How Bad Is It To…
BY BETHANY HEITMAN
Sure, you’d love to make the healthiest possible choices all of the time. Unfortunately, life gets busy and sometimes those choices may not be ideal.But how do you know what shortcuts you can make—and which you need to worry about. It can be tricky, really—especially if you rely on Dr. Google to answer your biggest questions. There is just so much conflicting information out there.
We’re here to help! Below, some common health questions that JW gets asked all of the time, and how bad they actually are (which is to say, sometimes they’re not too bad at all).
Photo by Simone Secci
I’m just not that hungry in the morning—is it really that terrible to skip breakfast?
You’ve probably heard that old saying that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. But, the truth is, that’s not completely true.
Yes, some studies have shown that eating breakfast can help people lose weight. A large part of this is that when some people skip breakfast, they become ravenous and overeat or make poor nutritional choices at their other meals.
On the flip side, intermittent fasting has become an eating plan that many people follow. With this method, you fast overnight for a 16-hour span and then eat within an 8-hour window during the day. With this method, people generally skip breakfast. And research has shown that intermittent fasting can lead to weight loss and can improve metabolic health.
So, really the answer to this question is dependent on you and your habits. If you’re skipping breakfast, but don’t find it’s leading you to binge later in the day, you’re probably fine. If you do find yourself eating too big of a midday meal, consider trying to eat something small in the morning to offset this.
Another thing to consider is whether you exercise in the morning. If you do, it’s a good idea to get at least a little fuel in your body before you sweat—this will help give you energy to really crush your workout. Ideally, you’d consume around 200 calories about thirty minutes before your sweat session. A banana, a few bites of oatmeal with some berries, or a light smoothie are great options. Since JW is an intermittent faster, she plans her training session for late morning on an empty stomach but eats a meal immediately afterwards with a high quality protein and carbohydrate. (Her go-tos are a TRANSFORM protein shake (use code jen30 for a big discount!) with oats or a roasted sweet potato and lean turkey patty.
Ugh, I am exhausted by the end of the day. I try to remember to wash my face, but most of the time I sleep in my makeup. Is that okay?
You really should be washing your face every night. When you fall asleep in your makeup, it can clog pores while you sleep and lead to breakouts. Not only that, makeup holds on to free radicals from the environment—these are things like pollution and ultraviolet light. When these free radicals are allowed to linger, they can break down the collagen in your skin and cause lasting damage. Not only this, sleeping in eye makeup can wind up clogging your eyelash hair follicles and lead to inflammation and styes. Yuck.
All of this is to say that you need to wash your face at the end of each day. Try making it easier on yourself by incorporating it into your evening routine. Do it as soon as you get home so that you aren’t waiting until you're tired. Or, play some nice calming music while you do it at night, to help you get in the mood for bedtime. At the very least, you should keep micellar water cleansing wipes on your nightstand to use in an exhausted pinch.
I’ve gotten into a bit of a rut with my workouts and just wind up repeating the same routine every time I go to the gym. Do I really need to be mixing it up?
In the short term, this isn’t the worst thing in the world. But doing the same workout repeatedly over a long period of time isn’t great. Think about it: You’re working the same muscles over and over and probably forgetting other ones, which will lead to muscle imbalances.
Another thing to consider: The more often you do a workout, the less return you’re going to get on it. You need to be switching things up to keep your body working hard.
The good news is, you don’t have to make huge changes. If you are getting on the treadmill every time you go to the gym, try the stair climber instead. If you’re only lifting weights, make it a point to try a new cardio machine for the first twenty minutes of your workout. Little tweaks can have a lasting impact because they’ll help you activate different muscle groups, to ensure your entire body is getting a workout.
JW recommends utilizing a specific tool to use in times like these. “If your feeling mentally stuck or your body is pushing back on change, the FITT Principle is your greatest ally. Change the Frequency of your sessions, let’s say from 3 days a week to 4 days a week. Alter the Intensity of your workouts buy doing sprint intervals vs a steady state burn or upping your weights in the gym week over week. Play with the Time of your sessions by let’s say walking 10 minutes everyday for a week, then 11 minutes everyday the next week and so on. And finally, alternate the Type of workout you do, by switching from swimming to yoga to crossfit to a run club! Trust me this will all add up to success for you!”
P.S. Remember that no matter what you're going through right now, you don't have to do it alone! There are others like you in our community, where we interact on a daily basis, fight our demons, share our victories, and watch over each other as friends and accountability partners.
Together we are FÖRENA - a health & fitness community for women like you where we focus not only on our physical health but also mind, soul, relationships, and overall well-being. Become one of us now with FREE 1-month membership, and let us witness your growth! 🌱
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