People Who Love Their Bodies Never Do These 17 Things — Do You?
Do you love your body? Do you want to?
When you love your body, you'll treat it in certain ways. You will lavish love on it, revel in it, and enjoy all of the things it allows you to do.
This means that you also will not do certain things to it. You won't act unkindly, or disrespectfully, or in ways that will harm your body in the long run. (See also: This is What It Really Costs to Get Sick)
Not sure what this looks like in real life? Here are some behaviors that people who love their bodies never engage in.
1. Sleep Too Much
Surprise, surprise. Sleeping too much has some of the same bad side effects as sleeping too little, including a propensity towards obesity and diabetes. So, sleep seven to nine hours each night and you're good.
2. Stress Out All the Time
It's normal to be stressed every once in a while. Even high stress can be okay, as long as your levels go back down after a while. But continued high stress means you're in "fight or flight" mode all the time, which can cause heart problems, depression, and even PTSD.
3. Stay Inside All Day
You need vitamin D to help keep up your energy and avoid depression. The best way to get this is via sunlight, which you can only do by spending at least a few minutes outside. Don't get a sunburn! Instead, expose your skin for about half the time it would take you to start turning pink.
4. Train Too Hard
When you want to change your body, it's easy to exercise hard, for a long time. Too much exercise, though, leaves you more likely to get sick. Since illness often undermines exercise plans, train at moderate levels so you can sustain your health and improve your performance.
5. Stop Laughing
Laughing can help reduce your stress, improve your memory, and help your mind perform better. It also helps you regain perspective, even in difficult situations. So do what you need to do to laugh: Talk to a funny friend, listen to a child's joke, or watch someone funny on TV.
6. Binge Drink
Drinking a lot of alcohol over a short period of time is never good for you, and when you do it often, you can get everything from mouth cancer to heart arrhythmias. If you regularly have more than four drinks (for a woman) or five (for a man), change your habits to care for your body.
7. Forget to Apply Sunscreen
This one is almost a no brainer, if you don't want skin cancer. Still, we avoid it because it's a pain to put on and it's greasy and gross. But it's worth it!
8. Smoke. At All. Ever. Even Socially.
Any smoking, even the occasional social cigarette, raises your risks of cancer and lung or heart disease. Very few occasional or social smokers stay that way, since nicotine is highly addictive. So just stay away.
9. Skip Stretching
While we're on the topic of exercise, don't forego stretching. Some studies show that forgetting to stretch can make you more prone to injury, which hurts your body both now and for the long term. It also reduces your flexibility, which you want to maintain as you get older.
10. Have Unprotected Sex
This is a huge risk factor for health problems down the road. Protect yourself, so you can avoid STDs, including AIDS, as well as unwanted pregnancy. Respect your own body and that of your partner, and use a condom.
11. Ignore Illness
If you have a medical condition, take care of yourself. Even if it means changing your lifestyle, making the effort could mean the difference between good health and poor. Finding out that you have a chronic condition can feel overwhelming, hopeless, and defeating. Take a deep breath, work with your doctor, and find people who will support you as you figure out how to care for yourself.
12. Feel Down About Your Body
When your body isn't looking or acting the way you want it to, it's easy to insult yourself or think poorly about how you look and who you are. Instead, work to accept yourself as you are, even if you know changes could be made to improve your health.
13. Avoid the Doctor
Yearly check ups are a pain, but they help you stay on top of your health. They also give you a chance to ask those annoying little questions, which can mean the difference between good and poor health. If you don't have a doctor, ask your friends who they see or see who your health insurance company recommends.
14. Live On Junk Food
We all eat a brownie now and then, but eating junk food regularly leads to all sorts of problems. If you struggle with this, begin finding satisfying substitutes for your favorite foods. For instance, you might eat kale chips instead of potato chips (don't knock 'em 'til you've tried 'em!).
15. Dine Out Every Night
After a long day, no one wants to cook, especially if it's hot in your home. But people who prepare their own food are more likely to avoid medical problems. If that doesn't convince you, cooking at home is cheaper and better for the environment than dining out.
16. Stop Eating
It can be easy to want to stop eating entirely, especially when you're frustrated with your weight or under a lot of stress. You will be healthier and happier, though, if you choose a diet plan that allows you plenty of calories and helps make sure you feel full.
17. Spend All Day Sitting
When you stay sitting for hours and hours, it hurts your body in all sorts of ways. You lower your ability to take up glucose, raise your triglycerides and bad (LDL) cholesterol, and raise your risk of dying from heart disease and certain types of cancer. Instead, take breaks and get moving.
Have you stopped doing something that's helped you love your body more? What would it be like for you to implement these ideas?
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