17 Seemingly "Healthy" Habits That Are Harming You

Are you making up for your less than perfect diet with about 10 different vitamins and supplements with your breakfast, lunch and dinner? While there are definitely advantages to supplementing your diet with some ("supplement" being the key word here) don’t trick yourself into thinking that it’s ok to skip the extra veggies because of them. If you're thinking about adding some to your diet, talk to your GP or dietician about what your body needs.

 

Coffee is healthy because without it, it can sometimes feel like we might die, am I right? We all know too much of a good thing is a bad thing so make sure your not clocking up the equivalent to a 2L carton of milk each day on your coffee habit.

 

Great news babe, fat is good! That is the correct kinds and in moderation, (which counts out the cheeseburger so apologies for the false advertising...) but we strongly advise steering clear of low fat or fat free foods as they’re often loaded with sugars and additives instead.

 

Love yourself some organic, all-natural hummus so much that you smash a whole container of the stuff while you’re sitting at your desk? Or maybe you baked an awesome gluten-free cake with rice malt syrup instead of sugar so BANG, why not eat the whole thing? Not the best idea babe, back to the “too much of a good thing” rule, steer clear of eating anything to excess.

 

Are you totally awesome at sticking to your workout routine 4 times a week, week in week out? When was the last time you changed it up? If you’ve been using the same gym program for too long chances are the benefits just aren’t there anymore. Make sure you’re changing it up, keeping things interesting and pushing yourself further each time.

 

Damn proud of the fact you go to the gym everyday? Well truth be told, there are far worse habits for us to pick on and you deserve a pat on the back no doubt about it. Remember though that even top athletes schedule rest days in to let their bodies RECOVER and so should you! If you just can’t deal with the idea of skipping a day, replace your high intensity workout with something more relaxing like yoga or heal your mind & body with some meditation.

 

Beware the sugar and additives in most protein bars, muesli and granola bars. Always read the ingredients on the label and make sure you understand exactly what’s going into your body. We've always preferred balls anyway, get 'em here.

 

Squeezing into your fave dress this weekend so decide to hide at your desk and skip lunch? Your body won’t like it babe and in the end you won’t be saving any calories when your body starts storing stuff in starvation mode and you’ll just be hungry.

 

As much as we could all probably use a few more fruit and veggies added to our diets we don’t need a spinach, celery and kale special for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Regularly consuming a juice diet means you’re diet is likely lacking in key nutrients, vitamins & minerals which can leave you feeling tired and weak.

 

First of all, these meals are generally so damn small you end up eating every snack food in sight to fill your tummy. Second of all, they’re loaded with sugars, preservatives and additives so that they still taste ‘good’. If you’re too busy to cook there are a number of healthy home delivery companies (see above, @dineamicfood) popping up so do your research and test some out.

 

So you get to the weekend and calculate that you need to add another 4 hours to your Sunday sleep to catch up on your 8 hours a night… Sorry babe, it don’t work like that. Keeping your sleeping patterns as consistent as possible is crucial to waking up feeling ready to bounce out of bed.

 

Determined to get some abs so start your day by doing 1 million crunches? You’re probably not going to see the results you’re expecting, if you want abs you need to working your whole core.

 

BEWARE OF THE SUN right? Because you’ll get cancer and that’s damn scary. What else is scary (and super common) is being deficient in Vitamin D. This mineral is crucial for calcium absorption, bone strength and also reducing symptoms of depression and anxiety. Being deficient can also leave you feeling tired and sluggish. We’re not saying go bake yourself sunscreen free for 2 hours because it’s good for your bones, but try and make sure you’re soaking up at least 10 minutes of sunshine a day without and inch of sunscreen and bucket hat.

Many protein powders you’ll find are loaded with sugars, genetically modified ingredients, heavy metals and artificial flavourings. Not only are these bad for you, they also taste like crap. Get yourself some natural and tasty Protein Blends that are also loaded with vitamins and minerals right here.

 

What they lack in calories that make up for in chemicals, over time these are equally (if not more) harmful than sugar.

 

Unless the food group you're cutting is donuts, you're probably not actually doing your body any favours. In short, cutting whole food groups is damaging to our body and metabolism. Carbohydrates, fats and proteins all contribute essential nutrients to make your body function and by cutting a whole group out it’s difficult to get those nutrients else where.