I’m all about working on creating healthier habits! What we do every single day is what determines our lives, so small healthy habits each day add up to a healthier life.
10 Healthy Habits You Need in Your Life
This list is meant to inspire. I definitely don’t recommend trying to all of these at once.
I try to work on one new healthy habit until it truly becomes a habit and I hardly have to think about it anymore. Then, I move on to another habit. Over the last few years, I’ve improved my strength, weight, and nutrition through small changes at a time.
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- 67Put Healthy Food Front & Center in Your Kitchen
This one is a no-brainer, because it's so easy to start: simply add a couple of bowls or plates filled with your favorite healthy food, somewhere on your kitchen countertop. Why? A U-Penn Study ("Contextual influences on eating behaviours") showed that if you fill your home with whole and nutritious foods, you are more likely to start eating those. By placing healthy options front and center in your kitchen, you will simply be more likely to eat healthily. - 64Go for a daily walk to improve your well-being
A daily walk is so healthy and totally underestimated. It's actually one of the easiest and healthiest things you can do! (source) Get in the habit of walking at your lunchtime or taking a family walk every night after dinner. Our daily walks are my favorite part of the day!
Staying outdoors (ideally in nature) is also linked to all kinds of benefits: the results from this new study, published in the scientific magazine "Nature", shows that “Spending at least 2 hours a week in nature is associated with good health and well being”. - 50Reach out to a friend
Spending time with your friends can boost your happiness and reduce stress. Making regular contact is a big part of being mentally well. Here are a few quick when reaching out to friends: 1) Let them know that you think about them, 2) Remind them why their friendship is special, 3) Talk about the future / plan a get-together. - 44Drink a glass or water first thing in the morning
When I was trying to drink more water, I started drinking a glass first thing when I woke up. It turned out to be a great habit, and pretty easy to develop. I usually crave a drink when I wake up now, so I drink as much water as can right away before my coffee or breakfast. It helps to keep a full water bottle in the fridge so that you’ve got cold water waiting for you when you wake up. - 38Exercise for 20 minutes 3-4x per week
You don't have to get to the gym or pay for a membership to get a workout in. Do some squats, jumping jacks, planks, and other bodyweight exercises at home for 20 minutes a few times per week. One hour of exercise per week is .5% of your entire week. You can make that happen. I wrote about my simple 20 minute workout routine here.
By working on incorporating one new healthy habit into my life at a time, I’ve created slow lasting changes. Week to week, my life doesn’t seem to look much different, but when I compare my habits today to a year ago, I see a lot of good improvements. I eat healthier, weigh less, and have gained strength.
That’s the whole purpose of working on healthier habits. I’m not looking to lose 10 pounds in 3 weeks or 28to suddenly switch to a vegan diet. I want to incorporate healthier habits into my day to day life - habits that will last a lifetime. - 37Get 3 servings of fruits veggies each day
Try setting a specific number of servings of fruits and veggies you want to eat each day. I know 3 is far less than recommended, but it's a great starting point. This is actually one the next habits I want to tackle. I know I don't eat as many fruits and veggies as I should. - 28Stretch for 5 minutes before bed
Stretching can prevent injury and improve posture. Plus, if you stretch before bed in may help you relax and sleep better. - 20Count your calories
This is a hard habit it keep up with long term but it's a great habit to get into for a short time. Either for a month or a week, your health will benefit from paying attention to how many calories you're getting. It will also help you lose your soda habit when you realize how many calories you're drinking! I could literally drink all of my calories each day if I wasn't careful. - 20Eat a healthy breakfast every morning (maybe not donuts, though)
Don't be one of the many people who skip breakfast! You need breakfast to have energy for your day. Plus no breakfast = hangry (so hungry you get super irritable). Yogurt, hard boiled eggs, a granola bar... It can be super easy. Just make it healthier than a donut most days, mmm k? Man, now I want a donut. - 19Set a bedtime to get 8+ hours of sleep
Think about what time you need to wake up in the morning and back that up 8 hours. That's your new bedtime. Sleep is so darn important! Make it a priority and get in the habit of going to bed at your bedtime each night. - 15Cut back to one soda per day
In my effort to consume less sugar, I started by cutting back to one can of soda each day. After I had that habit down, I changed my one soda per day to one drink box per day since it had less sugar. Gradually cutting back has been a great success for me.
⇒ What healthy habits are you working on right now? What’s been a big struggle for you? Less sugar is a tough one for me.
Simplify Your Week with "The Monday Life Hack" - The (mostly) Simple Life
Friday 28th of July 2017
[…] 10 Healthy Habits You Need in Your Life […]
Alexis
Saturday 22nd of July 2017
I really need to work on drinking more water. I wait until the end of the day to get all of my water in, and then I have to get up all night to go to the bathroom!
Christine
Saturday 22nd of July 2017
Haha, I hate when I that happens! I've done the same thing!
Erin | A Welder's Wife
Wednesday 19th of July 2017
These are great habits! I am working towards not drinking as much coffee each day, and increasing my water intake. My goal is to drink at least a gallon of water a day by the end of August. My sleep routine is another thing I am working to fix. Right now, I am getting about 5-6 hours of sleep a night, and it is just not enough.
Christine
Wednesday 19th of July 2017
Great habits! You definitely need more sleep!!! :)