When people get to talking about the things they need to do to achieve better health, oftentimes, it involves procuring a lot of new things—fitness equipments, new workout gear, ingredients for you to create better and healthier recipes and a lot more.
But becoming the best and healthiest version of you also involves getting rid of stuff that holds you back—and this does not refer only to junk food. So better get your recycle bags and bins ready for some major cleanup that’s necessary in order to get on to that road to a healthy lifestyle.
1. Old plastic containers
The trick is to go through your stack of food-storage containers. Anything that’s made of clear and rigid plastic and has the initials “PC” (polycarbonate) or the number 7 stamped on it must go. Why? Because these are the types of containers that may contain
BPA (bisphenol A)—an industrial chemical that’s being used to harden plastics. BPA is said to behave in the human body the way estrogen and other hormones do. Bisphenol A is an endocrine-disruptor—something that disrupts the normal production, transport, secretion, and functions of natural hormones. What’s worse is BPA can imitate the body’s own hormones in ways that can be detrimental to human health.
2. Air fresheners
Although a lot of companies have already announced that phthalates will be phased out and will not be used in the production of air sprays, there are still a lot of air fresheners being sold in the market that contain this particular kind of chemical. Phthalates are substances that help a certain fragrance to last longer and production of this substance in large doses may have damaging effects on reproduction and
development.
3. Antibacterial soaps
Use of antibacterial soaps is no more effective in getting rid of bacteria than regular soaps. More so, these antibacterial soaps may not be safe and that is according to the 2104 report of the Food and Drug Administration. Triclosan, which is the active ingredient in most antibacterial soaps have been proven to
modify hormone regulation in animals and there are also evidences that show that the said chemical may contribute to developing resistance to antibiotics.
4. Your stock of diet sodas.
If you have not considered it fully, you may want to recheck your diet soda habit mostly if you are attempting to shed weight. After an overly-publicized study that’s been printed in the journal Nature,has found out that non-caloric artificial sweeteners like saccharin (Sweet-n-Low), aspartame (Equal) and sucralose (Splenda) may meddle with your gut bacteria that plays a big role in having healthy metabolism. Researchers have found a link between those artificial sweeteners, altered gut flora, intolerance to glucose and metabolic syndrome (which are both precursors to diabetes type 2) in both mice and humans.
5. Worn-out running shoes
Most running shoes should be replaced and thrown out once it accumulated about 300-400 miles on its belt. And for a runner who logs roughly 30 miles per week, replacement of shoes should be done in about every three months. When shoes start to wear
out, they lose their original cushioning capacity and are less capable of absorbing the impact of your steps, ergo, more force is being transmitted to your bones, muscles, and tendons which puts you at a higher risk for injuries. If you’re not really a runner, you can replace your shoes about every six months, or as soon as you start to notice a change in its tread.
6. Frayed toothbrush
If you are a frequent tooth-brusher, then chances are your toothbrush is getting frayed and worn out faster than you have anticipated. On the average, bristles start to fray after about two months of use, so dentists are recommending that frayed tooth brushesbe replaced every three months. Frayed brushes
tend to be less effective in teeth cleaning and fighting oral decay.
7. Reduce clutter especially clothes you don’t wear anymore.
Take a good look at your closet and check for the items of clothing that you haven’t used in the past twelve months. A lot of people who have lost a lot of weight tend to keep bigger sized clothes just in case they grow plump again and there are some people who hold onto the size zero jeans they wore way back in high school with the thinking that with enough diet they will shrink back to their original body sizes. In either case, seeing these items on an everyday basis can be a source of anxiety for some and that’s not how anyone wants to feel when getting ready.
