How do you truly define health? Is it making sure you get enough fruit and vegetables in the day? Is it measured by how much exercise you get in a week? Health includes all aspects of life and ranges from spiritually, mental clarity, physical form and emotional wellbeing.
By following these 9 healthy habits, they can really help make all the difference.
It’s important not to feel overwhelmed at this list and feel an urgency to complete everything in one go. Instead, it’s about weaving in these habits over time and taking off the pressure to implement everything at once. It can be about trying one this week, seeing how it goes and then adding another one the week after (and so on).
- Move daily. This is probably the most well-known way to achieve health; yet it is still widely dismissed. It’s easy to make excuses for this one as it requires discipline, but it is so important for all aspects of your health. Taking the pressure off movement is also key. It’s best to find something you enjoy doing; whether that be: dancing, yoga, stretching, walking or boxing. If you make this part of your daily ritual, your self-esteem, focus, productivity and happiness will all increase.
How you can do this – schedule 20 minutes of movement (or more) for each day.
- Make a daily plan. You can plan to get up 30 minutes earlier to read or meditate to start off your morning routine. Or you could plan some meals ahead of the week to reduce pressure of what to eat. This could reduce the risk of overspending on lunches or in choosing quicks unhealthy meals.
How you can do this – choose a day in your week where you dedicate 30 minutes to plan weekly meals.
- Get consistent sleep. For this, a powerful evening routine is key. Switch off screens at least 30 minutes before bed, pick up that old boring book to help you dose off quicker, or journal what you did well today or what you’re grateful for. These can all help bring feelings of wellness and boost your mood for a deeper sleep. Make sure you go to bed the same time every night and try to get up with the sunlight every morning. Your body will become accustomed to a schedule and therefore release melatonin consistently.
How you can do this – create a bedtime routine that helps you wind down for the night.
- Hydrate. The benefits of drinking water are endless. The negatives of being dehydrated are endless. Choose wisely.
How you can do this – drink a glass of water after every bathroom break.
- Strengthen your muscles. Muscles contribute to stronger bones, posture, health, helps slow down ageing and prevents illnesses.
How you can do this – 3 days a week take 20 minutes to strength train and start off with your body weight.
- Spend time in nature. Nature has many benefits for healing and reducing overall stress. Being in nature helps to dissolve our ego and gives us a sense of awe, connection and childlike wonder. It can boost creativity, health and well-being. This can be strengthened with taking a friend with you to share this experience with.
How you can do this – take a walk around your local forest, sit and read a book on a park bench, go to the beach and meditate or simply immerse yourself in the sand, sea and air.
- Practice mindfulness. Taking time to slow down and just be present fully in the moment. This is key to enjoying your life. When you’re not caught up in the future or dwelling on the past, you have the power to access all answers and joy in this present moment. You will gradually be more satisfied and less stressed. Living in the moment and learning to be accepting of the the now helps to reduce stress and allows abundance to thrive.
How you can do this – take a few minutes each day to check in with yourself and your thoughts. Notice your surroundings, notice your breath and practice this as much as you can.
- Have a growth mindset. Staying curious and keeping an open mind helps invite in growth and the opportunity for self-development. Self-development and improving oneself has huge benefits on learning new skills, which ultimately cultivate and contribute to happiness and health down the line.
How you can do this – think about what you want to achieve, who you want to be. Write down daily and weekly actions you can do that will help you achieve this. Set a schedule and show up.
- Practice intuitively eating. This doesn’t mean eat sweets 7 days a week because you’re feeling like it. It simply means, take the pressure off constricting yourself to a low fat, sugar or carbs diet. By taking the pressure off, you are less likely to binge eat in the future if you’ve restricted yourself to grains and vegetables all week. If you eat healthy for the majority and then when you’re feeling like eating something sugary or craving a salty snack – go for it. Listen to your cravings, enjoy them and give into them when necessary.
How you can do this – notice every time you get the urge to eat. Tune into your body and try to ask yourself is this because I’m bored, am I craving pleasure or distraction from unpleasant emotions or am I actually just hungry?
In order to feel like your best self, you need to give your inner health as much attention and time as your outer health. Set a challenge for yourself and try to carve out some time to try these nine habits. You never know the difference it could bring you!
