Every human being on Earth has flaws. I am no exception to this fact. And when it comes to health and fitness, we all have something we can improve on.
Maybe you rarely cook your own meals, or drink more coffee than you’d like to admit, or maybe you don’t exercise as often as you’d like.
I know that I personally want to sleep more. Currently I sleep about six or seven hours a night, but I would really like to increase that to seven or eight hours.
And while it’s certainly no easy task to correct habits we know aren’t good for us, there’s no denying that when it comes to your overall health and well-being, it’s well worth the effort.
However, you cannot quit these bad habits until you have first identified what they are. So here are five bad habits that can keep you from reaching your health and fitness goals.
yo-yo diet
This may seem obvious, but it’s something many people still engage in today.
In fact, according to The Washington Post: “45 million Americans diet each year.” This is a very high percentage of the US population (more than one in eight people).
If you think that restricting yourself to eating as few calories as possible each day will make you healthier, don’t do it. The science is clear that crash diets don’t work.
There is no quick fix plan to lose weight quickly in a healthy and sustainable way. So if you want to achieve results that really sustain you in the long run, you need to eat with a small deficit that will still provide your body with all the nutrients it needs, keeping you happy and healthy while you work.
neglect sleep
This is the one I’m really trying to focus on right now. Some nights I sleep well and wake up feeling rested. Other nights, I tend to cut my sleep short so I can work a few more hours.
I know this isn’t the best approach, but I’m a type A person who wants to walk at full speed all the time. But if there’s one thing I do know, it’s that sleep is crucial to maintaining a healthy weight and keeping your mind fresh and functioning at its best.
Exercise to eat what you want
There’s no denying that exercise can be wonderful for your body and help keep you healthier and fitter. However, if you think exercise alone will make up for a terrible diet, that’s simply not true.
And besides, having the mindset that you have to earn your food is an unhealthy approach. Therefore, seeing food only as a reward for strenuous exercise can damage your relationship with it.
What you put into your body is perhaps more important than your exercise routine when you’re trying to get healthier, so establishing a healthy relationship with food will be crucial in helping you achieve your goals.
Do the following 24/7
If you’re married to your job, you’re likely to feel a lot more stressed overall. And stress is one of the worst things for your body and its overall health.
I have to admit that I often let my engineering job add to my stress levels. Each time this happened, I could feel the negative impacts on my sleep schedule, how I felt when I exercised, and even the food I chose to put into my body.
It can definitely be difficult to find a balance between personal and professional life, but I can safely say that it is worth trying to disconnect your brain from work at the end of the night. You will sleep more soundly, you will feel more energetic every day and, in the end, you will optimize your work and your health.
see food like this
Whether you think food is good or bad, that way of thinking can be detrimental to you in the long run.
While some foods are more nutrient-dense than others, labeling them “good” or “bad” can prevent you from developing a healthy mindset, especially if you’re stuck with the food mindset.
It’s best to see food for what it is: a source of fuel for your body. Try to get rid of the emotional attachment and focus on eating a well-balanced diet rich in nutrients and minimally processed foods that don’t eliminate all the foods you love.
Eliminating bad habits and replacing them with healthier ones will help you make lifestyle changes that you can stick with for the long term. By doing so, you will be able to achieve your ultimate goal: finding your happiest and healthiest self.
Preview Image Credit: LYFE fuel in Unsplash