A Brief History
In 1989, Stephen Covey’s The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, a business and self-help book, was first published. We first make our habits, and then our habits make us. Small habits that we pay not much heed to, actually create our lifestyle in the long run. Be it procrastinating a few things or clinging on to comfort, certain habits will actually take a toll on your health sooner or later. Although you can balance your health to an extent with supplements such as Solgar, habits are still important. A change in bad habits leads to a change in life and here are 7 habits that you should quit now to lead a healthier life.
Digging Deeper
Sitting all day
Are you going to blame it on your desk job? No, that is not excuse for you to be sitting put in one place for hours together. While you make think sitting all day can affect your health only physically, there is more to it than just that. Sitting put all day can also invite more serious diseases such as diabetes, heart ailments and cancer. Give no excuses, there are several reasons for you to get up and keep moving even while at a desk job. For example: Take a walk while taking a call, go to the water cooler every hour for a glass of water (double win) and simply take the stairs instead of the elevator.
Procrastination
Are you guilty of procrastinating all your work for late minute submissions? Do you feel you work better under pressure? This has more side effects than you think. Missed lunch breaks and workouts, high stress levels, messed up schedules etc. can actually affect you in the long run. Don’t put off for tomorrow, what you can do today. This not only helps you be more organized, but also reduces your stress drastically.
Sleeping less
Are you a night owl? Just like food, sleep is an important factor to lead a healthy life. Staying up late at night watching your favorite show or working late into the night has more adverse affects on your body than you can imagine. It could be a cause for chronic diseases such as kidney and heart problems. A good 7-8 hour sleep not only has you well rested and active, but also sharpens your memory and attention span, helps you maintain a healthy weight and increases your life span.
Sugar intake
Yes, we all have sugar cravings and like to have something sweet every now and then; however, having too much sugar everyday can cause your body inflammation, weight gain and also spike your sugar limits. It is advisable to keep your sugar intake controlled throughout by straying away from sugary drinks.
Smoking
Goes without saying, smoking has adverse effects on your body. From lung issues to heart ailments and other chronic diseases, there are more ways than you think that can be caused due to this dangerous habit. So, if you are smoking, quit smoking right away!
Negativity
Do you see yourself complaining very often or surrounded by those who do? Your thoughts and actions are more powerful than you know. They not only set the pace for your life, but also affect your daily moods. Stray away from negativity in any form to live a healthier life.
Crash Diets
With the fads of several diet schemes being spoken about, it is natural that you are tempted to try them and climb your way towards looking good; however, it is important to remember that these diets may steal you away from the nutrition that your body requires on a regular basis. Having proper healthy food and working out is the key to a healthy life. Digestive enzymes such as enzymedica can help you digest food better and have a healthy gut.
These 7 basic tips should help you prolong your life and live a healthier one.
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Historical Evidence
For more information, please see…
Covey, Stephen R. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: 30th Anniversary Card Deck. FranklinCovey, 2019.
The featured image in this article, a photograph by Thong Vo (titi_wanderer) of a young woman smoking a cigarette outside, is from Unsplash and was published prior to 5 June 2017 under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication.
