16 ‘Healthy’ Habits That Are Harming Your Body

Drinking water is good for your kidneys and skin, and keeps you hydrated. That is true. But, the plastic bottles you're drinking from might contain harmful chemicals that get into your body via the water. So stick to drinking your water from a glass. That's still healthy!

Watching your calories and fat intake is a good thing, but going too extreme with a low-fat diet can actually do more harm than good. Our bodies need some fat to absorb the healthy stuff in vegetables. Plus going too low with fat intake can make you hangry and can wreak havoc on your sleep.

Who knew making your bed every morning could actually bed bad for your health? Sadly, it's true. By making that bed look perfectly made with those crisp corners and tight sheets, you're actually sealing in moisture that has no chance to air out, making your perfectly made bed a breeding ground for dust mites. Who knew?

If you're drinking diet soda because not as bad as drinking full-calorie soda, you may want to re-think that. Soda, in general, can rot your pearly whites. And there are some studies that show diet soda can actually lead to weight gain. What?! So maybe bye-bye to soda and get your sweet tooth elsewhere? There's always water.

So we've all read the same studies about how bad the sun is for your skin. But the sun rays also blast your skin with Vitamin D, which your body needs. Sunscreen blocks Vitamin D. And avoiding the sun all together means your bod is missing a very important nutrient. Doctors recommend 10-minutes of sun exposure during the summer (without sunscreen) and more in the winter.

So your weekdays are jam packed, meaning you live on less sleep than college students, and so you plan to catch up on the weekends. Catching up on sleep doesn't mean your body actually gets the sleep from you deprived it during the week. What the bod needs is consistent sleep each and every day. A lack of sleep can lead to impaired brain function and even weight gain. So get to bed earlier during the week so you don't have to binge sleep your weekend away.

Running is great for your heart and even better for burning calories, but too much running is a death sentence down the road for your knees. Studies show that athletes and weekend warriors who are into running extreme distances actually have more plaque buildup in their hearts than runners who chose more moderate distances. So don't trash your running shoes, but do go for moderation.

It's true, you will lose weight on a juice cleanse—at least temporarily. But that quick weight loss comes at a cost, which is your well-being. See, juice cleanses usually have you taking in about 1,000 calories per day. That's way less than an adult should be taking in. And juice cleanses rarely contain protein. When we don't have adequate protein in our body, our muscles break down. So juice cleanses can actually make you lose muscle, not fat.

Vegetarianism can be one of the healthiest ways to eat, but it's difficult to get enough protein on a meat-free diet. Without protein, muscle can break down. So load up on the beans and rice, or tofu, if you're going to cut out meat.

The good news is light beer actually has a lower alcohol content than regular beer, but light beer doesn't necessarily have fewer calories. So if you're going for the light beer thinking it's good for your diet, you may want to think again.

While it may seem like a great diet strategy to skip a meal or two, that missed meal may actually make you heavier in the long run. We overeat when we're hungry. And overeating can lead to weight gain, diabetes and high cholesterol. Instead of skipping a meal, just make it smaller. You'll be thankful you did.

A frozen meal can be a great way to get lunch while at work, or to have dinner made when you don't have time to cook it. But that frozen meal can also be really unhealthy. Frozen food is usually filled with sodium, which helps it stay fresh. But high levels of sodium can also raise your cholesterol and be bad for your heart.

If you've got a sweet tooth that you just can't shake, it may seem like a great idea to buy lo-cal cookies or treats. In theory it is, but those lo-cal diet treats are usually filled with chemicals that aren't good for you in the long run. So instead of loading up on tasteless treats, try having one really good treat. Just don't have more.

There's nothing more inviting than jumping in the hot tub when you need to relax. The bad news is that hot tubs are a breeding ground for bacteria. So make sure you're relaxing in a hot tub that looks clean. If it's questionable, choose another way to relax.

Some people are obsessive tooth brushers, which sounds like a good way to ensure you won't get cavities. However, over-brushing and brushing too hard can lead to receding gums, which can eventually require surgery. So if you treat tooth brushing like it's an Olympic sport, ease up. You're doing more harm than good.

Some die-hard gym go'ers swear that the key to physical fitness is doing cardio only. While cardio does help you burn calories, it doesn't build any muscle. Ultimately, lasting physical fitness involves building muscle and burning fat.