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5 Surprisingly Healthy Habits

Woman eating salad in the sunshine

We all know the classic rules of good hygiene: bathe regularly, wash your hands and cover your mouth when you cough or sneeze. But when it comes to healthy habits, there are a number of ways to support your wellness, including some not-so-obvious practices that can help keep your body feeling good.

Here are five surprisingly healthy habits to enhance your wellness regimen:

1. Thoroughly Chewing Your Food

Hungry? Before you gobble down your meal, don’t forget to chew, a lot. Excessively chewing your food is actually good for you! With the average person only chewing their food about three to five times with each bite, food isn’t being broken down as well as it could be for optimal digestion. Instead, experts suggest chewing food for up to 30 times with each mouthful. By doing this, your food will be broken down into more easily digestible morsels and you will produce more saliva, which contains digestive enzymes that help break food down. Eating more slowly may have other benefits as well, from enhancing your enjoyment of each bite to eating mindfully and consuming less.

2. Regularly Disinfecting Your Phone

In today’s world, we’re rarely without our phones. We’re constantly hearing about the detrimental effects of mobile phone usage on physical and mental health, but there’s another concern to look out for: germs. Germs and bacteria can accumulate on your screen. Plus, cell phones are ideal vehicles for spreading germs to other people. All it takes is a phone call or a swipe from someone else to transfer bacteria. Combat germs by cleaning your smartphone at least once a day, or do so more often if you tend to pass it around to friends or family members.

3. Practicing Good Nail Care

According to the CDC, good nail hygiene can help reduce the spread of germs. Reduce germs by cleaning fingernails with soap and water and keeping nails short and trimmed often, since dirt and germs can collect under fingernails. If you’re a frequent salon-goer, make sure your manicurist sterilizes all tools before use, and be sure they avoid cutting your cuticles, as cuticles act as barriers to prevent infection. So next time you have a spare five minutes, indulge in some self-care and enjoy these lesser-known benefits of a manicure. It’s one of those healthy lifestyle habits you’ll be more than happy to practice on the regular!

4. Letting Your Earwax Build Up (a Little)

Just like many other parts of our body, our ears are self-cleaning. Their internal cleaning mechanism includes the natural production of earwax. So, if you swab your ears regularly, it may actually be working against you by removing healthy earwax that’s there to protect the ears. Earwax helps prevent bacteria and other infectious organisms from reaching the inner ear, and it absorbs dead skin cells and debris. Plus, it’s a natural moisturizer that helps prevent the skin inside the ear from becoming too dry. Using a swab to remove that wax can condense and impact the earwax further into the ear canal, resulting in pain, pressure and possibly even temporary hearing issues. Ultimately, letting healthy earwax build up a bit can be beneficial for your health.

5. Sleeping in the Nude

We hope you like your birthday suit, because there are a wide range of health benefits to sleeping in the nude. Sleeping naked can help regulate your body temperature overnight, which allows for a more peaceful sleep. Wearing pajamas to bed can interfere with the ability to naturally regulate body temperature, making it harder to fall and stay asleep. Sleeping soundly can help reduce stress levels by decreasing the amount of cortisol, or stress hormones, in your body, so an uninterrupted night of rest is doing double duty! Plus, staying cool at night can help support your metabolism, since your body has to work to generate more heat. When it comes time to catch some zzz’s, consider doing it in the buff.

From sanitizing your smartphone to sleeping in the nude, these surprisingly healthy habits can help you keep your wellness in check. Another wellness tip is to make a daily habit of taking a quick Emergen-C Crystals break. Rip the package, tip it back and pour it in your mouth for a burst of flavor that supports your immune system.*

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

Source Citations:

  1. 15 Surprising Habits That Are Actually Good for You. Bustle. https://www.bustle.com/p/15-surprising-habits-that-are-actually-good-for-you-8886638. Accessed 11/5/2020.
  2. If Your Gut Could Talk: 10 Things You Should Know. Healthline. https://www.healthline.com/health/digestive-health/things-your-gut-wants-you-to-know. Accessed 11/5/2020.
  3. Your Phone is Covered with Germs – Here’s How to Disinfect It. Health.com. https://www.health.com/cold-flu-sinus/disinfect-your-phone-cold-flu-season. Accessed 11/5/2020.
  4. Water, Sanitation & Environmentally-related Hygiene. CDC. https://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/hygiene/hand/nail_hygiene.html. Accessed 11/5/2020.
  5. 3 Reasons to Leave Earwax Alone. Harvard Health. https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/3-reasons-to-leave-earwax-alone-2017051711718. Accessed 11/5/2020.
  6. 10 Weird Habits That Can Actually Be Good for You. Entrepreneur.com. https://www.entrepreneur.com/slideshow/309123. Accessed 11/5/2020.
  7. Why You Should Be Sleeping in the Nude. Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/sleep-newzzz/201508/why-you-should-be-sleeping-in-the-nude. Accessed 11/5/2020.

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