15 Small Things You’re Doing Wrong That Have a Huge Impact on Your Wellness
- Adopting lifestyle habits that don’t support your physical and mental health will prevent you from unlocking your full potential.
- Altering your approach can help you progress through a plateau and achieve better mind-body balance.
- Learn how common mistakes, like excessive sitting and cooking with the wrong fats, can negatively impact your wellness—and how to do things better.
Being consistent is a critical component to being successful. However, if you’re consistently doing the small things wrong, you could run into big problems down the line. And when it comes to your health, you may be surprised to learn that some of your habits don’t actually support your mind and body.
Discover some of the smaller mistakes you might be making with your daily routine, and more importantly, learn how to switch things up so you can crush all your wellness goals.
How daily decisions impact your physical and mental health
Humans are creatures of habit. But consistently following the same practices can positively or negatively impact both your physical and mental health.
For example, ditching carbohydrates and fueling up with quality fats can help you reap the rewards of ketosis. On the other hand, consuming sugar on a regular basis can negatively impact your brain health.
Ultimately, the small choices you make add up over time. And just because you do something every day doesn’t necessarily mean it’s beneficial. Maintaining an open mind about changing your ways can help get you off the wrong path and on the right one.
15 small things you’re doing wrong that impact your health goals
The bad news: You may quickly discover you’re doing a few things wrong on a daily basis.
The good news: You can easily get going in the right direction by making simple changes.
Here are 15 small things you’re doing wrong—plus solutions to support your wellness goals.
1. Sitting too much
How much time do you actually spend sitting? For most adults in the United States, it is about 6.5 hours a day.[1] From your office chair to your driver’s seat to your favorite spot on the couch, think about how often you sit in a 24-hour period and the negative implications sitting may have on your core strength, flexibility and metabolism.
In fact, a study conducted on office workers found that long sitting times (an average of 6.29 hours) were associated with exhaustion during the work day and musculoskeletal disorders symptoms in the lower back, shoulders, thighs and knees.[2]
Solution: Break up your day with several 10-minute walks. Also, consider using a standing desk to reduce the amount of time you spend sitting.
2. Neglecting sleep
Failing to prioritize quality sleep is a common mistake that must be rectified. Your body and brain need time to recover from the physical and mental stressors of daily life. However, it’s easy to get lost in your favorite Netflix series or spend hours scrolling through your phone, neither of which will set you up for a good night’s rest.
Solution: Adopt good sleep hygiene habits, including staying away from blue light at night and using supplements like Bulletproof Sleep or Bulletproof Sleep Collagen Protein for additional support.
3. Overfilling your schedule
It’s great to be ambitious. Yet adding too much to your plate can be negative for your physical and mental health. Whether that means taking on extra work or agreeing to plans with family and friends, it’s easy to fill your schedule and not have enough time for self-care.
Solution: Set boundaries with your time and stick to them so you don’t add more stress to your plate.
4. Poor posture
From slouching in front of the computer to leaning forward to scroll through your phone, it’s easy to forget about maintaining proper posture. Unfortunately, this small mistake can cause certain muscles to overcompensate and become overworked.
In addition, your posture also plays a significant role in mind-body balance. A study conducted on 74 participants found that adopting an upright seated posture in the face of stress can help maintain self-esteem, reduce negative mood and increase positive mood, compared to a slumped posture.[3]
Solution: Be mindful of your posture at all times, particularly when sitting for prolonged periods. Try yoga or Pilates to work on your stability, flexibility and address any imbalances.
5. Not getting outside enough
Between a busy work schedule and other responsibilities, you may realize you don’t spend nearly as much time outside as you could (and should). However, you’re doing your body a disservice by staying indoors. After all, one of the best-known benefits of sunlight is its ability to boost your vitamin D supply, which has a major impact on calcium metabolism and neuromuscular and immune system functioning.[4]
Solution: Carve out 30 minutes a day to spend outside. Access vitamin D easily while taking your dog on a lunchtime walk or conducting your cooling down from an indoor workout.
6. Following an unrealistic diet
It takes discipline and commitment to stick to a diet. That said, you won’t experience sustained success if you choose one that’s unfeasible to follow. Sure, fad diets may sound promising because of the potential short-term payoffs, but will you feel energized and fulfilled months down the line?
Solution: Employ an intuitive eating approach that centers around quality fats and protein instead of stressing over sticking to a specific diet.
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7. Putting sugar in your coffee
Starting your day with freshly brewed coffee is certainly something we support. But you’re making a mistake if your morning cup of joe contains sugar. Not only will this raise your insulin levels, but it’ll also prevent you from maximizing your fat-burning abilities.
Solution: Say goodbye to sugar and hello to quality fats. Our signature Bulletproof Coffee recipe can be made with Bulletproof Grass-Fed Ghee and Bulletproof Brain Octane C8 MCT Oil or Bulletproof Original Creamer.
8. Consuming liquid carbs
Juice, soda and sports drinks may come in appealing flavors, but they can have a negative impact on your health and wellness. By the time you finish a bottle or can, you could easily consume a day’s worth of carbs if you’re on keto or a low-carb diet. A 2016 study found that drinking more sugar-sweetened beverages (greater than three per week) was associated with an increase in insulin resistance and pre-diabetes.[5]
Ultimately, consuming liquid carbs is a mistake that’s all-too easy to make, but one that should be avoided.
Solution: Swap out sugar-laden drinks for water, tea, coffee or ones made with Bulletproof-approved sweeteners.
9. Cooking with the wrong fats
Choosing the right fat source to cook with is a key component to taking care of your health. However, if your pantry contains any of the following, you should consider ditching them immediately:
- Partially hydrogenated oils
- Cottonseed oil
- Canola oil
- Margarine
Solution: Use quality fat sources like Grass-Fed Ghee, grass-fed butter and avocado oil for cooking.
10. Overtraining
Exercise plays a major role in sleep quality and stress management. If you take things too far, though, you could actually do more damage than good. Overtraining can leave you feeling fatigued and potentially less motivated to work out.
Just because you enjoy the gym doesn’t mean you should focus all your efforts on working out, as your muscles, tendons, ligaments and joints stand to benefit from a day off.
Solution: Incorporate at least one rest and recovery day into your training regimen, listen to your body and work smarter, not harder.
11. Forgetting to hydrate while fasting
The benefits of intermittent fasting range from weight management to inflammation. While it’s easy to implement, it’s easy to forget about hydrating when you’re not eating. Not drinking enough water can have a major negative impact on your overall health and wellness, including reduced cognitive performance and exercise performance.[6][7]
Solution: Have your favorite non-caloric drink (water, coffee or tea) lined up and ready to drink during your fast. To hold yourself accountable, use a water intake app to track your hydration throughout the day.
12. Eating processed plant-based proteins
If you’ve been eating plant-based salmon or other plant-based meats, you’re doing yourself a disservice. Unlike real salmon, the plant-based version doesn’t provide a high concentration of omega-3s or other key nutrients. So, even though you may think you’re eating “healthy,” these vegan options aren’t nearly as beneficial as they seem on the surface.
Solution: Avoid processed plant-based proteins and stick to high-quality sources, such as wild-caught seafood and grass-fed beef.
13. CICO
Still believe in Calories In, Calories Out (CICO)? It’s time to ditch that way of thinking. Although this approach may seem logical, it ignores a key factor: how different foods affect your metabolism. Even if you’re diligent about tracking your food intake, you may struggle to lose weight and achieve your wellness goals by focusing on calories rather than the effect the food will have on their metabolism, their ability to feel full and their ability to burn fat.
Solution: Focus on eating quality fats and grass-fed protein sources instead of concentrating on the number of calories you consume each day.
14. Static stretching before your workout
Like to begin your workout with some static stretching? Surprisingly, you’re actually making the wrong choice to set yourself up for success. Research shows that short-duration static stretching can have a negative effect on strength and power performance.[8]
Solution: Do a dynamic warm-up that involves muscle activation and mobility exercises instead of just a static stretching routine. A post-workout cool-down that includes static stretches can help increase blood flow and potentially reduce muscle soreness.[9]
15. Choosing the most convenient route
Easier isn’t always better. In fact, you might be missing out on opportunities to get your steps in by choosing the most convenient route. Whether that means driving your car when you could walk, parking as close as possible or taking the elevator over the stairs, consider how those small choices can have an impact on your wellness.
Solution: Wear a pedometer or smart watch that tracks your steps. Hitting your daily step goal will provide positive reinforcement and help you appreciate taking the less convenient route.
The bottom line: Whether it’s training too hard, too often, obsessing over calories or choosing the most convenient route, it’s easy to fall into bad habits that negatively impact your physical and mental health. However, making small, simple changes can set you up for long-term success. If you’ve realized you’re making a few wellness-related mistakes, embrace doing things differently—and reap the rewards.
Looking for new ways to help achieve quality sleep? Learn how to support your microbiome so you can get better rest and be ready to conquer your to-do list.
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