Life is a series of choices that we make. From the moment you wake up in the morning to the minute you close your eyes and doze off, you are making hundreds of choices throughout the day. We know that decisions and choices we make have consequences, but you’re probably thinking that if it doesn’t harm someone else, what’s the problem?
Hint: they might be harming you!
Small choices like what you choose to wear that day or what you have for breakfast may seem like they don’t count in the wider spectrum of things, but sometimes they do! While most choices are harmless, others that seem so end up actually affecting your health for the worse (and some of them we think we’re doing because they’re good for us!).
There are so many things we do and habits we have in our daily lives that we rarely give much thought to. They may seem simple and harmless, but in reality, can prove to actually cause quite a bit of damage to your health.
Here are 11 such habits that we need to need to start avoiding IMMEDIATELY!
1. Legs Crossed While Sitting
It may seem cool, but sitting with your legs crossed for extended periods of time can cause a multitude of health problems. Posture and spinal issues are just the tip of the iceberg. It can also lead to varicose veins, pelvic imbalance, nerve damage, and high blood pressure.
2. Feeding Birds
Feeding birds seem like a fun and harmless activity that also helps your children learn about sharing and being kind. It also ends up opens them up to the possibility of contracting a truckload of infections and diseases. There is a 50% chance that any given city bird is carrying a contagious disease! Ornithosis, colibacillosis, histoplasmosis, salmonellosis, tuberculosis, listeriosis, rabbit fever, Newcastle disease, and toxoplasmosis are just a few of the diseases often found in pigeons!
3. Wearing Cheap Sunglasses
Those knock-off sunglasses may do the job of making your selfies look on point, but they offer no protection against the sun. It’s simple: cheap glasses are made with cheap and poor quality plastic. Not only does this end up making the purpose of the sunglasses useless, it can even end up being more harmful than not wearing any at all!
The cheap material make your pupils dilate, meaning you will be getting a double dose of UV rays. It can lead to retinal burn, cataracts, or even caner. Yikes!
4. Excessive Water Consumption
I know, after hearing so much about how drinking plenty of water is vital to your health, here we are saying the opposite. Well, that’s still true, you should keep yourself well hydrated.
If it’s a particularly hot day, or you’ve been out playing sports all day, by all means, drink more water. The key here is to follow your body’s instincts and not overdo it. If you feel thirsty, drink water. If not, don’t force yourself.
5. Hot Water Treatments
A hot water bag is an essential item in everyone’s home. And it comes in quite handy in many situations. But you should understand when the right time is to use it and when it’s not.
For instance, using it in situations like bleeding, abdomen pain caused due to appendicitis, cholecystitis, pancreatitis, and after a sprain or injury can actually cause more harm than good!
6. Microwave Popcorn
No, the microwave is not the devil. It’s actually about the contents of pre-packaged popcorn. A chemical called diacetyl, a flavoring oil, vaporizes when heated and can damage your lungs.
But you can reduce the risk of this happening by exercising a little patience and waiting until the popcorn has cooled down completely.
7. Your Work Desk Is Not for Food
Work desks are places where bacteria and germs accumulate, so not exactly the ideal place to be eating your food. Furthermore, you’ll probably end up focusing on something else other than your food, which makes it harder for your stomach to digest the food because the brain is occupied elsewhere. Getting up and walking away will also give your brain, legs, and body a much-needed break.
8. Sandals, Slippers… Sick?
Wearing footwear that leaves a majority of your feet exposed can open you up to the possibility of an infection or disease.
For one, dirt full of bacteria and germs can easily get into it, which you then bring along as you go home. You could also cut or prick your feet, and even a small wound makes you very vulnerable to infection.
9. Fat-Free Milk
If you are going to drink fat-free milk, you might as well drink no milk at all. When the fat is extracted from the milk, so are all the vitamins, rendering it useless.
Furthermore, manufacturers tend to add milk powder to such milk in an attempt to give zero-fat milk more of a body, which can end up oxidizing the cholesterol in milk, which can cause cardiovascular problems on consumption.
10. Maintaining Poor Posture
We are so used to slouching and twisting and turning our bodies, that we rarely take notice of this. Maintaining poor posture can lead to some serious spinal issues. Make proper adjustments on your chair, computer, etc., NOT your spine.
11. Wrong Sleeping Positions
Poor sleeping positions cause the majority of muscle, spinal, and even organ problems. We spend a lot of time sleeping, so if our posture is poor, then our bodies spend extended periods of time in a damaging position.
The fetal position, or sleeping on your side curled up can sometimes restrict your diaphragm, causing back pain and lung problems. The worst position to sleep in is one your stomach, when immense pressure is put on your organs, leading to long-term nerve damage, heart and lung issues.
The best position to sleep is on you back (given that you do not have breathing problems).
