Stop Wasting Time

Provided by Prevention

...and healthier ones to try instead

It's no secret that leading a healthy lifestyle often feels like it takes more time than most of us have. That was recently confirmed in a survey by the American Public Health Association in which 34% of adults said they were too busy to fit in things they knew were good for them, like eating right and exercising regularly.

So how surprising is it that as you hurry through the day, you cut a few corners just for the sake of saving time: "I'm too tired to take out my contacts, so I'll leave them in over-night," you say, or, "I won't bother with my seat belt; I'm not going far." What you may not realize is that these moves could actually be taking a costly toll on your health. Here, the scoop on 14 time-savers that really aren't, plus safer alternatives that fit easily into a tight schedule, so you can still strive for a work, life, family balance.

No Nightly Floss
It's been a really long day, so you decide not to floss...

Surprising stat: Brushing alone leaves as much as 40% of your tooth surfaces untouched. Flossing between teeth allows you to get into the nooks and crannies that a toothbrush can't reach, and doing it daily--preferably at night, when plaque-causing bacteria really build up--is your frontline defense against gum disease, tooth decay, and bad breath.

If the benefits of good oral health don't convince you to pick up the floss, perhaps an increased risk of heart disease will: Recent research at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health revealed a connection between severe gum disease and an increased risk of atherosclerosis, a condition in which arteries become blocked.

Next Time
Swear to yourself that you'll do it the following evening. Nightly flossing is ideal, but it's acceptable to do it every other day, as long as it's thorough and you don't have a family history of gum disease, says Gordon L. Douglass, DDS, a past president of the American Academy of Periodontology. On days when you're not going to floss, swish water around in your mouth after brushing; Douglass says this has been shown to reduce bacteria.

Sleep with Contacts
Simply wearing contact lenses impedes the flow of oxygen that corneas need to stay healthy. "When you close your eyes for hours while sleeping, it's even worse," says Thomas L. Steinemann, MD, an associate professor of ophthalmology at Case Western Reserve University. A study of 557 contact lens wearers in the New England Journal of Medicine showed that the odds of developing a bacterial infection with daily wear (including taking the lenses out at bedtime) were 1 in 2,500.

Next Time
Switch to the newer silicone hydrogel lenses, which allow more oxygen to reach the eyes. According to a recent study in the British Journal of Ophthalmology, sleeping in these lenses reduced the risk of infection fivefold over traditional soft contact lenses. "The safest option is to take out your lenses at night, but if you think you'll be a habitual offender, you'd be better off with this new technology," says Steinemann.

Don't Remove Makeup
Wearing foundation to bed can clog your pores, which can lead to blackheads and breakouts. A more serious consequence is that mascara fragments will dislodge in your eyes while you're sleeping and cause painful corneal abrasions.

Next Time
Keep premoistened makeup removal pads on hand. Some that also remove eye makeup: Comodynes Makeup Remover Towels for Face & Eyes, Olay Daily Facials Lathering Cleansing Cloths, and Noxzema Wet Cleansing Cloths. A few swipes, and--voilà!--you're done.

Choose Juice over Fruit
You can't seem to fit fruit into your diet, so you down yours in a glass of juice.

"Most juice on the market--even if it's labeled 100% juice--is still like soda pop," says Prevention advisor Elizabeth Somer, RD. It's often loaded with sugar (look for high fructose corn syrup or white grape, pear, or apple juice concentrate on the label) and lacking in the fill-you-up fiber of fruit.

Next Time
If it's juice or nothing, at least choose the one that packs the best nutritional punch. "One hundred percent orange juice that's fortified with calcium and vitamin D is my juice of choice," says Somer. A good option if you also aren't eating enough veggies is Low-Sodium V8 100% Vegetable Juice, which delivers more than a full serving of vegetables in 8 ounces.

Forgo Birth Control
What the heck, you're married and over 40--what are the odds?

"It is true that fertility declines after age 40. But for women who have had normal fertility in the past, it's certainly possible to become pregnant between 40 and 50 -- and everyone would agree that pregnancy is no time-saver," says Philip D. Darney, MD, professor and chief of obstetrics, gynecology, and reproductive sciences at San Francisco General Hospital, University of California, San Francisco, and coauthor of A Pocket Guide to Managing Contraception.

It's also worth noting that pregnancy for an older woman brings with it higher odds of complications for mother and baby. On the flip side, some contraceptives even confer health benefits. "For nonsmoking, healthy women, low-dose oral contraceptives provide adequate hormones to keep bones strong; prevent a host of conditions, including pelvic infections and arthritis; control irregular bleeding; and clear up acne -- all in addition to preventing pregnancy," explains Darney.

Next Time
Two brand-new contraceptives are tailor-made for women with too little time: depo-subQ provera 104, a low-dose, progestin-only version of Depo-Provera that's injected by a doctor four times a year (it's also approved to treat endometriosis pain), and Implanon, a long-term progestin implant from Organon, which lasts about 3 years and was approved by the FDA last year.

Or you may want to consider an intra-uterine device, which can be used for up to 10 years. "Failures almost never occur with these," says Darney. "They're very safe and more effective than sterilization."

Walk in High Heels
You forgot your athletic shoes at home, but you head out for your lunchtime walk anyway in a pair of 2-inch heels--hey, how bad can they be for your feet?

If your "walk" is a short stroll as you browse the shops, you're probably okay. But if you're planning a 20-block hike, you could be in trouble. "The sole of a high-heeled shoe is not constructed correctly for long-distance walking, and the higher the heel, the worse it will be," warns Stephen M. Pribut, DPM, president-elect of the American Academy of Podiatric Sports Medicine (AAPSM).

And summer sandals and mules can be even more detrimental. "When your shoe's heel isn't closed in, the heel of your foot separates from the sole of the shoe as you walk, putting a lot more stress on your forefoot," explains Pribut. The worst case scenarios: a sprained ankle or stress fracture--either of which could really curtail your lunchtime forays.

Next Time
Move your walk to the evening (it'll be cooler out anyway), and spend your lunch hour finding a new pair of athletic shoes to store under your desk or in your car, so you're never without them. Look for a shoe that bends where the toes bend, not in the middle, advises Pribut: "A flexion point that's in the middle of the shoe will put stress on that part of the foot and cause abnormal motion."

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