It’s the time of year when people begin thinking about what they want to accomplish in the next year. Many will make New Year’s Resolutions in the hopes of getting more fit, saving money, losing weight, or maybe just kicking a bad habit. While some of those resolutions may not make it to Valentine’s Day, there are some bad habits you should make a special effort to overcome if you have them.
If you have any of these bad habits, you should consider giving them up as a part of your New Year celebrations. We’ll explain why you should kick the habit and perhaps what you could do instead until that habit is broken for good.
Eating Too Much Junk Food
It seems like there’s a fast-food place on every corner these days. Not only that, but chips and junk foods have their own entire aisles in supermarkets, often near the soda, which has an aisle of its own, too. Not only can too much junk food cause an expanding waistline, but according to one study, junk food consumption alters brain activity in a way similar to addictive drugs like cocaine or heroin.
While you don’t have to immediately cut junk food from your life, you can take smaller steps. Instead of French fries, opt for a baked potato or a salad. Instead of fried chicken, opt for grilled. Switch out your potato chips with some plain popcorn. When possible, opt for fresh options like a salad bar.
Skipping Breakfast
Yes, it’s hard to believe, but your mom was right when she said that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Eating in the morning literally signals to your metabolism to crank up and get started. Skipping breakfast can leave your metabolism sluggish all day long, leading to weight gain. Also, those who skip breakfast tend to overeat later in the day.
Listen to your body. If you’re not hungry right when you wake up, wait an hour or two until you feel hungry. If you’re short on time, make a portable breakfast sandwich. Grab a piece of fruit and some milk in a mug.
Spending Too Much Time Watching TV
While it may seem imperative that you not miss the latest episode of your favorite show, too much TV can be a bad thing. For starters, unless you’re exercising while you’re watching, every moment spent watching television is spent being physically inactive. In addition, people who watch TV more tend to eat more, upping their chances of developing type-2 diabetes and becoming obese.
Try and limit yourself to no more than 2 hours of TV time per day when you are drinking a cup of herbal tea or just need to have a little rest. Try to include at least 30 minutes of exercise per day as well. If you can, also try and get that exercise in while you watch. Walk in place, do sit-ups or drag your treadmill in front of the TV.
Drinking Too Much Alcohol
We know that too much alcohol is a bad thing, but just how much is too much? Well, for women, regularly consuming two or more drinks per day and for men, regularly consuming three or more drinks per day can lead to liver damage. It’s not just your liver that is affected, either. Too much alcohol can impair brain function, digestion, and even leave you prone to developing certain types of cancers.
If you think you have a problem, seek help through AA meetings or your doctor. If you want to go it alone, try by first cutting down on how many drinks you have at a time, then try cutting how many days a week you drink.
Smoking
We all should know how bad smoking is for us. In the United States alone, 500,000 deaths annually are attributed to smoking-related causes. Putting aside the cancers and other lung diseases that smoking can cause, it also causes premature aging, contributes to dental problems, and second-hand smoke can jeopardize the health of loved ones.
If you want to put down cigarettes for good, consider an alternative, like vaping. While more studies need to be done, preliminary studies show that it might be a healthier alternative and help you to quit. Vape pens are widely available and have been shown to be an effective quitting aid. Alternatively, you can also try nicotine replacement therapy such as the gum, patches, or lozenges.
Nail Biting
Not only is nail-biting unhygienic, but let’s face it – nails bitten down past the quicks are not very attractive, either. It can also cause your nail plates to shorten, and in some cases, become absent. In the long run, it can be difficult to regrow nails after a prolonged period of nail biting.
Figure out your triggers. If you bite your nails because you are anxious or nervous, try to turn that unhealthy habit into a healthy one. Instead of biting your nails, chew a piece of gum or go for a walk to bust that stress.
Being Around People Who Don’t Appreciate You
We all have one of these people in our lives. That one person – be it a friend or a family member, that we just cannot please no matter what we do. Or that person that we bend over backwards to be there for and when we need a little help, they’re nowhere to be found.
These kinds of relationships can be toxic. And while it might not be sensible to cut off all contact – especially in the case of a family member – limiting contact with these kinds of negative influences is always for the best. Instead, spend time with the people who do appreciate you.
Focusing on the Negatives
When dealing with everything that life throws at us, there are two ways that we can react. We can automatically focus on the bad things and how bad those things are, or we can focus in on the good things in life and make those our priority. Many of us tend to do the latter. This can lead to stress and depression and anxiety, all of which take their tolls on our health.
Instead of focusing on the bad in every situation, try and laser in on something that is positive. Remember, criticizing ourselves and others and focusing on the negative doesn’t exactly inspire us to do any better.
Not Getting Enough Sleep
Skimping on sleep can have wide-ranging effects on your body. From compromising your immune system to fueling depression and making it harder to lose weight, not getting the sleep you need is bad all the way around.
Try and set aside time each night away from the television, phone, and computer. Get your body ready for sleep so that when bedtime comes, you’re able to close your eyes and drift off to dreamland. If you have insomnia, consider purchasing a dry herb vaporizer and a high-CBD strain of cannabis and vape before bedtime.
These are just 9 of the bad habits that you’ll want to drop going into 2019. Remember, it can take two weeks to start (or end) a bad habit, so don’t get discouraged if you slip up now and again. Just keep at it and soon your bad habits will be a thing of the past.
Author
Michael is a marketing and creative content specialist at GotVape.com with a primary focus on customer satisfaction. Technology and fitness combined with healthy lifestyle obsession are his main talking points