'Healthy' habits that could do more harm than good

We've all heard advice telling us to exercise more, meditate, drink lots of water and eat a Mediterranean diet. But it turns out there IS too much of a good thing after all. Here Tanith Carey looks at how to get the balance right

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We've all heard advice telling us to exercise more, meditate, drink lots of water and eat a Mediterranean diet. But it turns out there IS too much of a good thing after all. Here Tanith Carey looks at how to get the balance right

Running

We've all heard running recommended as the best form of exercise for burning calories and getting fit. But running too far and too often, can also be WORSE for your health. One 2015 study in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology tracked 1,098 joggers and 413 non-joggers for 12 years.

It found the life expectancy of the heavy-duty joggers was no different from people who didn’t run at all. And those who jogged moderately - only three times a week and for no more than two-and-a-half hours in total - were the least likely to die prematurely than the more hardcore runners.

This is possibly because atrial fibrillation - or an irregular heartbeat - is five times more common in lifelong male marathon runners, possibly due to the stress on the heart.

Dr Peter Schnohr, a cardiologist at Denmark's Frederiksberg Hospital, who led the study explained: “Jogging a few times a week at a moderate pace is a good strategy. Anything more may be harmful.”

Meditation

Meditation is always touted as the best way to improve our sense of calm. But research has found that's not always the case, and in some cases it can make you MORE anxious.

A 2020 review led by Coventry University has also found that about one in 12 people who try meditating get unwanted side effects, like worsening depression or anxiety. It can even bring on these conditions if you've never had them before.

Psychologists believe this may be because meditation changes the activity in the brain's prefrontal cortex. This may alter the activity in the “fight-flight-or-freeze” limbic system, where threats and worries are processed.