We often take the bait of marketing specialists or incompetent advisers when trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle. We get used to many “useful” habits, which, in fact, appear to be absolutely useless.
11. Rinsing your mouth with water
This habit may seem very natural, but it has been criticized by some dentists. While brushing your teeth, they get covered with a protective layer of fluorine, which is washed out by water.
In order to preserve the positive effect of brushing your teeth, rinse your mouth with special alcohol-free solutions.
10. Treadmill workout
A treadmill is one of the most popular training devices, helping to get rid of excess calories. However, long periods of exercise on a treadmill can be harmful to your joints.
In order to avoid this, it is recommended to add some muscle-strengthening exercisesto your treadmill workouts. This will help you not only to lose weight but also to keep your muscles fit.
9. Siesta
A midday nap seems nice and healthy. However, some scientists believe it may cause some heart diseases.
Together with that, long periods of sleep affect memory and brain functioning.
8. Hand sanitizers
Commercials made us believe that only antiseptic and antibacterial soap can protect us from diseases. However, frequent use of these products may lead to the appearance of new and stronger germs.
According to scientists, regular soap is just as good for daily use as an antibacterial one.
7. Regular medical examinations
Annual medical exams aimed at checking one’s health can be, in fact, absolutely useless. Together with that, they are usually quite expensive.
The principles of clinical examination say that it’s better for patients to be examined according to their age group and the diseases common to those ages.
6. Taking vitamins
Thanks to commercials, we know that vitamins are essential to our body and that their absence may cause unfavorable reactions. But we don’t know that taking vitamins can be dangerous in some cases.
Scientists found out that those who take vitamins and have some bad habits suffer from serious diseases up to 46% more than those who don’t take vitamins. That’s why you should always consult your doctor before you start taking vitamins.
5. Diet drinks
Diet soda producers are trying to convince us that they have fewer calories and are, therefore, less harmful to our health and figures.
According to scientists, drinking even one can of diet soda a day may eventually cause heart disease, a rise in blood pressure, and weight gain.
4. Weight loss tendency
A thin person has a higher chance of catching a cold during the winter season. In addition, according to the results of more than a hundred research projects, thin people have the same death risks ratio as people with some extra weight.
3. Cleaning every day
Keeping your house clean is a very good habit. However, the same thing can’t be said about using detergents and cleaning chemicals.
Household cleaning agents contain a lot of chemical ingredients that may cause eye irritations, headaches, and respiratory diseases.
2. Wearing flip-flops for a “feet vacation”
Many people think that wearing light and open flip-flops gives us a rest from our everyday footwear. However, scientists from the National Foot Health Institute are ready to explode this myth.
According to the specialists, flip-flops do not provide the necessary foot support when walking on some solid surfaces. It is healthy to wear this type of footwear only when walking on sand or grass.
1. Drinking a lot of water
We’ve all heard that we should drink a lot of water: at least 8 glasses a day. There’s no doubt that water is essential for normal body functions — but only if you don’t take it too far.
Some studies show that drinking too much water can cause kidney problems and brain swelling. Together with that, drinking too much water can lower the level of electrolytes in your body, causing a serious condition called hyponatremia.