10 health mistakes most women make
From workouts to healthy diets,
many of us make an effort to look after ourselves.
However, we could be compromising
our health on a daily basis without even knowing it.
From carrying heavy handbags to
wearing crippling heels, here are the top 10 female habits you should try to
break.
Wearing heels
More and more of us are opting to
wear heels on a daily basis, and this could be bad news for our health.
High heels affect our posture,
put pressure on joints, and can lead to a range of conditions including
arthritis, hammer toes, back pain and tendon injuries - and that's before you
take into account any heel-related accidents!
To minimise damage, limit your
heels to 1.5 inches for daily wear, and wear insoles to help reduce the
pressure on joints.
Carrying a heavy handbag
With the rising number of gadgets
and accessories the majority of women haul around, many of us are carrying
around several pounds of weight on our shoulders every day. As a result, lots
of us are also putting our long term health at risk.
While you may not feel the
effects right now, lugging around a heavy handbag can lead to serious back
problems and neck pain as well as poor posture.
Don't wait until the damage is
done - do your health a favour and try clearing out all non-essential items and
switching to a smaller bag.
Sleeping in makeup
Most of us have succumbed to the
temptation to sleep in our post-party makeup at some point.
However, leaving makeup on
overnight - along with the dirt and oil that naturally accumulates on skin
throughout the day -is a quick route to clogged pores, congested skin and
spots.
Sleeping with mascara and eye
makeup on can also affect your health by causing eye irritation, bloodshot eyes
or even infection.
Matching men drink for drink
From networking drinks to first
dates and social events, there are many instances when women may feel compelled
to keep up with the drinking habits of the opposite sex.
However, women not only tend to
weigh less than men but they have less body water to dilute the alcohol, which
means they tend to get more drunk more quickly.
To minimise the risks of alcohol
on your health, try to keep within the recommended guidelines for alcohol
consumption and alternate alcohol with soft drinks.
Wearing the wrong bra size
It is thought that more than 70
per cent of women are wearing the wrong bra size.
However, wearing a badly fitted
bra can not only affect the look of your clothes, but research suggests it can
cause a range of health problems including back, neck and breast pain,
breathing difficulties, poor posture, skin irritation, circulation problems and
even irritable bowel syndrome.
Rather than guessing your size,
make sure you get measured to ensure you are getting the support you need.
Worrying and harbouring regrets
Stress is damaging to both our
physical and mental health, and women are twice as likely as men to suffer from
stress-related disorders, as well as having higher rates of depression and
anxiety.
While it is thought there may be
biological reasons for this, worrying about the future and dwelling on regrets
can also add to our problems, with research suggesting that women are more than
twice as likely as men to harbour regrets over lost loves and broken
relationships.
Obsessing over appearance
While both genders suffer from
body insecurity, many women tend to overly obsess over their idea of the
"perfect" body.
Research findings published in
the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology found that 16 per cent of the normal or
underweight women studied believed themselves to be overweight, while a study
commissioned by Dove found that 90 per of women wanted to change at least one
aspect of their appearance.
Body insecurity not only affects
our mental health, but it can also lead to physical damage caused by extreme
diets, yo-yo dieting, eating disorders and cosmetic surgery.
Emotional eating
While comfort eating affects both
genders, research has suggested that men are more likely to reinforce positive
emotions with food, while women comfort eat when they're sad.
Women are also more likely to
satisfy their cravings with sweet, high calorie foods.
Rather than letting your
waistline suffer next time you're feeling blue, try distracting yourself from
cravings by doing something you enjoy, or boost your endorphins and health with
an uplifting workout.
Not getting enough sleep
Not only can lack of sleep make
us look and feel at our worst, but insufficient shut-eye can also lead to
increased accidents, calorie consumption and heart disease risk.
Unluckily for women, statistics
suggest that sleep problems affect more women than men, while a study by the
University of Michigan found that women are more than twice as likely to give
up sleep to care for others.
Unfortunately, sleep has been
found to affect women's blood pressure and mood more than men's, making it
imperative that you do your best to get a good night's sleep.
Putting themselves last
Not only are women more likely to
compromise their sleeping habits to care for children and others, they are also
prone to putting their own wants and needs at the bottom of a hectic to-do list
of chores and obligations.
To avoid running yourself into
the ground, learn to sometimes say no to those requests and commitments that
are less than essential, and make sure you set aside some "me" time
each week to do something enjoyable just for you.
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