6 Common health mistakes that we often make

 There is always a certain kind of picture of a healthy body in our minds. Though it might not resonate with reality, every once in a while, we aim to pursue it. However, while chasing this dream and turning it into reality, we might end up making several mistakes.

Dr. Bela Sharma, Additional Director, Internal Medicine, Fortis Memorial Research Institute, tells you that with respect to health there are two components involved - diet and exercise. Since health is about balance, excess of anything is bad.

She tells you that the first mistake that people often make is to lose balance. “Diet and exercise work in tandem. Those who cut out carbs and only focus on proteins reach ketabolic state (toxic metabolism), which causes damage to the body. It is important to understand that carbs are required for energy and regular functioning of the body. Having excess of one type of nutrition and ignoring the others is not a good idea - we need a balance between fats, carbs and proteins. Young people ignore carbs and take excess proteins,” points out Sharma.

Another mistake is the kind of exercise that people do. “Not every exercise suits all body types. For someone in their 20s certain exercises are suitable, but maybe an older person may not be able to do it. Body structure and age matter a lot with respect to exercise. And so do the health issues. If one is suffering from knee, back or abdominal issues - vigorous exercises of these areas, if already injured, causes a lot of problems. Also, learn from someone who is qualified,” says Sharma.

Third, be careful of lifestyle coaches. “Make sure that the person who is advising you is actually qualified,” she mentions.

Fourth mistake is taking unnecessary vitamins and supplements. “Serious health issues arise from these protein shakes and other health supplements. Content of the same we are unsure of. They may contain high proteins and steroids, which may cause a lot of damage. Don't have synthetic proteins, instead have natural proteins according to your body requirement,” advises Sharma.

Fifth, schedule and timing. Internal body block is made in such a way that you have to wake up at sunrise and go to bed at sunset. “Irregular sleep patterns are common. Sleep on time. Have an early dinner and avoid going to sleep immediately after eating,” she says.

Sixth, self-medication. Most of the time we get medicines over the counter and we self-diagnose and self-medicate. “This may aggravate the issue and not really help. We also tend to not complete our medicine courses. It is unscientific and in the case of antibiotics it increases antibiotic resistance when the person does not complete the course properly and therefore when you get infected the next time it will prove not to be effective. Insufficient doses, wrong medicines all cause problems and therefore we need to be careful about it,” explains Sharma.