Research has proved that sitting for long periods trigger a number of health problems including obesity, heart diseases, increased cholesterol levels, diabetes, stress, etc.
Habits -- they make or break our living.
So we all try to practice healthy and good habits for the utmost functioning of our body, health, and mind.
From eating right to exercising every day we make all possible attempts to indulge into healthy habits of living.
But sometimes, we miss out on silly habits which passively harm our health in the long run.
Term them unhealthy or just bad habits -- but these 10 things which you indulge into every day may not be good for you.
It's time you took note of and changed them.
1. Sitting for long hours
People today follow a sedentary lifestyle.
The need to keep working in cubicles makes a majority of people sit on their desks for almost 8 to 10 hours a day (sometimes even more!).
Research has proved that sitting for long periods trigger a number of health problems including obesity, heart diseases, increased cholesterol levels, diabetes, stress, etc.
Excessive fat on the waistline is one of the common occurrences in people with desk jobs.
In women, sitting for long hours are related to coronary heart diseases, breast cancer, ovarian cancer and many other feminine problems.
If you cannot ignore the work requirements you should practice taking mini breaks at work to reverse the effect of it.
2. Bad body posture
A bad body posture is a reason for a lot of health problems in people.
Slouchy shoulders, bent back, etc bring in deformities like spine curves, pain in the neck, accumulation of fat, breathing problems and more.
They alter your health and appearance both. And with time, it can take a toll on your health.
Work on correcting your body posture, align your sitting and standing habits for healthier living.
3. Excessive snacking
Eating unhealthy and eating irregularly -- it is one of the major concerns of a modern lifestyle.
The availability of junk foods with fast delivery services has only triggered the habit of indulging into unhealthy eating anytime and anywhere.
Over-eating or ignorant eating can not only increase your body fat but also contribute to a lot of other serious health concerns like heart diseases, obesity, stress, digestive issues, mental issues etc.
Your body needs food but it needs rest too.
Eating on time and giving good time to digest the food is also essential.
4. Binge drinking
Alcohol is one of the serious habits that is common in people today.
While a certain amount of alcohol is sometimes good for your health, drinking excessive can be very harmful.
It’s a known fact that drinking damages your liver. But binge drinking can result to health repercussions like cancer, hypertension, mental disorders, stroke, cardiovascular diseases, etc.
Heavy drinking habits also alter the fat burning process making weight loss a difficult process.
5. Mindlessly taking vitamins/supplements
We all know that body needs nutrition like vitamins and minerals. For the same reason, one need not add in health supplements into his/her diet unless recommended by doctors.
Most of the nutritional needs of the body are met by the food that we eat regularly.
Emphasis on clean and healthy eating takes care of our nutrition. But with the promotions of the vitamin supplements sometimes we mindlessly indulge into these without knowing the side-effects.
The fact is that consuming supplements without having the need for it disrupts the body functioning bringing in more harm than benefits.
6. Too less/too much sleep
Sleeping is essential for healthy living.
On an average we need at least 8 to 10 hours of sleep daily to recharge and rejuvenate our body and mind.
Compromising on sleep only leads to lethargy, sloppiness, fatigue and tiredness which later contribute to mental and health disorders.
But sleeping too much also aids depression, anxiety, heart diseases, diabetes and stroke.
One needs to have a balance of their sleep and wake hours to balance their life.
7. Sitting cross legged
Quite surprisingly our body postures, specifically our sitting and standing positions influence our health too.
Sitting cross legged is perceived to be a naturally occurring style of lounging on a sofa, but it can be harmful to your health.
Sitting cross legged compresses the veins and increases blood pressure in significant amounts.
It can put undue stress on the hip and joints bringing in joint pains, hip displacements, obesity, breathing problems, blood clot, etc as common health concerns.
8. Following restricted diets
We have reached a time when food has been glamourised.
With various sorts of living style and choices there are all sorts of diets available to people like vegan, Keto, gluten-free, sugar-free etc.
While some people are recommended to follow restricted diets because of their health concerns, others find it extremely beneficial to indulge in them for better health.
But mindlessly following fancy diets only reduce the nutrition in their body.
If you are not gluten allergic, you need not follow a gluten free diet, because protein from wheat, barley and rye are as important to you as other food items.
9. Using computer/mobile too much
Swiping through photos on the cell phone or typing on the computer, the digital era has taken us to an unhealthy path.
We constantly keep blaring at the bright screen in all our might to connect to the vast world of internet. But these challenge our bodily and mental health as strongly as any other habit does.
While social media causes brings in social anxiety, demanded validation, bad influence, etc the harmful radiations of these devices harm our health too.
If not completely, one should try to curb these devices out of their life as much as they can.
10. Drinking morning coffee
Coffee might be your daily dose of motivation but quite honestly it’s a serious blow to health first thing in the morning.
Body dehydrates when you are sleeping and reaching out for coffee first thing in the morning worsens the situation even more.
Least to say it makes the stomach acidic, and slouching.
Coffee raises blood pressure, makes heart beats rise and if it is loaded with sugar, expect it to raise blood sugar levels as well.
It's okay to get your dose of coffee but push it back a few hours for a healthier life!
If you have been ignorant of these little habits shaping your health, now is the time to change.
Dr Manoj Kutteri is wellness director, Atmantan Wellness Centre, Pune.
