How to Ditch Bad Habits and Remove Negative Influnences

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Part of living a healthy and positive lifestyle requires you to ditch bad habits, remove negative influences, and curb reckless behaviors. Most people are aware of this and work tirelessly to stop doing things that they know are bad for their health. They begin to incorporate positive things like dieting, exercising, and eliminating stress. While these are all ideal to start, what is often overlooked is that too much of anything (no matter how beneficial), can have a negative impact on your well-being.

How can something so beneficial end up backfiring on you? Here are four things to consider:

1. Exercising – staying active is one of the first recommendations for being healthy. Both cardio and strength training helps to keep your body in shape and properly functioning. When you’re working out excessively, however, it can lead to both physical and psychological issues. Known as the overtraining syndrome, when you work out too much your body begins to react negatively.

Signs you’ve gone too far might include restlessness or the inability to sleep, increased thirst, unexplained weight loss, a decrease in appetite, irritability, frustration, and the inability to concentrate. It has also been known to increase stress hormones and testosterone levels which can be harmful to both men and women.

To reduce the chances of these effects happening to you, it is ideal to stick to a routine. It should include both cardio and strength training and vary in workout type. Your routine should also include days off to allow your body time to rest.

2. Drinking – Lots of people enjoy sipping on an alcoholic beverage. Whether enjoying themselves at a party, amongst friends, or alone, when consumed in small quantities, drinking alcohol like a glass of wine or bottle of beer is harmless. Unfortunately, most people aren’t aware of healthy limits and suffer immensely.

Heavy drinking has a lot of negative side effects on the mind and body including an increased risk for anemia, cancer, heart disease, depression, high blood pressure, and infectious diseases. Not to mention an increased tolerance which can lead to addiction.

If your drinking has gotten out of hand, you should get help. Rehab centers geared towards specific needs, ages, and genders are recommended. Here are the few top-rated ones.  For instance, a woman should enroll in inpatient or outpatient women’s recovery center while men would look for a men’s rehab center. If you have not reached addiction, limiting your drinking is recommended. Ideally, healthy limits are 1 drink per day for women and 2 drinks per day for men.

3. Eating – You’re probably aware that consuming too much junk and processed foods is horrible for your health. However, did you know that eating too much of anything can have adverse effects on your body? First, in order to remain a healthy weight, you must burn calories. If you’re eating more food than you are active, you will gain weight.

Eating too much of things like soy, protein, omega 3, coffee, and cruciferous veggies can be too much on the body. You can experience signs like thinning blood, weight gain, fatigue, dry skin, irritability, stomach or digestive issues, and increased risk for cancer.

Stick to a recommended amount of foods each day. Create a meal plan that not only portions the amount you eat, but that is well-balanced to provide your body with the nutrients and vitamins it needs to function properly.

4. Working – If you’re going to pay the bills you’ve got to work. Though having a job is mandatory to survive financially, all work and no play really can hurt you.  Working long hours can result in slower productivity, lack of concentration, stress, and eventually, a burnout.

Signs you’re working too much include excessive alcohol consumption, poor quality of work, limited or lack of sleep, depression, back and neck aches, irritability, and an increased risk for diabetes, stroke, or heart disease. It can also have a negative impact on your personal relationships.

Yes, the reward of earning a buck can be thrilling, but you must find a healthy work and life balance.  Not only should you try to incorporate a 15-minute break and a lunch break in your workday, but you should also take occasional days off.

The above-mentioned activities may make you feel good at the moment and in moderation. However, when it is taken to the extremes, it can have a negative impact on your physical and emotional health. If you’ve started going overboard on any of these things, use the recommended advice to get back on track and set healthy limits.

 

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