Until fairly recently, the concept of holistic health was unknown in the West. Today, it’s the preferred lifestyle choice for millions of people in Europe, Australia, and the U.S. That’s because the benefits of the holistic health lifestyle far outweigh any other health practices.
If you’re considering the holistic health way of life or have already adopted it, you know that the goal is to take all aspects of your health into consideration. This means your physical, mental, and emotional health, which all work together to create optimum wellness and well-being.
However, there are 6 toxic habits to avoid at all costs if your goal is to achieve optimal holistic health. These 6 habits will not only sabotage your efforts but actually make holistic health impossible. Below, outlined are the 6 toxic habits that will sabotage your holistic health daily.
Skipping meals
Your inner rhythms are essential for sustained holistic health. Some of these include your circadian rhythm, your metabolism, and your digestive rhythm. Skipping meals puts many of the body’s natural processes out of whack.
Skipping meals can also raise your stress levels and weaken your mental functions if you ignore hunger. This is why we often complain of sudden mental blocks or memory lapses. Skipping meals can also lead to long-term emotional disorders such as binge eating, overeating, or undereating and unhealthy food cravings.
One of the best things you can do for your body and mind is to never skip meals but just as importantly, schedule fixed mealtimes to keep your inner rhythms balanced and steady.
To help plan meals use a simple printable meal planner like this one. Printable planners can also be easily downloaded into an iPad and used as digital planners.
Not getting enough sleep
How often do you stay up into the wee hours gaming, watching TV, or partying? How many nights have you deprived yourself of sleep because you were cramming for an exam or working on a project due the next day? You probably said to yourself, “It’s no big deal. I’ll sleep late on the weekend.” And indeed you do – but the damage done is irreversible.
Sleep deprivation slowly chips away at your physical and mental health and over time, can lead to very serious issues. Weak immunity, diabetes, heart disease, and mental disorders are just some of the health issues lack of sleep can cause. When you add up all those nights you deprived yourself of sleep, you’ll realize that you’re in trouble.
Never compromise on getting a full 7-8 hours of sleep every night. A well-rested, rejuvenated body is the essence of holistic health. It’s as simple as that.
Not knowing how to say no
You may think this is pretty silly. But not being able to turn others down could actually be shortening your life by raising your stress to dangerous levels.
There’s a limit to being selfless and wanting to help others. But how often have you said yes when you were already exhausted and your time and schedule stretched to the limits? These kinds of situations put you in a mental tug-of-war between knowing you need to say no and not wanting to appear uncooperative or unhelpful.
This will take some practice but it can be done. You’ll feel amazingly liberated when you’re able to firmly and politely say “I’d really love to but…” in other words, no!
Eating too much red meat
The health dangers of eating too much red meat are already well-documented, so we know that we should eat it in moderation. Unfortunately, knowing doesn’t always lead to doing!
Red meat isn’t unhealthy when consumed in moderation and when it’s lean and grass-fed. It can actually balance out a healthy and varied diet. That is if it’s eaten in moderation.
So, what does moderation mean here? Ideally, once or twice a week. Train yourself to rely on protein alternatives like fish or poultry because quite simply, your optimal health is worth it!
Exercising on and off
The biggest complaint of all when it comes to exercise is, “I can never stick to it!” or worse, “I hate exercising. I only do it when I need to lose some weight.”
The reason we struggle with exercising regularly is that we have the wrong idea of what exercise is. It’s not about going to the gym twice a week, jogging every day, or taking one fitness class after another. Exercise means staying active.
This definition changes everything. It means that as long as you stay active, you can be as flexible as you want. You can choose to cycle one day, go swimming another day, or do aerobics another day. It means taking the stairs and walking instead of driving whenever you can.
When you think ‘stay active’ instead of the same day-in, day-out exercise routine, it becomes something you can do every day – and look forward to doing every day!
Neglecting oral health
The dreaded visit to the dentist! How often do you plan to get that regular checkup and then put it off? After all, you aren’t in any pain and everything seems fine, right?
Your oral health is one of the most vital – and sadly, neglected – pillars of holistic health. Undetected cavities and abscesses, bleeding gums, or teeth-grinding can all lead to serious issues. These include vision problems, nasal and ear infections, and even brain infections.
Never neglect your daily oral hygiene but more importantly, see your dentist for regular checkups every six months!
Conclusion
These 6 habits are toxic for two reasons. First, their impact isn’t limited to your physical health. It extends to your mental and emotional well-being by causing stress, anxiety, and poor cognitive function.
Secondly, these 6 habits sap the effectiveness of all your holistic practices because their negative impact is stronger. Take action to break these habits and remove them from your life to give your holistic health practice a real fighting chance.
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