If you’re an avid blog reader, then you may be getting tired of blogs telling you what you should and shouldn’t do (eat this not that, whatever you do don’t do this) – and sometimes these facts seem to contradict other facts you’ve heard. There are some things that seem healthy enough but may actually do you more harm than good. Be sure to take note of these “healthy habit faux-pas” to protect your body from ailments and keep you in optimal health!

1. Staying in the Sun – you have probably heard that it is healthy to spend 30 minutes in the sun everyday.. well this is only half true. Yes, our bodies need vitamin D to stay strong and fight off illness by improving our immune systems, but too much time in the sun is damaging to your skin. The general rule is if you are going to spend more than 20 minutes in the sun, use SPF 30 all over your body, especially your face where the skin is more susceptible to burns.

2. Religiously using Hand Sanitizer – Ever since the Swine Flu scare, hand sanitizer sales have sky rocketed. Thanks to my former science teacher, I conducted an experiment that proved that hand sanitizer is more likely to get you sick in the long run. The “sanitizing” doesn’t just kill viruses and bad bacteria (there is actually way more good bacteria than bad bacteria on earth to begin with), but they also kill the good bacteria on your hands that do all of the fighting against viruses. So even if you feel content and clean after sanitizing your hands, they won’t stay that way for long – in fact, they’ll become worse and your good bacteria count will be compromised. Plain old soap and water should do it.

3. Exercising… a lot – Even though they say that you should get some form of moderate exercise every day, your body and mind do not need more than three or four days of cardiovascular activity (30-45 minutes per session) a week. These exercises should be done every other day alternating with more mild forms of exercise like Yoga, Pilates, walking, and weight training. The best way to stay toned and energized is to vary your exercise regime and take it easy on your body.

4. Over/Under Sleeping - If you are regularly sleeping for more than 9 hours a night, its not good. It’s also not good if you are sleeping less than 7 hours a night. We need 8 full hours of sleep per night in order to function at our best. We aren’t built to think or process at an optimal level on more than 9 or less than 7 hours of sleep. Too much or too little sleep is bad for your skin, it causes bloating, overeating, confusion, and sometimes depression.

5. Air Conditioning - AC is great, but if you rely on it day and night it is doing you harm. The recycled air can contain bad bacteria, air-born viruses and germs that will in turn give you a cold or flu. If you suffer from allergies the air conditioning can emit particles of dust that can irritate your allergies. Every couple hours, try to turn off the air conditioning and open the windows or go for a walk. Wash your air conditioning filter with warm soapy water and let them air dry once a month. If you work at an office go for a lunch or afternoon break outside in the sun.

6. Buying Organic Food - Organic foods have earned the reputation that they are not processed and more healthy than regular foods. The fact is is that they are more expensive, and may still be heavily processed. Read the labels carefully when you are buying from a health foods store. Organic doesn’t mean healthy. Choose simple items with few ingredients and a low amount of natural sugars, salts, and processed carbohydrates.