8 Things You Should Stop Doing to Get in the Best Shape of Your Life

We all want to get into the best shape of our lives, but when it comes to adding health and fitness habits into our daily routines, our busy schedules can be a real obstacle. It can be even harder to stay at your healthiest version when summer vacations are coming ahead, and celebrations that you want to enjoy without worrying about calories, steps, and all of these things. 

Although everyone should aim to strike a balance between taking care of their health and enjoying life, there are some days when we will consume more than our bodies need, have a lazy day in bed, or go on a long vacation without doing any exercise, and that’s totally fine. What is good is that getting into the best shape of your life isn’t always about what you should do, but there are things you shouldn’t do to step into your best shape and healthiest version of yourself era. 

Since it’s 2023 and by now, we are all aware that getting into your ‘best shape’ isn’t having 10% body fat or no belly rolls when sitting down, it is time first to define what your best shape looks like to you. Your best shape looks like your healthiest self–the food that keeps you energized, the amount of exercise that doesn’t drain you from the energy the rest of the day, sun exposure that boosts your mood, and all that good stuff. To reach your healthiest version era, let go of these things…

1. Excess stress

Understandably, stress is an inevitable part of life–there’s no way to completely get rid of time, but there are ways to limit unneeded stress. Excess stress releases a stress hormone called Cortisol into our bodies. This hormone negatively affects our health by affecting our sleep quality, causing us to eat more than we need (and look for low-nutrient foods), and decreasing the performance of our immune system. 

To become the healthiest version of yourself, managing stress is non-negotiable. One tip I heard before was to identify the source of your stress and put it under the “controllable” category or “uncontrollable” category. If the thing stressing you out is under your control, do something about it. If it’s not, try to cultivate the mindset of I’ll do my best and what’s best for me will happen. You can talk things out with someone close to you, let it out in your journal, and do things to soothe yourself.

2. Ruining your natural biological clock

Somedays we are super caught up in the new season of our favorite show that just dropped on Netflix, so we binge-watch it for hours straight leading us to stay up later than expected. It is understandable. However, not prioritizing sleep regularly will affect your health in more ways than you imagine.

Not only will you feel grumpy and tired the next day, but there are also long-term effects of staying up late like trouble with thinking and concentration, memory issues, weakened immunity, mood changes, the risk for diabetes, weight gain, and high blood pressure. So, make sure you prioritize sleep quality by having a bedtime routine, sleeping, and waking up at the same time every day to regulate your circadian rhythm for better health. 

3. Excessive alcohol drinking

With summer coming up, it can get harder to pass on that fourth round of shots. However, it has been scientifically proven that drinking a lot of alcohol has negative effects on your health in many ways. To begin with, alcohol makes your body dehydrated, and because the average person doesn’t drink enough water to stay hydrated, imagine adding a dehydrating alcoholic on top of that too. If you’re not too into drinking and can enjoy a night out without alcohol, you can explore Mojitos in bars or non-alcoholic cocktails that are delicious. 

But, if you know how to drink in moderation, just put some rules for yourself like no drinking two weekends straight, no more than two drinks a night, or even giving yourself a chance to enjoy a night out without any alcohol at all! By doing so, you will save your body from a lot of health issues. 

4. Using fitness trackers

The metrics in fitness trackers are cool and provide us with the number of calories burned, steps made, heart rates, and all that stuff. But, tracking everything consistently can make us develop a mindset that is fixated on numbers, instead of intuitively eating and moving. Unless you have a specific goal or a competition, it is time to ditch fitness trackers. Eat foods that make you feel good, full, and energized, and move as much as you can.

5. Skipping meals or fasting for long hours

Food is fuel. Without getting enough nutrients, you are basically running on empty. Would you drive your car without enough fuel? No. Then why would you do that for your body? If you are not getting enough energy (AKA food), you will never perform well, physically and mentally. Our bodies need food to move, and our brains need food to think. 

But that doesn’t mean just eating any type of food. It means fueling your body with a variety of nutrients like healthy fats, protein, carbohydrates, antioxidants, etc… listen to your body’s hunger cues and make sure to fuel it with healthy food. Of course, there’s no harm in indulging now and then, but try to aim for at least 70% healthy food daily. 

6. Living a sedentary lifestyle

If you really want to reach your best shape, adding movement is the best and most sustainable way to do so. You can do a two-hour gym session daily and still not reach your best shape ever because health is not just about ticking workouts off your list–it’s about living an active lifestyle. It is about moving more, being able to do so, having the fuel and energy for it, and feeling grateful for your ability to move. Try to go for more walks, take more stairs, and consciously add any type of movement into your day until it becomes a no-brainer. 

7. Eating a lot of processed food

There are a lot of names for processed foods–junk food, fast food, inorganic food, and the list goes on. But if you are someone who is used to eating organic and whole food, you can immediately notice the difference in how you feel after eating processed food. While it is normal to enjoy junk food or processed food every now and then, whole and organic food should be included in the majority of your meals. 

When grocery shopping, you want to look for more real food that isn’t canned, frozen, or has an endless list of ingredients that are mostly harmful chemicals. Look for more fresh food and make meals at home instead of ordering or eating out most of your days. Not only will your body thank you, but also your wallet! The benefits of eating whole foods are endless. To name a few, it improves gut health, sleep quality, and mental and physical performance.

8. Comparing your “best shape” to someone else’s

If there is one thing to be absolutely sure of in the health and fitness industry, it is that if you and someone else ate the exact same food every day and did the exact same exercises every day, in the end, you will never look the same. Our bodies are different–their structures, metabolism, ability to gain muscle, and how they function. No two bodies are the same. So, why get stuck into the comparison loop when you can refocus this energy on being your healthiest and best self ever? 

The best way to do this is to make your goals more about how you feel rather than how you look. The people living in their healthiest version era understand that they won’t look like this perfect model on Instagram, and probably don’t care about looking like her. Their goals look like “I want to move more to have more energy to enjoy things in life”. If you are focused on extrinsic goals, you will never be satisfied, and the finish line will keep getting further and further. Instead, celebrate your body and the things it can do, and enjoy the beautiful journey of reaching your optimal “best shape ever”, whatever that looks like to you.