Often we do things we believe are healthy…but in reality they’re not healthy at all! 

From Prevention magazine, here are four habits you’ll want to change:

You Come Home From Work and Immediately Get Your Chores Out of the Way.  If your parents made you do your homework right after school, you might think it’s the way to go…because it does SEEM like a good habit.  The problem is, you don’t give yourself time to unwind, so your body keeps pumping out the stress hormone cortisol…and higher levels of cortisol lead to more health issues in the long run.  Give yourself 20 or 30 minutes to unwind before you jump into something like doing taxes or cleaning the living room.

“Hovering” When You’re Using a Public Restroom.  Ladies, do you have a phobia of sitting down in public restrooms?  Squatting is WORSE for you because it causes the pelvic muscles to contract, which prevents you from fully emptying your bladder and leaving you more susceptible to infections.  The best way to handle it is to use those paper seat liners. 

You Brush Your Teeth Right After You Finish Eating.  You’ve probably heard that you shouldn’t brush right after you drink SODA, because soda softens your enamel, which can actually be brushed away….but the same goes for ANYTHING that’s highly acidic including things like citrus fruit, tomatoes, and Gatorade.  So if you have anything like that, you should wait at least 30 to 60 minutes before you brush.

You Wash Your Pillowcases Once a Week.  That’s better than most people, but washing JUST your pillowcases won’t necessarily protect you from dust mites.  However to REALLY protect yourself, you have to wash the actual PILLOWS at least once a month in hot water which most people NEVER do.  

Get more great health tips from Prevention here! 

D&J