Good habits are hard to form, and bad habits are hard to break. Of course, anyone who’s ever struggled to start a new diet and exercise routine already knows this. Still, living a healthier lifestyle is possible –– even during a global pandemic. And the more you understand about the challenges associated with fitness, the better prepared you’ll be to take them on and overcome them. With that in mind, today we’ll focus on four detrimental health-related practices you should avoid at all times. Note them now so you can prevent them from tripping you up later:
Excuses & Exceptions
Consistency is key to good health. Indeed, anyone can maintain a diet and exercise routine for a day or two. It takes real commitment, though, to stick to a fitness program for weeks and months in a row. As such, it’s important now to eliminate excuses and exceptions from your mindset. Just because you’ve had a busy day, or you feel tired, or it’s raining outside, doesn’t mean you should give yourself an excuse to quit. Doing so will only blunt your progress and slow your momentum.
Quick Fixes
Becoming a healthier person doesn’t happen overnight. And it certainly doesn’t happen because of a diet pill, a “miracle” workout supplement, or even a new set of bunion correctors. Beware any product or service that purports to deliver results that seem too good to be true. What’s more, if you have a real problem, don’t look for an over-the-counter solution. Instead, seek out a medical professional for expert advice and treatment.
Late Nights
Do you enjoy staying up late? Do you regularly burn the midnight oil and function on five or fewer hours of sleep per night? If so, then you could be sabotaging your own health-and-wellness efforts. Lack of sleep can have a seriously negative impact on your mood, energy levels, cognitive capabilities, and overall well-being. As such, make it a point to establish a regular bedtime routine and stick to it. The more rested you are, the easier you’ll find it to make healthy choices.
Keeping Unhealthy Company
If you want to be a healthier and happier person, you need to surround yourself with positive influences. Hanging out with people who belittle your attempts to improve yourself, who push you to make poor choices, or who are mean-spirited in general won’t help you achieve your goals. Seek out people in your life who make you feel inspired and whose company you genuinely enjoy. They will empower you to stay healthy when times are tough. Having a few good friends in your corner is invaluable.
Bad friends don’t even realize they’re bad friends; the truth is, they just continue chasing whatever dragon spurns them forward and don’t give any thought to how this affects those around them. They’ve got tunnel vision and provided you give them pleasure, you’re tolerated; but if you don’t please them, they’ll simply use you until they’ve used you up, then move on. This can result in psychological issues like depression, but there are times when things could get even worse. Many performers live in Portland, and oftentimes they must travel in groups, piling together in one hotel room. Sometimes a selfish person you’re doing shows with hogs the bed, and won’t take their turn on the floor. Sleeping on hard surfaces can actually impact your very skeleton in a negative way, making it so you need to see a bone doctor in Portland. That gets pricey; especially if you’re a traveling artisan. So be careful the company you keep, and if you’re in a situation where such discretion isn’t possible, look up professionals, get advice, and prepare to handle the fallout of those in your company who have personality defects. Part of physical health is mental health, and that means anticipating the toxicity of some people, then preemptively counteracting it.
