5 Health Mistakes We Made So You Don’t Have To

There are many tips on how to live a healthy life. So much advice that it can be difficult to prioritize which ones to follow. We asked our editors: What health advice have you ignored and regretted? Here’s what they said.

I used to workout on an empty stomach because I exercise early in the morning. Adding protein coffee before training helped fuel my workouts.

-Jamie Wolff

Give your eyes a break from screens. I didn’t take this advice seriously until I started getting tension headaches during labor. Now I do my best to follow the 20-20-20 rule: Every 20 minutes, look at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds.

-Jenna Anderson

Strength training can prevent injuries, and I pretty much ignored it until my third soft tissue injury. Now I do exercises that support my posterior chain (the muscles in the back of the body), ranging from bodyweight movements to barbell squats. And guess what?! I haven’t torn anything in almost three years.

-Anisa Arsenault

When I was a kid, I hated sunscreen and got terrible burns from it. I now wear sunscreen daily, but I still worry about problems that might arise later from sun damage.

-Hannah Harper

I always dealt with body aches, even in my 20s, but I considered stretching unimportant. I was totally wrong! Stretching helps my body feel much more flexible, and when I have pain, like in my back or neck, a long stretching session can really help relieve it.

-Jani Room

Everyone has different health needs and wants. Advice for one person may not be advice for another. Before listening to any new health advice, talk to your doctor about the potential effects and how best to implement the change.