If you’ve ever picked up a habit that you thought was healthy only to find out later that it wasn’t doing you any favors, welcome to the club. Recently, people on Reddit shared some common behaviors that people think are healthy that can actually backfire, and I’m definitely guilty of a few of these. Here’s what they had to say:
1.“Overtraining without rest. Fitness obsession can backfire fast if you ignore recovery.”
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“Found this out recently. Terrible headache, two days of depression, and weakness. My body just said, ‘no more.’
I’m on a better routine now, not as intense, and learning to rest without guilt.”
2.“Carnivore diets. You’re telling me you’ve eliminated fruits and vegetables in favor of eating absurd amounts of fat and/or protein in the name of health? Stop and listen to how ridiculous that sounds. Anything taken to the extreme is bad, and carbs do not make you fat just because they’re carbs. Keto isn’t much better either.”
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3.“The idea that because you don’t have a diagnosis, you don’t have a problem. I spent 23 years of my life with undiagnosed ASD/ADHD, which was unpleasant and led to some hellish self-doubt and low self-esteem. I had problems that made me feel awful, and I’d just rationalize it as everyone else had those problems, but then I realized that this wasn’t the case, and that I was an oddball. Spent many nights sleepless, going, ‘Why can’t I be normal?'”
4.“Consuming tons of protein! Studies show that Americans tend to overestimate protein needs. My protein needs as a grown adult, per evidence-based calculators, are about 46g of protein per day. I’ve been told time and time again on Reddit this isn’t enough, and even been told it’s not enough PER meal! Insane. Your body makes the proteins it needs as long as all of the necessary amino acids are present!”
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“I think a lot of American men are interested in growing the size of their muscles and hear about protein left and right, so their viewpoint of what protein needs look like may be skewed toward what’s needed for bulking. And I believe this influences how many people think about protein needs online, even for people who aren’t bulking whatsoever. 46g per day is easily achieved with three meals, including vegetarian meals.”
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5.“‘Positive vibes only’ attitude.”
“100% agree. Ignoring real emotions doesn’t make them go away, it just bottles them up until they explode.”
6.“Detox teas/diets. People, you do not need to detox. Your body removes toxins through its normal processes, and unless something is very wrong, you don’t have random toxins hanging out in your body and poisoning you. And a lot of these really expensive teas have questionable herbs or other ingredients in them that could harm you.”
7.“Working 80 hours a week because ‘hustle culture’ told you it’s the path to success. Congrats, now you’re rich and exhausted.”
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“The weird thing about this is, I’m now in C-suite management after working my way up from being an electrician, did the whole thing, big hours, night school for an MBA, I work less now than when I was a teenager! Get to a level you’re happy with, then look for other things that make you happy. I put my body and mind through hell to climb the ladder, now I try to relax as much as I can!!”
8.“Going vegan without proper preparation and understanding of nutrients, out here hella deficient in lots of stuff, and it’s unhealthy!”
9.“Independence. Obviously, a certain amount is healthy, but some people/cultures glorify hyper-independence, associating it with strength. Social support and connection are so important for healing, health, and quality of life.”
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“As with anything else, a healthy balance of independence and being able to ask for help when you’ve really given it good effort, and then building upon that help, is really the best approach after modulating for others’ perception.
What people don’t understand is that independence is really skill-specific and variable as your skill level improves. Depending on where you are, you may need some time to tinker on your own, or get help or advice for a while, or a quick check-in to continue on your own. Trying to apply independence in one skill vs. another dissimilar skill will simply generate frustration.”
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10.“Most diets. I think I did the cabbage soup diet for the first time at 12. I found it as an adult, and that is just… What?! What was I thinking?!?!”
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“Same! The magazines were saying Victoria Beckham was doing it, so I did it. I was just farting and hungry all the time.”
Related: 19 Everyday Habits People Didn’t Realize Could Permanently Change Their Bodies
11.“Apple cider vinegar shots in the morning to boost metabolism. It’s never been scientifically proven to burn fat or increase metabolism. You are also essentially rinsing your teeth in acid first thing in the morning.”
12.“One that always comes to mind is those ‘healthy’ fruit juices. Like, we think we’re doing our bodies a favor by sipping on a juice, but a lot of store-bought ones are loaded with sugar. Even if it’s 100% fruit juice, it can still spike your blood sugar and mess with your metabolism. Over time, it’s actually not as healthy as we think!”
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“Another one is low-fat or fat-free snacks. They sound healthy, right? But often, they replace the fat with sugar or artificial additives, which isn’t great for your body in the long run. I’ve definitely fallen for that one before!”
13.“Pushing yourself through pain. It’s one thing to push yourself in a workout a little more than last week to see results, but I’ve seen so many people brag about ‘playing through an injury,’ and all I can think is, ‘Congrats? I guess?’ No joke, I met a dude who claimed he finished a rugby game at school with a torn ACL and called me a pussy for getting surgery as soon as I could.”
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14.“Obsessive diet limitation. You want to give up sugar for a short period of time or try a diet elimination to find out what’s making you bloat go for it but chances are if you continue this on a hardcore bias and cut out things completely if it’s not allergy related it’s not sustainable and you are just going to binge later. Sugar is okay in moderation. Carbs are okay in moderation.”
15.“Comparing your real life to Instagram fitness models’ highlight reels. Mental health matters more than visible abs.”
16.“Pretty much every unregulated dietary supplement out there. There are people who say that they don’t trust Big Oil, Big Pharma, but take like 10 or more supplements, despite the fact that prescription drugs are much better regulated than any supplement.”
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17.“Following whatever viral podcast seems like it has ‘good’ health information.”
18.“Talking about your feelings. Obviously, don’t bottle stuff up to the point of some kind of implosive episode. But it’s not healthy to ‘vent’ all the time or analyze every emotion you have. It shrinks your worldview down to ‘how you feel about it’ and removes your ability to think critically or objectively about things. It also breeds a sort of narcissistic state of being where everything is filtered through the lens of how YOU feel about it.”
“I’m a therapist, and I’ve told clients this. It’s helpful to a point, but it can also be used as a crutch to avoid actually taking actions to make your life better. This doesn’t really apply to significant grief, but when there are things that you can reasonably do to improve your situation, at some point you’ve gotta step out of your comfort zone and try to do them.”
19.“Sun exposure. Like, yes, of course, go outside and get fresh air and open your curtains, but over time, long-term sun exposure is what leads to signs of aging, but worse, of course, can lead to skin cancer and other skin issues. Wear sunscreen, stay in the shade as much as you can when you’re outside, take care of yourself, etc, etc.”
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“I felt so silly learning this as an adult. If excessive tanning makes people look like leathery reptiles and if the sun burns you, why would you only wear sunscreen only in the summer only on certain parts of your body? The sun’s rays are always hitting you. Why else did people who didn’t go out have such pale and even skin? Duh. It’s so obvious to me now.”
20.And finally, “Honestly, too much of everything will make you sick, no matter if it’s healthy or not.”
“My dad once said, ‘You need water to live, too much water you’ll drown.’ That stuck with me. You have to find a balance.”
Is there anything else you would add? Tell us about it in the comments or via the anonymous form below:
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