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Staying healthy is an important part of life, so it’s no surprise that people are always looking for ways to take better care of themselves. They watch videos full of fascinating wellness hacks, follow advice they come across online, and try out routines that promise to help them feel their best. The trouble is, something can sound perfectly reasonable and still end up doing more harm than good.
One Redditor recently asked users to share the supposedly healthy practices that can actually be damaging, and they came through with plenty of interesting replies. We’ve rounded up some of the best ones below. Scroll down to read them and weigh in in the comments. And, of course, if you have any concerns about your health, it’s always best to speak to a doctor.
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#1
The perpetual and interminable cycle of “self-improvement” that only exacerbates stress because you’re striving for an unobtainable perfection.
Self-improvement is excellent in small and incremental goals. It’s when it becomes reading self-help books, tracking habits, optimising sleep, monitoring productivity, journalling, tracking calories, tracking steps….reading more self help books, always more and more improvement.
Just remember that you’re human. You are not infallible.
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#2
Tracking everything. Steps, calories, sleep scores, HRV. At some point it stops being health data and starts being anxiety with a dashboard.
#3
Constantly stimming off of high caffeine pre-workouts. starts as an extra boost but quickly turns into a baseline energy level.
#4
Forced early wakeups if you aren't adjusting your bedtime. Some people tend to overdo it on caffeine when they get up early to workout but then stay up too late out of habit/caffeine in their system.
#5
I work in the AI industry and quite a bit of AI related things are wrecking us. If you write an email and ask Claude to "clean this up", you are one of millions of people using Claude to do that. It's efficient, quick and makes sense. However, we all sound like a Claude email now.
#6
Constantly being on the lookout for 'red flags' in people and then immediately cutting them off. The price of community is inconvenience.
#7
Detoxes or Cleanses. Your organs like the liver and kidneys remove unnecessary or unhealthy things. Not turmeric, cayenne, juices loaded with sugar, or only eating eggs and cabbage. Some people are out here fermenting urine and drinking it thinking it's detoxing them. What a world.
#8
Being so afraid of potential pesticides or microplastics or whatever that you just avoid eating fruit and veggies unless you can find and/or afford the "perfect" kind.
#9
The continuous hype of having everything protein enriched when it's the lack of fiber in diet that is increasing colon cancer.
#10
My sister and her husband went on a parasite cleanse, sold to them by a travelling "wellness practitioner".
They bought multiple bottles of silver iodized water (from him) at $30 a bottle. They were also taking Wormwood capsules.
After, a couple days brother started complaining of stomach pains. They were told it was just toxins leaving the body.
I Googled both substances and found they were toxic.
Snake oil salesmen are still a thing.
#11
Brushing your teeth after drinking coffee. I didn't know you're supposed to wait for at least 30 minutes because the acidity softens your enamel and it's more susceptible to damage 😬.
#12
I don't know if it's considered healthy but the idea of "broadening horizons" "experiencing everything life has to offer." You're human. You have maybe 70-80 years, fewer of them GOOD years, there's no way you can experience everything - it will exhaust you physically and financially. Some people even use that as an excuse to run away from good relationships, good work.
#15
Fad diets. Has been for a long time, but the current "protein, protein, protein" fixation isn't great for your health unless you also ramp up your intake of vegetables. You can't exist on Chipotle bowls with white rice, double-steak, and two scoops of queso without serious consequences. Rates of colorectal cancer are surging in young people, largely driven by diet.
#16
All my friends in their 30s/40s whose main sports activity is jogging and marathons... look a decade older than the rest of us, and have constant knee and hip issues.
Go swimming/weight-training/kayaking etc etc guys. Don't stress your joints or jolt your faces.
#17
I feel like the whole 'proteins' in everything trend that is happening. Obviously protein is good for you but the amount of overly processed, sugary bad food/ drinks being released that have 'protein' written on them is crazy. And for some reason people think its healthy. Like, ooo this chocolate bar, bag of chips, chocolate milk etc is 'extra protein ' so just be healthy.
#18
Completely avoiding the sun. sunburns are bad, but people who get some rays have lower all cause mortality rates.
#19
Having worked in education, we are being too forgiving towards kids. They need to learn that bad actions require discipline and the longer we let them act up with no recourse, they lose the ability to control themselves in the real world.
If they harm another student or teacher and the reaction is “kids will be kids” then we’re raising a generation of people who don’t care about the effect they have on others .
#23
Thinking they need to constantly replenish electrolytes (but it's what plants crave)
Unless you're a pro athlete or work outside all day, you aren't losing enough sweat to necessitate it. You're just taking in a bunch of excess salt and that's gonna cause kidney damage.
#24
Thinking that all these healthy apps are going to improve your health while it’s the device in your hand and what it’s doing to your brain and attention span that is the real problem.
#25
Excessive amounts of powdered protein and creatine, especially without proper hydration and a very balanced diet.
Consuming protein and creatine without also getting nutrients, fiber, and vitamins is the same as hiring a 1,000-man building crew and not giving them any materials to work with. They will start breaking down other parts of your body to find the materials they need.
#26
Over training. There is a point at which keeping a healthy physical body through physical sport or training ensures healthy muscles and bones in the long term, overdo it and it becomes harmful, in the long term. If substances are used, it makes things worse... again, in the long term.
#27
Sleeping too much.
Needing constant long stretches of sleep or constant need for naps is often seen as cute or just the way life is. But in reality it could be signs of health issues that need to be addressed (dehydration, sleep apnea, thyroid issues etc).
#30
Caffeine addictions from pre-workout stuff.
Constantly tracking calories/macros can lead to eating disorders.
Trying to "fully optimize" every single thing for a 45 minute workout is mentally unhealthy IMHO.
#31
Drinking lemon water or salads with very acidic dressings every day on an empty stomach!!! water and vitamin c is great for you as is fiber but if you have reflux (like me) it can genuinely destroy your esophagus and stomach. Ask me how I know 🥲.
#32
The “vegan diet” where 90% of their diet is highly processed. Just because the food item is labeled as vegan or plant based doesn’t mean it’s healthier.
#33
Protein. The obsession with eating 100-200+ grams of protein per day. Shakes, powders, etc. Its dehydrating and causes digestive issues. It can also absolutely wreck your kidneys.
Ive often wondered if it is related to the rise in colon cancer, haven't looked into it tho.
#34
Brushing teeth aggressively, especially with an electric toothbrush. Reminder: electric toothbrushes are overpowered and can easily cause gum damage!
Gently rest the brushes on your gums for a few seconds, then move.
#35
I believe the extreme of any sides thing people have been exemplifying for years is definitely causing harm. I think it started with click-bate type articles and videos and now most people don’t have a balanced middle. You could take most topics and see that most have extreme sides and they might have the middle, but the middle stance is usually very overlooked like it’s not what most people’s beliefs are usually going to be closer to.
#36
Spiritual bypassing. You gotta feel to heal man; it's ugly, painful, a process, and seemingly never ending since basically anything can "trigger" you.
And don't just blindly "trust the process". Be committed but not attached to the outcome.
#37
Eating lots of meat! Plant-based diets significantly decrease risk of cancer and heart disease.
#38
Watching those "how I improve my self to get a better life" video. Most of them are liars. Wake up at 3 a.m for what? They all Chasing 'perfection'.
#39
The disordered eating that has been normalised in an attempt to be "fit" and "healthy". No sir, calorie counting, macro(?) counting, proteinmaxxing, eating boiled chicken and rice seven days a week.. yeah that's all an eating disorder.
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