Quit Unhealthy Habits in this Quarantine Period
They say it takes 21 days to make one habit. Let’s utilize the COVID-19 lockdown period, to achieve the target of quitting one bad habit, which we always sub-consciously always wanted to do.
We all have that one bad habit, such as smoking, gorging on sweet products or late cravings, not sleeping more than 5 hours, no exercise and so on and on. These habits ultimately affect our health and our aging process. Yes, I may not have a short term effect, but definitely a long term effect.
Lots of suggestions are pouring over the internet, social media posts or Whatsapp groups on what should we do during the isolation period, should we reach out to our favorite hobby, or possible try different cuisines or focus on yoga for overall wellness. But, nobody really talks about breaking a bad habit…
So, in this article, I am going to list down a few common bad habits for all of us to focus on and ate last try to break down that one bad habit in this lockdown period.
Quit Smoking
Smoking damages the lungs and reduces the lungs’ capacity to absorb oxygen from the air. This can also be one of the reasons to make you more prone to deadly coronavirus. Smoking also depletes your vitamin C store more quickly as compared to those who do not smoke. Hence, their vitamin C requirement increases two-fold. Breathing is an exercise that we all take it for granted, but when we control the rate and method of breathing, we can actually overcome our cravings.
Quit Binge Drinking
Drinking itself, if not controlled is not good for our health. But, binge drinking involves consuming large amounts of alcohol in a relatively short period of time. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) identifies binge drinking to be when a person’s blood alcohol content (BAC) reaches .08, which is roughly 5 drinks for men and 4 drinks for women in a 2-hour span of time. This kind of drinking behavior can affect you physically and mentally. So it is important to set the limits and not be having stress or emotional drinking.
Quit saying No to Exercise
Even if you are home, there are many ways to keep your body fit and active. Sweeping and Mopping are two activities that can help burn almost 150 – 200 calories. The best one would be Surya Namaskar. Surya Namaskar got an overall impact on your entire body. It can help improve your muscle tone and flexibility, aids weight loss, improves your heart rate and digestion. Nice-glowing skin is a result of good blood circulation, good digestion, relaxation, and good sleep. Also, provides emotional stability.
Quit Skipping Breakfast
This is one of the common exercises which almost every Indian follows, either we have multiple reasons to quit breakfast or probably no time to make one for ourselves. Skipping breakfast can have a negative impact on your normal metabolism and energy reserves. In that case, your body starts utilizing the stored fat. The released fat used as energy can lead to weight gain. An ideal breakfast is a good mix of carbohydrates, proteins, and healthy fats.
Quit Sleeping for less than 7 hours
Many think, making the most of the day and night, I am proving to be efficient. We stay up late even when we have work the following day. This is not good, if you sleep less than 6 hours for a long duration of time, it can affect your immunity and also in some way your efficiency at work, at college, school, etc. And if your immunity is low, it can affect the body’s ability to fight against the virus and bacterias. So make sure, this is the time to schedule your sleep and try to sleep for a minimum of 7 to 8 hours at a stretch. You will definitely find the difference in your health and the way you can feel your entire day.
Quit Wearing Headphones for the Longer Duration
We all addicted to wearing earphones during our travel time, work time or during our workouts. Studies have confirmed that wearing headphones for more than 1 hour a day can lead to spelling hearing loss in the long run. Try not to spend many hours on your headphones and keep the volume audible enough not loud as that may be the main culprit.
