After Kicking Bad Habits: Getting Over and Getting Back to Shape

We all have our share of mistakes and bad habits in our lifetime. We drink, smoke, even over expose our skin to the sun. The things we do all have effect on our body.It may not show right now but it is there, like a sleeping dragon waiting for the right time to wake up. By the time it wakes up we cannot do anything anymore. It doesn't stop by just stopping the bad habit, it's the start...yes, but it does not solve the problem. Once you've stopped....here are the thing you can do to UNDO THE DAMAGE.

SUN DAMAGE (OVER EXPOSURE)

We all love the sun. It's so nice to walk, play, and go to the beach during summer. But we tend to over expose ourselves to it. Whether it is our choice or not. Sun damage is cumulative. Even if you stopped a year ago, the moment you start staying under the sun, it will add up to the damage. Sun damage causes aging (due to call death), wrinkles, age spot ,uneven skin tone. Worst it can cause skin cancer.


It's not easy to stay out of the sun. but we can prevent further damage.

• Start using anti-aging cream - A lot of good creams are in the market, just find the one that works best for you.


• Stay out of the sun between 10am to 1pm Don't leave home without sun screen - lotions, wide-brim hat, shades, umbrella


• Eat the right food - food rich in fiber and anti-oxidant (to fight of cancer)

NOISE POLLUTION (CRANK UP VOLUME)

Ever notice that during a conversation you keep on saying “HUH?” as if you can’t hear what the other person is saying? Is it lack of attention or is your hearing the problem? Read up friend…you might be losing your hearing without you knowing it.

There are 30,000 tiny hairs in our inner ear that transmit sound to our brain. Repeated exposure to loud sounds can kill them. This means you will have trouble hearing specially if there is a loud background. Continued exposure to noise of over 80 decibels or more can harm hearing (mp3 players can reach up to 105 decibels, night clubs up to 140 decibels, cinema 117 decibels, rock concert 140 or more).
It is not possible to recover lost hearing, but you can protect yourself from further hearing loss.

• Stay safe by using earphone that go over your ears not in them


• Turn down the volume of DVD, TV, radio, etc


• If regularly exposed to noise, wear earplugs

BINGE DRINKING

Going to night clubs, hitting the bar, drinking our hearts out….alone or with friends, is something we all went through or is going through right now. We may also drink occasionally….or is it really occasionally? How do we know if it if binge drinking?

Binge Drinking is defined as drinking 5 or more drinks at one time or consuming alcohol to reach an alcohol level of .08 or higher. It increases the risk of alcoholism especially if it runs in the family. It also affects the memory because alcohol kills brains neurons. It also does a lot of damage to the liver. There are 3 stages of damage: First stage - Fatty liver; Second stage – Alcoholic Hepatitis Jaundice; Third stage – Cirrhosis of the Liver. The thirds stage can lead to cancer and may require you to have liver transplant. Women are also more prone to develop alcoholic liver diseases.

So what can we do? Stop and don’t start again. If we stop during the first 2 stages of alcoholic liver damage, we will probably be okay, provided we seek medical help because the liver can repair itself. However, brain cells that are damages will be lost forever. However, we can regain memory function even without the missing cells

SMOKING CANCER STICKS

Smoking cigarettes, better known as cancer sticks, is a bad habit that is very hard to kick out. Even if we categorize ourselves to a once-a-day smoker, a passive smoker, or a chain smoker, smoking increases the rick of lung cancer, heart diseases, age related blindness, peptic ulcers, and even Type 2 Diabetes. Again, women are more susceptible than men with these diseases.

The good news is even if you quit just 24 hours ago, your body starts to heal itself - Blood Pressure drops to normal, oxygen level in the blood increases, risk of heart attack decreases, and chances of longer life is upped. After a year, your excess risks is reduced by half. After 15 years of quitting, the risk becomes that of a non-smoker.

So now we know that the moment we stop smoking we heal ourselves. The next step is to help our body heal itself and to accelerate healing. Here are some thing we can do.

• Stock up; on food rich on anti-oxidant - fruits and veggies
• Drink water and milk - they worsen the taste of cigarettes making it easy to quit
• Exercise - it restores lung functions