We all have our own habits and daily routines that we’ve developed over time. But, in fact, there are many daily rituals that we may not know we’ve been doing wrong. Luckily, it’s never too late to learn new things and change our ways.
1. Drinking coffee
Coffee has many positive effects, from helping your immune system to boosting brain power to improving your digestion. But the healthiest way to drink coffee may not be what you think. Natural ground coffee is much more beneficial than instant coffee, which has more chemicals and fewer nutrients. Try adding some dairy milk or creamer to your coffee, as dairy contains added nutrients, like calcium, which supports healthy bones.
Dark roasted coffee contains less caffeine than light-roasted coffee, though the dark version has a stronger taste. In the roasting process, a part of the caffeine disappears, so a stronger taste usually means less caffeine.
2. Brushing your teeth
This might go against everything you’ve been told, but you should be brushing your teeth twice a day for 2 minutes each time. It’s also not good to brush directly after eating — you should actually wait an hour after a meal. This is super important if you eat acidic food, as brushing immediately can cause the acid to remove the enamel of your teeth!
3. Microwaving food
When reheating food, don’t pile it all in the center of the plate. Instead, spread it around the rim of the plate with a hole in the center — this will help the microwave reach all the food and heat it evenly.
4. Showering
We often love a long hot shower to relax us, but showering too often can be bad for our health. It can wash off good bacteria as well as the bad, and research suggests it could also lead to skin conditions, like eczema.
In fact, cold showers have positive effects on your immune, lymphatic, digestive, and circulation systems, and they’ve even been known to encourage weight loss.
5. Brushing your hair
You may be used to brushing from the bottom since there are more tangles there, but the opposite is actually true. You should start brushing from the scalp, as this distributes the natural oils through your hair and stops everything from looking greasy.
6. Keeping warm in cold weather
We often focus on keeping our head warm when we’re cold, as people think 45%-50% of heat is lost through the head. But the truth is it’s actually only 7%. So focus on keeping your whole body warm instead!
7. Skincare
Many people develop their own complex skincare routines, and these can be very personal. But there are 3 main steps we should all be doing every morning. First, a cleanser should be used to remove dirt that has built up overnight. Then a moisturizer can hydrate the skin. And finally, sunscreen, which we should use daily, no matter the weather, should be applied to protect your skin from sun damage.
8. Waking up
Many of us set multiple alarms to wake up to, but hitting snooze on your alarm can actually have harmful effects. It’s healthier to wake up at the first alarm, as snoozing causes us to dip in and out of sleep, causing us to feel drowsier when we do actually wake up.
9. Applying anti-perspirant
This may be a big surprise, but you should actually be applying deodorant or antiperspirant before bed, not in the morning! At night, we sweat less, so this is prime time for your sweat ducts to absorb the active ingredients better, blocking the sweat ducts more effectively. Also, remember to apply it to dry skin for the best results.
10. Storing your toilet paper
Toilet paper can be a big mess, as it can easily unravel. But there’s an easy way to stop this — fold over the end of the roll and press it against the tap. The dampness will create a seal so the paper will stay put until you need it.
