Healthy Habits That Really Aren't
By Sara Butler
If your goal is to be healthy, then it's easy to get lost in the deluge of health information out there about what to do and what not to do. That's why many people find themselves adopting habits they think are healthy but really aren't. If fact, some healthy habits can actually be keeping you from achieving your health and wellness goals. Here are a few habits that you may want to reconsider.
Drinking Daily Smoothies
Smoothies themselves are not a bad choice for a quick meal or recovery snack. But if you add too much of the wrong stuff in, there can be as many calories in one glass as you should have over the course of an entire day.
You can keep your daily smoothie in check by watching your portion size. Find one good fat to use as the centerpiece and have one serving of it in your smoothie. That can help to keep the fat and calories down but the nutrition right where it needs to be.
Swearing Off Foods
You swear off a food with the best of intentions. After all, it's probably a food that isn't great for you, such as potato chips or peanut butter pie. But the problem is that cutting something out of your diet completely often backfires. You simply can't abide by restrictions forever.
Instead of putting yourself in a position of "all or nothing," cut yourself some slack. It's OK to eat things that aren't so good for you sometimes. As long as it's done in moderation, you don't have to swear off things forever.
You Try to Compensate With Exercise
Exercise is a very good thing, but you will never be able to overcome a poor diet with any amount of exercise. In fact, experts say that exercise only accounts for about one-quarter of your overall health. What you eat has a far larger impact.
Don't get discouraged, you should keep exercising -- it's the right thing to do for your health. But you should pair it with a healthy eating plan to help reach and maintain a healthy weight and to get all the benefits you want from all that hard working out.
If you need help understanding if your healthy habits are actually healthy at all, then talk to the chiropractors at The Joint Chiropractic. They can help ensure you're on the right health track.
To learn more about your health, wellness, and fitness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Mesa, Ariz.