These Seemingly Unhealthy Habits are Surprisingly Good for You

LifestyleMarch 20, 2018

People often think that drinking wine or skipping gym are bad habits but you’ll be surprised to know how beneficial they can be when done in moderation. The never-ending debate on what’s healthy and unhealthy for our bodies seems to change on the daily basis; one day you hear that coconut oil is healthy for consumption and the next day you hear the complete opposite – so which one should you believe?

Habits like eating junk foods and binging on television shows for hours on end are undoubtedly terrible for your health, but surprisingly, certain habits like stressing before a deadline or taking a break from the gym aren’t as bad as you may think.

Enjoying a glass of wine with meals

Wine, especially the red one, is rich in antioxidants that boost your immune system

Most people think that drinking sweet beverages and alcohol isn’t good for your health – especially if you’re trying to lose weight. Although this statement is true to a great extent, you don’t necessarily have to give up on your habit of indulging in an occasional glass of wine or two with dinner.

Recent obesity reports have found that moderate intake of wine does not increase your chance of gaining weight. However, overindulging in alcohol (having five glasses or more per day) can have adverse effects on your health and lower your inhibition for unhealthy foods that contribute to a growing waistline.

Enjoying comfort foods of your choice

We all know that the secret to losing weight and stay healthy is NOT cheesy pizzas, cheesecakes and cookie dough ice creams. However, health experts say that enjoying your favorite ‘junk foods’ occasionally doesn’t affect your waistline.

A Los Angeles-based nutritionist named Rachel Beller thinks that cheating on your diet occasionally has more pros than cons. One of the biggest advantages is that an occasional cheat meal consisting of your favorite foods satisfies your cravings and prevents you from binging on food down the road. The secret is to not overdo it!

Eating some chocolate

Chocolate with higher percentage of cocoa solids has greater health benefits

We all crave something sweet and comforting once in a while – especially when we’re stressed or feeling down. Chocolate is an amazing pick-me-up that can improve your mood instantly and doctors even say that indulging in a cheeky bar of good quality, dark chocolate is not bad for your health.

Chocolate has a ton of polyphenols in it – thrice as much as in green tea or red wine – which is a great anti-inflammatory ingredient to prevent bloating and puffiness. The other main ingredient in chocolate is cacao which is beneficial for lowering blood pressure and cholesterol.

Taking a day off from the gym

Exercising is important if you’re trying to get in shape before the summer arrives – but taking a day off once in a while to rest your mind and body is equally important. Most people tend to become obsessive with working out and get in the mindset that if they miss a single day, they won’t reach their goal fast enough. Certified personal trainer Kelvin Gary says that muscles need time for recovery in order to perform properly.

Working out every day can cause wear and tear in our muscle tissues and taking a break can help re-build these tissues and make them stronger. Over-exercising can ironically lead to a condition called underperforming due to muscle fatigue. But taking a break doesn’t mean you have to sit on the couch all day binging on Netflix. Instead do something more physically productive such as riding a bicycle, hiking or walking.

Stressing out

Stressing out can help you become more productive as long as you are able to cope with it

We’ve often been told that stress is health’s number one enemy and that we should avoid it at all costs but Leslie Connor, a licensed psychologist, thinks that a little bit of worrying can be good for our health and productivity as long as we are able to cope with it. She says that no stress can affect our performance negatively and doesn’t activate our brain enough to work at its very best.

Too much stress isn’t good for our health either and may hinder your brain’s capability to think logically. So, having just the right amount of stress that motivates you to push forward to meet a deadline is beneficial for your health. Surprised?