and other nasty germs can’t live on inanimate surfaces, so you are safe, ladies and gentleman.
Sit down and relax.
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4. Skip that Workout Session!
That’s alright, really. In fact, skip 2! Three or four workouts a week is plenty.
Your body will rest and repair itself on your days off. In fact, if you try to work out every day, you might find that you begin avoiding your workout sessions altogether due to boredom or soreness.
You can always be active on those other days, such as doing some yoga in your living room, or taking your dog for a long walk.
To get the most out of your workout time, aim for a strength training workout with weights at least two days a week. This will give you the biggest toning as well as fat burning bang for your workout buck. Find out other common mistakes people make when they try to get healthy.
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5. Give in to those Chocolate Cravings!
As long as we are talking dark chocolate, that is. Dark chocolate has a multitude of health benefits from helping prevent cancer to preventing blood clots and stroke.
You should also know that a study done at UC San Diego found that those who frequently down a piece of dark chocolate had lower body mass indexes than those who nix chocolate all together.
It could also make you live longer. The oldest woman on record walked this earth for 122 years. When asked the source of her longevity she said chocolate. 2.5 lbs. every week!
Grab a bar of dark chocolate and savor it with a clear conscience.
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6. Skip Washing Your Hair!
No one is saying you shouldn’t shower for heaven’s sake, but you don’t need to wash your hair every single time.
Hair is a fiber, much like clothing. Imagine washing your dress every single day, how long before it became limp and unmanageable?
If you have a dry scalp, you can get away with washing your hair just two or three times a week.
If you have an oily scalp, perhaps every other day will be good. Read more how to use lemons for hair care.
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7. Using the Same Kitchen Sponge Every day?!
It won’t kill you, really. Yes, it potentially can harbor a lot of germs and the last thing you really want to do is spread those nasty germs all over your kitchen counter and dishes.
However you don’t have to open up a new sponge every day, just be sure you clean the one you are using.
Zap it in the microwave for a couple minutes twice a week or plop it in the dishwasher.
Use that sponge until it falls apart with complete confidence folks!
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8. Blow off that Doctors Appointment!
It’s OK, seriously.
Many people find that whatever ache or pain they were feeling when they made the appointment had disappeared by the time their appointment came around.
You should always keep your appointments for preventative screenings such as pap smears and mammograms, but if you made the appointment for something inconsequential and you find that it went away on its own, call and cancel.
You’ll be fine.
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9. Weigh Yourself Every Day!
You may have heard that weighing yourself every day could actually cause you to become discouraged and go off your diet but that’s not really true.
It’s a fact that your body weight goes up and down during an average day like the stock market. If you check your weight after (or before) every meal, you just might drive yourself crazy!
However, if you want to weigh yourself every day at the same time, such as every morning immediately after going pee but before you put on your clothes, you will be able to see very small changes that add up over time.
If you are trying to maintain your weight, daily weigh-ins will help keep you on track as you will be able to see those small changes before they become big ones.
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10. Sleep In!!
You’ve heard all about those studies that say it’s best to get up before 7AM but if you sleep in a bit on the weekends (we’re talking about an hour here, not until noon) it’s OK.
Sleeping in late can improve your ability to learn, memory organization, as well as your long term memory.
So don’t feel bad about hitting that snooze button a couple of times on the weekends. You deserve it!
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