20 Healthy Habits to Adopt

With all of the focus being on what new diet trend you’re going to hop onto, or how January 1st needs to be the start of the “new you” for the new year, it’s easy to fall back into not only attempting a resolution and failing, but also to beating yourself up because you didn’t complete it.

In this article, we’re challenging how you see the new year. By implementing any one (or multiple!) of these habits (not resolutions) into your daily, you’ll set yourself up for greater success, and more importantly, reap the benefits of the new habit that you’ve created. Because the start of each new year is not about whether or not you hit your goals; it’s about reassessing where you’ve been and creating a game plan for where you’re going.

  1. Focus on adding more healthy foods to your plate rather than taking away

So much about New Year resolutions is about restricting and cutting out food, rather than adding. We’re changing that this year! Instead of condemning certain foods, try adding in ones that you want to eat more of, such as whole fruits and vegetables, wholesome grains, nuts, seeds, etc. There’s a great free app called Vito that you can track how many vegetables and fruits you eat per day (with an emphasis on just the quality, not the calories), as well as your water intake. Definitely recommend checking that out!

  1. Have one (or two) plant-based days per week

Eating more plants doesn’t mean you have to be shoving stalks of celery down your throat or gnawing on a head of romaine. It’s simply focusing on incorporating more meals that have plants at the forefront into your daily life! If you’re new to plant-based eating, some recipe blogs to check out are: Cupful of Kale, Minimalist Baker, Choosing Chia, Feasting on Fruit, and (of course, I have to say my own!) The Banana Diaries! 

  1. Move your body daily

Whether it’s getting outside for a walk, doing some light stretching, completing a strength workout, or doing a new form of exercise, make sure you’re moving your body in some way each day. Even if it’s only for a few minutes!

  1. Reward yourself (with something other than food!)

Sometimes we get into a habit of rewarding something good that we’ve done (like following a diet, getting a promotion at work, checking all of our to-do’s off) with food. There’s nothing wrong with having a treat occasionally, but sometimes it’s good to reward ourselves with other things, like getting that book you’ve been wanting to read from the library, or taking a bubble bath, or treating yourself to a fun trip. Rewarding ourselves in this way also often lasts longer than rewarding ourselves through food!

  1. Take time off social media and unplug

It’s easy to get lost in a scroll on Instagram and then all of a sudden it’s an hour later, and you were supposed to have x, y, and z done! Schedule times to check social media if you enjoy it, but have a no social media timeframe before bed and for a little while after you wake up. The world will be there, but you deserve to be with yourself first. 

  1. Walk anywhere within a mile

This can be hard if you’re living in a rural area, but trying to walk as much as you can or even just move your body in some way daily can do a world of wonder for your body, your mind, and your environment!

  1. Practice gratitude

And daily. Take a few minutes at the beginning of your day to write down a few things that you’re grateful for. It doesn’t have to be a laundry list, but things you truly are thankful for (and can feel that thankfulness, because there’s a difference between saying it and feeling it) to have in your life. You can be grateful that there’s food in your fridge, that you got the day off work, for your dog or cat, your family, etc. Anything! Doing this one small act daily is enough to switch your mind from seeing the world as happening to you to the world is happening for you.

  1. Take 5 minutes of meditation daily

As simple as it is, most people struggle to sit with themselves for more than a minute. Why? They can’t bear to be with their own thoughts. But the ironic thing is that when they’re not sitting, those thoughts are still happening, just subconsciously. So you’re not aware of the negative thought patterns you’re having, yet you’re still experiencing the consequences. When you meditate, you can become conscious of those thought patterns that maybe aren’t so good and that you want to change. Now with that new awareness, you can rewire those thoughts to be more positive, which in turn actually makes your subconscious thoughts, which dictate your day-to-day reality and how you react, more positive so you experience a better reality. We recommend looking into the material by Dr. Joe Dispenza, Deepak Chopra, Dr. Sue Morter, and Eckhart Tolle to start your meditation practice, but even just taking 5 minutes a day to get quiet and start listening to what’s going on behind the scenes is enough to provoke change.

  1. Read one book a month

And challenge yourself to have it not be on an e-reader! When we take the time to read something we’re detaching from our current reality and allowing our minds to be open to a new perspective, whether it’s fiction or nonfiction. Challenge yourself to read one book per month (of your choosing), and watch how your perspective changes.

  1. Don’t forget to stretch!

Building muscle is amazing, but stretching will help your muscles grow even more! Flexibility is often overlooked because people don’t take the time to quantify their changes, but flexibility and stretching can be just as good of goals as hitting a PR on a deadlift. Not only will stretching help your muscles, but it will also help your joints and your ability to move through exercises, and even life, with less pain and more grace!

  1. Make sure to get some rest!

Prioritizing your sleep is just as important, if not more, as prioritizing your workouts. If you don’t feel rested, you won’t be able to perform in your workouts and you won’t be able to move through your daily tasks to the best of your abilities. Getting 7-9 hours of sleep per night is critical to help not only maintain physical health but mental health as well! Try turning off all screens two hours before bed if you have trouble sleeping. This can help get your brain prepped to ease into sleep rather than being wired to a blue screen!

  1. Get outside daily

Make it a habit to spend some time outside daily. Whether that’s first thing in the morning (highly recommended) or a quick break during your work day, or even an after-dinner stroll, getting outside can instantly boost your mood. 

  1. Find new ways to hang with old friends

Doing the same thing with the same people can get old after a while. It doesn’t mean you need new friends, but it means you need to switch up your routine! Try going on an outdoor adventure, like hiking or kayaking, instead of wine night, or try a new restaurant if you always go to the same place. Doing new things together can strengthen old friendships even more!

  1. Take one or two hours a week to meal prep

You’ve heard it before. Meal prep can really save major time during the week, and it allows you to have more control over what you’re eating and where it’s coming from! But don’t think that you have to be a meal prep expert. Simply prepping a few veggies, or even a few proteins is enough to call it meal prep, and save yourself some extra time during the week!

  1. Drink water!

Probably one of the easiest but most overlooked goals is staying hydrated! We’re all too eager to change our diets, but water is so important. We’re made up of about 60-70% of it, so you better be drinking enough! Aim to get eight 8-oz glasses per day.

  1. Find better ways to manage stress

While we’re all so busy focusing on our diets and exercise plans in order to bring about the new “healthy” you, it’s important to not forget about your stress levels. You can be eating the most perfect diet and have the most brilliantly executed workout routine, but if you’re still living with stress daily, you’re not going to feel great. Address your current stress levels and ask yourself what needs to be adjusted. Maybe it’s delegating tasks to others, maybe it’s taking time to talk with a professional, and maybe it’s just giving yourself more time to heal. 

  1. Don’t obsess

Often times when it comes to adding new healthy habits to our lives, we suddenly judge one habit to be had and one habit to be good, and therefore feel guilty if we fail to meet that new habit. Ignore the judgments. Don’t obsess over being perfect because guess what? You won’t be, and that’s good. Go easy on yourself, and have fun. These habits are meant to make your life more enjoyable, but know that adjusting to anything new will take time and patience!

  1. Do one thing that brings you joy per day

While we’re constantly striving towards goals and new feats, it’s a good reminder to just do something for the sake of joy. What brings you bliss? Whether it’s a good cup of coffee, going on a short trip, painting, reading, writing, or anything, make sure you set aside time daily to do one thing that lights you up. It doesn’t have to be the same thing every day (especially if you love to travel!), but find small things that are reasonable to add to your daily life. 

  1. Take up journaling

This goes with meditation, but journaling can also be a great way to become aware of the dialogue inside our heads. Take 5-10 minutes daily or weekly to jot down some thoughts that are coming to mind. What are you going through currently? What are some wins and where did you learn (notice how we didn’t say losses!)? Let yourself write freely (even if it’s saying “This whole journalling thing sucks!” That’s good! Push yourself to keep going!). You’ll learn more about yourself in 10 minutes than most do in a year.

  1. Try one new thing a week

Whether it’s trying a new recipe each week, a new activity, like photography, yoga, or coding (yes, there are classes!), or traveling to a new coffee shop or destination, make sure you’re getting outside of your comfort zone every week. We grow beyond our safe bubble, and that’s when we discover things that we truly love.