5 most dangerous health mistakes you should avoid

Many people believe that going to the gym is the universal remedy for weigh loss and better health. Anyway, you still can't substitute it for daily activity. If you exercise 4 times a week and spend the rest of your time on the sofa, it doesn't benefit you at all!

According to a study at the University of Maastricht, people who exercise regularly even spend less calories during the week than those who are just generally active (walking, cycling, strenuous work, etc.).

Gym-goers believe they've done their best while exercising and subconsciously move less. Don't give up exercise, but remember that it doesn't make couch-potato lifestyle safe for you.

Regularly brushing your teeth is important for health, but it's also not that simple. The thing is that eating and drinking softens your enamel, which makes it vulnerable. To avoid acid erosion of the enamel, brush teeth at least 30 minutes after eating.

Drinking more water is quite simple, and it can really benefit you in many ways. For example, we often mistake the thirst signal for the hunger one, which makes us eat more than we need. Negative consequences include weight gain, low energy levels and heart related problems.

Solution? Just have a bottle of water with you all the time, and once you feel hungry, drink some water first. You will be surprised at how often you actually feel thirsty and don't realize that.

So, if you decide to drink more water during the day, there is one more thing you should be aware of. Re-using disposable plastic bottles from water, soda and juice can be highly dangerous.

Most of these bottles are made from polyethylene terephthalate, also known as PET or PETE, which is safe only for one-time use. If you refill such a bottle without cleaning it, potentially carcinogenic substances leaching out from plastic may get into your water, let alone dangerous bacteria.

So what reusable bottles are safe? The safest choices are stainless steel, aluminium and glass bottles. If you want to buy a plastic reusable bottle, choose wisely: it should be made of a safe type of plastic (these are usually numbers 2, 4 and 5).

Everything is simple: when you sneeze or cough this way, all the germs your organism gets rid of are left on your hands. Then you greet someone with a handshake and pass your potential illnesses along.

Moreover, if you often use your cellphone, it's already one of the dirtiest things you touch during the day. And touching it after coughing into your hands makes it worse.

The best way to avoid carrying bacteria on your hands is using a tissue. If you don't have one at the moment, sneeze or cough into your elbow, not hand. Never hold back a sneeze! This may end in the rupture of the back of your throat and problems with ears and eyes.