Bad Habits

How long does it take to break a bad habit? Some say 21 days, while others say it’s all in the number of repetitions. Although, these strategies may appeal to our desire for quick changes, the time-frame for changing habits varies. When it comes to our overall health and wellness, some habits need to be broken. Here is a list of bad habits to change so that you can look and feel your best!

1. Not Wearing Sunscreen

It’s important to wear sunscreen all year-round, not just in the summer. The sun can harm your skin and expedite the signs of aging with each exposure. Regularly wearing sunscreen with SPF 15 or higher reduces the risk of developing skin cancers, like melanoma, by 50%. There are endless reasons to wear sunscreen and luckily, it’s become easier to add it to your daily routine. Many skin care products and makeup now include SPF in them, making it a mindless, but beneficial habit to change. Not wearing sunscreen is an easy bad habit to break.

2. Spending Too Much Time on Screens

On average, Americans spend over 11 hours looking at a screen per day. With more and more social media platforms and streaming networks gaining popularity, we’ve lost connection to the real world. Looking at screens too long is a bad habit that doesn’t just impede on our physical health, like our eyes and posture, but also our mental health. We’ve become too consumed with what others are doing and as a result, we’ve become lazier and more unhappy. Limit your screen time throughout the day and try alternative things to do instead of watching tv or staring at your phone.

3. Smoking a JUUL

JUULs were initially created for adults who were trying to quit smoking cigarettes, and they’ve now created nicotine addictions in younger generations. Even though JUULs may seem harmless because of their popularity, a single pod is equivalent to smoking an entire pack of cigarettes. Researchers still aren’t aware of the long-term health risks of smoking JUULs, but can confirm that they are not harmless and are a very bad habit.

4. Biting Your Nails

Biting your nails is a bad habit that causes a lot more harm than just ruining the appearance of your nails. Even if you avidly wash your hands, germs still get embedded under the fingernails. Think about all of the various things you touch throughout the day- any of those germs could still be sitting under your nails right now. Biting your nails can transfer those germs into your body and can lead to infection. Additionally, it can ruin your teeth by shifting them out of place over time. Replace your nail-biting habit with a good habit, like playing with a stress ball whenever you feel the urge. This will keep your hands busy and away from your mouth.

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5. Dehydration

It’s easy to allow yourself to get dehydrated. So many things like, caffeine intake, the weather, and physical activity affect how quickly you get dehydrated. But staying hydrated will benefit your overall health immensely. It can decrease headaches, give you more energy, allow you to sleep better, digest food easier…the list goes on and on. If you’re not one who enjoys drinking water regularly, there are other beverages that keep you hydrated that you can try instead.

6. Not Dressing Right for Your Body Type

Sometimes it may be hard to know if the clothes you’re wearing fit you how they’re supposed to. Evaluating your closet is important to do every season to get rid of the clothes that no longer fit you and see if you need to invest in new clothes. Important items, like dresses and suits, are important staples to address if they fit you correctly. You can then move on to evaluating your everyday clothes so that you’re always looking and feeling your best for your physique.

7. Overdoing it When Exercising

Getting back into a workout routine is a great habit to get into, but make sure it does not become a bad habit by overdoing it! It’s natural to want quick results when it comes to how we look, but quick results don’t necessarily correlate with healthy results. It is important to evaluate your physical abilities beforehand; evaluate your current health and fitness level and adapt to a workout plan that works for you. Seeing results will take patience, but you’ll feel the results first. Slowly challenge yourself in each workout and you’ll reach your ultimate end-goals safely and effectively.

This blog post article was created in collaboration with TheBlackTux.com.

(Click here for the blog post article: 20 Memory Tips to Improve Your Learning.)

Bad Habits to Change for a Better You