The 8 Sinister Lifestyle Traps Destroying Our Health

INTRODUCTION

It’s 5pm on yet another Friday and Jack is all dressed up, ready to go.

It’s been a long week and all he wants to do now is knock back a few drinks with his buddies at the bar up the road and power down a couple of their signature sliders.

Before he heads out, he pops open a can of coke and devours a packet of crisps in an effort to tide him over until he can have a proper meal.

He arrives at the bar slightly early and decides to order a beer while he waits.

He also manages to scoff down a bowl of peanuts and get in two cigarettes before his friends arrive.

It’s now 8pm and Jack is down six drafts, 10 smokes, 3 sliders, a cup of fries, a cup of coleslaw, 2 cokes, a bowl of peanuts and a packet of crisps.

By the time 10pm rolls around and everyone is ready to go, he gets the bill but, instead of how much he owes for the evening, Jack is met with a summary of everything he consumed since 5pm and the consequences of his actions.

Summary of Evening

1. 2x Cans of Coke = ±280 calories
2. Small Packet of Crisps = ±75 calories
3. 6x 500ml Glasses of Beer = ±1,000 calories
4. A Box of Cigarettes = n/a calories
5. 30 Grams of Peanuts = ±170 calories
6. Meal Consisting of 3 Sliders, French Fries & Coleslaw = ±1,000 calories
7. 3x Shots of Tequila = ±190 calories
8. An Irish Coffee = ±90 calories

This means that, over the course of 5 hours, Jack would have consumed approximately 3,000 calories.

For the average person, this would greatly exceed a recommended DAILY calorie intake of between 1,200 and 2,000 calories (depending on the person and their dietary needs).

Not only that, and as I will explain further below, it’s not about the quantity of the calories we are consuming, but the quality.

Did you also notice that calories don’t apply to cigarettes? That’s because you don’t eat cigarettes but, if you did, did you know there are approximately 10 teaspoons of sugar in a pack of cigarettes? Don’t worry, tobacco won’t get away with its nonsense that easily. It is arguably the most deadly of the 8 lifestyle sins discussed below. (Another fun fact about smoking — and this is in no way an endorsement thereof — you actually burn approximately 12.5 calories every time you have one).

And those Sliders? Yeah, there’s more wrong with a burger than just the fat, cholesterol and simple carbohydrates you are pumping into your system… but more on that later.

The world of nutrition is extremely divided on even the most trivial of matters, but I believe that there are 8 lifestyle ’sins’ that, if we were to limit (or, better yet, eliminate), we would experience drastic improvements in our health, appearance and wellbeing.

The scenario above also serves to illustrate just how quickly and easily it is to pile on the calories without even noticing it.

Now, let’s chat about why Jack’s evening was such a disaster (assuming ‘optimum health’ is an important, albeit neglected, metric by which he would like to live his life).

To provide additional context, Jack works in corporate (which means that he is seated for the majority of his day) and he spends most of his weekends plopped in front of the television. This means that he falls, on a weekly basis, into every one of the following eight sinister lifestyle traps:

1. Sugar (including sweeteners & sauces);
2. Salt;
3. Soda;
4. Simple Carbohydrates;
5. Spirits (Alcohol);
6. Smoking;
7. Sedentariness; and
8. Slaughter (prepare yourself for this one)

SUGAR, SWEETENER & SAUCES

Sugar, like alcohol, is a poison to our bodies.

Please note that I’m referring to the sugar added to our meals and beverages (“bad sugars”), not the naturally occurring sugar found in fruit and vegetables which is good for us, in moderation.

Bad sugars are empty-calorie simple carbohydrates that add significantly to weight-gain, diabetes, tooth decay and a whole host of other health problems.

Sweetener’s health risks are far less known, but as far as this article is concerned, stay away from both.

For instance, it is suggested that sweeteners can aid long-term weight gain and can hamper your weight loss efforts in the long-run.

Full of hidden sugars and a whole bunch of other empty calories, most sauces are going to make you fat.

Sauces are also sneaky, and we tend to overindulge in what we underestimate is terrible for our waistline.

In this article by HuffPost, a good strategy to adopt if you absolutely cannot eliminate sauces from your diet, is the following:

• Look for Sauces which:
  1. Are low in Calories = “less than 30 Calories per tablespoon”;
  2. Are low in Carbohydrates = “less than 5 grams per tablespoon”;
  3. Have “no added sugar”;
  4. Are Low in Sodium = “less than 70 milligrams per tablespoon”; and
  5. Are low in saturated or trans fats = “less than 1 gram per tablespoon”.

In my opinion, we should shy away from all the main sauces we tend to drown our food in, including ketchup, mayonnaise; soya sauce, chilli / hot sauce, mustard, BBQ sauce, oil-based salad dressings, etc.

This was a big one for me, as even my family refers to me as ‘the sauce king’ due to the fact that I would have a higher sauce to food ratio with almost every meal.

The only condiments I use now are the following:

1. Anything I make myself with minimal ingredients (i.e. — tomatoes, herbs, lemon, vinegar and oil);
2. (Truly) fat-free salad dressing = less than 5 grams of fat per 100; and
3. Balsamic Vinegar.

SALT

read this article

All you really need to know is that high quantities of salt in your diet can lead to weight-gain, not only due to its water-retention capabilities, but salt has also been linked to increases in Body Fat Percentage (BFP).

SODA

Carbonated beverages either contain sugar or artificial sweeteners which are, as we discussed in point 1 above, bad for weight loss.

Additionally, according to this article by Healthline (which deals with carbonated water specifically, but can be extended to include carbonated beverages in general), carbonated beverages increase ghrelin levels, a hormone responsible for increases in appetite, which can result in weight-gain.

Therefore, if you find yourself suffering from feelings of hunger more often than not, I suggest you avoid carbonated beverages altogether and just stick to water.

On a personal note, I also find that my flatulence increases and I tend to get bloated (ranging from uncomfortable to sometimes even painful) after having been drinking quite a few soft drinks during the day.

SIMPLE CARBOHYDRATES

Okay, alright, I know… this is just a fancy name for sugar, which I have already discussed above.

However, to fully drive the point home, I think it prudent that we compare simple carbohydrates with complex carbohydrates as well as list the most sinister types of simple carbs you should be looking out for (and avoiding with your life).

What are Complex Carbohydrates?

In a nutshell, fibre and starch. Narrowing down further, we are mainly looking at fruits and vegetables. However, Medical News Today defines complex carbohydrates as “carbs found in whole, unprocessed foods”.

Below is a list of some complex carbohydrates you should be including in your diet:

1. Whole Grains (i.e. — wholewheat bread, rice and pasta);
2. Fruit;
3. Vegetables;
4. Legumes (such as beans).

What are Simple Carbohydrates?

SUGAR! Although, some simple carbohydrates are ok (in moderation), most are just poison to your body.

Medical News Today defines simple carbohydrates as “sugars and starches that have been refined and stripped of their natural fibre and nutrients”.

Below is a list of processed foods and simple carbohydrates you should be avoiding like the plague:

1. Processed sugar;
2. Corn syrup;
3. Fructose, glucose and sucrose;
4. Biscuits, cookies, and other baked goods high in processed sugar;
5. Pastries (such as pies);
6. Cereals.

SPIRITS

The last two traps are ones I understand that less and less people these days are falling into (thankfully).

Also, (full disclosure) I, myself, have only recently banished these most evil of all the sins listed herein from my life!

Sticking with the ’S’ theme, I have used Spirits in place of, and in reference to, all types of alcohol.

I shall henceforth use the word alcohol in this post, to eliminate any confusion.

There is no way around it, alcohol is poison!

Every time you have a drink, your reaction to it is, in fact, your body’s response to the poison it must now struggle to try and expel from your system.

Our bodies can only do so much and eventually, as many of us have experienced on multiple occasions, we throw it all up.

What we have come to believe is just a natural consequence of, and is therefore synonymous with, alcohol, is actually a defence mechanism stepping in to save us from poisoning and killing ourselves.

Alcohol Poisoning isn’t just a lovely term we’ve invented to refer to those moments that, due to such sheer overindulgence, we’ve managed to make ourselves extremely ill from the consumption of copious amounts of alcohol; we have actually poisoned ourselves so severely, we require medical attention.

Don’t fool yourself either; just because you haven’t been treated for alcohol poisoning doesn’t mean you haven’t been a victim of it.

Alcohol is systematically killing us slowly; whether we are a veteran alcoholic or a casual social drinker, I urge you to eliminate it from your diet permanently if you truly want to experience, amongst other things:

Weight-loss or a Lean Physique

Alcohol is not just empty calories, but every sip is impeding your metabolism from functioning at full capacity.

Moderate to excess consumption of alcohol will lead to weight gain as your body stores everything else you consume as fat while it works vigorously to expel the poison.

I have also witnessed alcohol’s effect on myself and many others when it comes to food, often leading to a glutinous free-for-all as inhibitions plummet, and we become absolutely ravenous.

In essence, when you drink alcohol you are pouring empty calories into your system, destroying your metabolism, killing your liver and kidney and allowing yourself to eat anything and everything you set your sites on.

Please read this article by Healthline for a more in-depth explanation of how alcohol leads to weight gain.

Energy

Alcohol prohibits your ability to function optimally.

It ruins your energy levels while you are partaking in the poison but, more sinisterly, it steals your energy for days after you’ve sobered up.

If you’ve ever found you battle to function the next few days after a bender or can’t understand why a routine gym session feels like murder, look no further than the liquid-death you were happily pouring down your throat the other day or night.

Motivation

Something I’ve found particularly true of late is the fact that alcohol destroys my motivation and drive to complete any task of import in my life.

I would often feel like sleeping after having a few drinks (even the next day) or find myself pining for my next opportunity to drink.

This would flare up my anxiety, further compounding my inability and unwillingness to do much of anything at all.

Especially after a night of Gin & Tonic, I would wake up in the morning with severe depression, unable to even think of getting out of bed.

I highly implore you to eliminate alcohol from your life FOREVER!

No, not for a while… and don’t think drinking in moderation is fine either.

If you want to lose weight, keep it off, get lean, feel a vibrancy you haven’t felt in a very long time and discover a newfound optimism for life and your future, then you simply have no choice but to remove this awful substance from your life immediately.

In this respect, I highly recommend you read the Easy Way to Control Alcohol by Allen Carr

SMOKES

Smoking tobacco.

Need I continue further?

In the interests of brevity, I will not bore you or insult your intelligence by going into the health-related consequences of smoking.

There are, however, 2 points I would like to make:

Smoking and Your Skin

Something many smokers overlook when they are thinking of reasons to quit or when deciding to lose weight.

The toxins you are exposed to when you smoke damage the collagen and elastin in your skin.

What this translates into is that your skin loses the elasticity and vibrancy it once had.

This can lead to wrinkles but, even more tragically, it can cause your skin to sag.

Especially if you are overweight and are going on a diet; consider throwing out the cigarettes along with the cake.

You don’t want to end up losing a whole bunch of weight just to discover loose hanging skin you can’t get rid of because the toxins from smoking made it impossible for your skin to bounce back at the same time.

Smoking and Your Strength

It is quite obvious that your workouts are going to be affected by smoking.

However, many people believe that smoking helps with weight-loss (or, at the very least, keeps the weight off).

However, it has been found that smoking has profound effects on muscle mass and your ability to gain strength.

This is due to the fact that testosterone levels are much lower in smokers, according to this article.

For your health, weight and overall physique, you owe it to yourself to quit smoking.

In this respect, I highly recommend you read the Easy way to Stop Smoking by Allen Carr

I used the audio version of both his books to stop smoking and drinking.

I must confess that I used a nicotine vape pen in the process of stopping smoking which, at the time of this writing, I still use.

However, my belief and extensive research on the matter has gone to show that the effects of vaping can never compare to the truly destructive nature of smoking tobacco.

SEDENTARINESS

Something that is becoming a growing concern in the 21st century is the ‘sedentary lifestyle’, as most of us are seated for the majority of our day.

This is quickly fixed by getting up and moving every once in a while.

If possible, take 5–15 minute walks on your breaks during the day.

According to the World Health Organisation, physical inactivity is currently a leading cause of disease and disability.

My advice is to get yourself a pedometer and aim for at least 10,000 steps a day.

For best results, try to spread out those steps over your entire day, rather than accumulate the majority within a short space of time.

The most obvious reason for this is to ensure that you aren’t just sitting down for most of your day.

Getting in those steps will also aid any weight-loss goals you are after, as “you could lose about one pound per week simply by completing an extra 10,000 steps each day”, according to Fitbit.

SLAUGHTER

I am indeed referring to animals and animal products and believe that this is an important inclusion to end off this post.

(Please note that I chose the word slaughter for this subheading intentionally because, if we consume meat, fish, dairy or eggs then, like it or not, we can guarantee (100%) that a sentient creature had to die to satisfy our selfish desires.

The primary definition of slaughter in the dictionary is ‘the killing of animals for food’.)

Recently, I have been looking into the claims being made, (strongly) suggesting that ingesting animal products is a very bad thing.

From animal cruelty in factory farms and the climate change issue factory farms are contributing to… to the implication that animal products are carcinogenic and a plant-based diet is far more beneficial to us than the food industry would like us to believe.

I understand that this is a controversial issue, but bear with me here… and, at the end of the day, do your own research and decide for yourself.

I’m not going to go into too much detail here, and I plan on writing a more extensive post dedicated to this topic (which I’ll link to here once I’ve written it).

I do recommend you watch the documentary ‘What The Health’ on Netflix and look into the science which supports the notion that we would be significantly better off if we were to switch to a plant-based diet.

I also recommend Allen Carr’s: Lose Weight Now, which discusses why a plant-based diet is the best for weight loss and what steps you can follow to integrate it into your life without feeling as though you are sacrificing anything.

Consuming animal products is linked to a whole host of ‘diseases of affluence’, such as type-2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and obesity.

Obviously, you can follow a vegan diet yet still be unhealthy, but if you remain conscious of the other 7 lifestyle vices listed above, I’m confident that a plant-based diet will help you lose excess fat, give you more energy and drastically improve your quality of life.

The science is there, if you are willing to acknowledge it, and at least no sentient beings will be harmed in the making of your next meal.

As they say, we are what we eat, and when we consume all that suffering, pain and stress an animal had to endure to feed our fleeting sensory pleasures, we take on that toxic energy and destroy ourselves in the process.

Do it for the environment, do it for your health and do it for the animals. 3 great reasons to stop treating your body like a graveyard full of innocent creatures.

CONCLUSION

Take from this what you will, and be sure to do your own due diligence, but I maintain that if you are able to eliminate these 8 Harmful Habits listed above, I can guarantee that you will dramatically improve your health and body.

I am not a doctor or medical practitioner and the advice above is based on my personal experience and research.

The information above is intended to assist those embarking on a weight-loss program, specifically, and starting their fitness journey, generally.

For those seeking bodybuilding advice, advanced ‘science-based’ instructions and intricate dieting and exercise techniques for maximising strength, endurance and achieving those ‘insane pumps’ and muscle gains, then this article may not be right for you

Please consult a doctor and get a full medical assessment before embarking on any weight loss or fitness regime.

I cannot be held responsible for any unintended consequences resulting from your reliance on any of the information contained herein-above.

What is the number one obstacle holding you back from achieving your health-related goals? Please let me know in the comment section below; I’d love to hear from you and get your opinion.

Did I leave something out or not explain something properly? Do you disagree with anything from this article in particular? What do you think? Let me know in the comment section below.

Remember, the only thing holding you back is your fear of uncertainty compounded by your lack of adequate planning.

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