Top 5 Unhealthy Habits To Give Up This Season

With Mardi Gras officially behind us, it’s time to start thinking about what you will give up this season. Whether or not you are religious, it is a great time of year (following New Year’s) to shed some of those unhealthy habits. After all, they could be impacting your appearance.

Skin is our body’s largest organ, and it is very much an indicator of lifestyle habits. What we eat, excessive or not enough exercise, lack of sleep, stress…it all plays into the appearance of our skin and how our body’s operate. So what are some things you can eliminate this season to not only boost your skin health but also your overall health?

Our top 5 to eliminate this season…

1. UNHEALTHY FOOD

If you can’t do a major diet overhaul, then simply focus on eliminating one thing. Maybe that’s unhealthy fats like hydrogenated oils and certain types of butter, replacing them with avocados, nuts, or olive oil. Or perhaps trading one meat-based meal per week for one with greens and antioxidant-rich vegetables. Keep in mind, antioxidants and vitamins act as free-radical scavengers helping guard our bodies and skin against cell damage.

2. ALCOHOL

Alcohol, particularly when consumed in excessive amounts, depletes our bodies and our skin of hydration. It’s also very acidic. Excess acidity in the body leads to inflammation and a slew of other chronic diseases. If you can’t cut it out all together, consider omitting it once or a couple times per week.

3. STRESS

Stress can be a tough one to cut out, but there are certain stress-causing habits that can be eliminated. It could be as simple as turning off all automatic notifications on your phone, or going on a social network detox. This one could also be more about replacing certain stress-inducing behaviors with healthier ones like adequate sleep, working out, getting outdoors, etc.

4. SUN EXPOSURE

Don’t get me wrong being out in the sun is great for our wellbeing. It’s when it’s done in excess that problems occur. Cut out too much time in the sun, and integrate a healthy habit: never leaving home without applying sun protection. One of the best ways to protect your skin from aging and cell damage is to apply a natural physical blocker like zinc.

5. LOW-QUALITY INGREDIENTS

This applies to foods and skin care ingredients. Many over-the-counter brands slip in dyes, fragrances and other chemicals that counteract any potential benefits they purport to produce. It’s akin to all of the “low fat” or “zero carb” highly processed foods you see on the store shelves these days. They may be low in calories, but what harmful chemicals have they replaced those calories with? You don’t want those in your body, so protect your skin in the same manner. Swap the chemical-laden formulas out for those that are more natural, high-grade ingredients.

Use this season of elimination to get back on track with your New Year’s goals or create some new ones. We can all stand to be a little healthier.