Health is a complicated subject. It can refer to so many areas of a person’s life, including physical activity level, diet, social health, mental fortitude, financial success, and more. How you define, wellness may look different from your neighbor, your sibling, or pretty much everyone else. With numerous views of what health looks like, there are just as many ways to achieve it.
On your own health journey, what are your goals? Do you want to lose weight? Accomplish a physical feat? Make more time for yourself in a busy schedule. See your friends more? Eat healthier? No matter what your objective is, it takes a lot of work to reach it.
Just as you will have to adopt new behaviors to reach your goal, you may have to cut out old ones. Some of your habits may, in fact, be a danger to your health and will hinder any attempts to achieve better wellness. Let’s take a look at a few that could be damaging your health.
Avoiding Trips to Your Doctor
Many people fall into a pattern of feeling like they don’t need to see a doctor if nothing is wrong. They may not see a specialist for years if this is the case. But this habit could be dangerous for your health now and in the future. Frequent checkups allow doctors to see how you are doing and check for potential concerns. Often, medical issues will arise as you age without you even realizing it. Doctors know what to look for, and you don’t. Cut this mindset out of your life and schedule your next appointment soon. At least do the next best thing and find out about remote healthcare if you have no desire to head to the doctor’s office in person.
Sedentary Lifestyle
Between school, work, raising a family, and other responsibilities, you may feel like there is little time to invest in your physical health. Taking care of yourself provides many benefits, including more energy for the rest of your day. Though it may be tempting to relax the rest of the night after a day of sitting at a desk or staying home, engaging in physical activity is crucial. Get your body up and moving to improve your heart health, blood flow, and fitness level. This will help you age gracefully and fight off the effects of a sedentary lifestyle.
Relying on Supplements for Nutrition
When life gets busy, it can be hard to commit to a healthy and balanced diet. Maybe you are constantly eating take-out or microwave meals because they are more convenient. To make up for this poor nutrition, you may think that taking vitamin and mineral supplements will make up for the gaps in your diet. This is not the case. Supplements are a poor substitute for food in terms of providing important nutrients for the body. You will need to find a way to incorporate a balanced diet into your schedule. Try meal planning at the beginning of each week and prepping foods that you will consume each day. Or try a meal-kit service. Once you are maintaining a healthy diet, then you can add supplements for extra vitamins and minerals.
Having no Personal Hobbies
A hobby can be a gift that keeps on giving. Engaging in an activity that brings you joy can be extremely beneficial for your mental health. It gets your mind and your body to work together toward a goal. Your hobby could be anything, including swimming, playing tennis, knitting, baking, woodworking, painting, or even collecting antiques. A hobby can also be the perfect solution to experiencing burnout, giving you a goal to accomplish that can chase away those negative feelings of boredom. If you find that you do not currently have time to invest in a hobby, it is time to change that for the sake of your mental health.
Maintaining Strained Relationships
In many cases, you may feel obligated to hold onto a relationship that was important in your past. While this is vastly more complicated than simply deciding to cut out certain relationships, especially in the case of family members, it may be time to step away from those that drain you emotionally. These individuals may be sucking the joy out of your day and adversely affecting your mental state, which will seep into every other area of your life. Though it may be a difficult decision to make, sometimes it could be the best path forward for your soul. Cultivate the relationships that bring you joy, and consider cutting out those that do not.
Health is not a Black and White Issue
As m,mentioned above, health does not look the same to everyone because everyone is unique. You should not fall into the trap of comparing your health journey to someone else’s. However, there are going to be common themes for how various individuals pursue wellness. The behaviors listed above could be damaging your health now and in the future, so be wary of letting them become prominent in your life.
