Our daily routine often keeps us occupied and hustling all day. Our routines are the habits and patterns that shape how we spend our days. While some parts of our routine work well for us, there are always ways to optimize and improve our daily habits for better health and wellness.
If you’re ready for a change in your lifestyle, start incorporating some of these 10 healthy habits into your routine. Small and consistent changes can lead to significant positive impacts on your overall well being in the long run.
1. Start Your Morning With Movement
Beginning your day with some physical activity is one of the most energizing healthy habits. It doesn’t have to be an intense workout straight away if that’s not your thing, you can gradually build up your stamina. Some simple movements like stretches, yoga, or a brisk walk around the neighborhood are excellent options. Getting your body moving first helps increase endorphins, flexibility, and makes you aware of your body. This way you can kick off your routine in a positive way.
2. Drink More Water
One of the most basic yet most crucial healthy habits is staying hydrated. Adequate water intake helps digestion, circulation in the body, cognitive function, and more. If you make a habit of drinking a glass of water first thing after waking up and keeping a reusable water bottle with you to sip on throughout the day, your body will thank you for it!
3. Eat a Nutritious Breakfast
You’ve heard it before, but breakfast really is the most important meal to start your day off right. Even though you want to, try to skip the sugary cereals and pastries, and get in the habit of eating a balanced, nutritious breakfast like oatmeal with fruit and nuts, veggie-packed omelets, or yogurt with granola and berries. Fueling your body properly in the morning stabilizes energy levels and provides you energy to make healthy choices all day.
4. Catch A Breath
In this fast-paced daily life, it’s easy to neglect taking real breaks for ourselves during the day. You need to create a habit of stepping away from your work or obligations at various points throughout the day, even if just for 5-10 minutes, to help yourself. Use this time to practice deep breathing exercises, go for a short walk outside, stretch, meditate, or simply rest your mind. These breaks reduce stress by a significant amount and recharge you to be more productive.
5. Read for Personal Growth
Whether it’s educational books, inspiring memoirs, or self-help books focusing on personal development, forming a daily reading habit expands your knowledge and mindset. Reading for growth in the morning can be motivating, while evening reading will help relax your mind before going to bed.
6. Connect with People
Humans are social creatures by nature. Prioritizing social connection is one of the healthy habits that is ingrained in us. It is a habit that provides well-documented mental and physical benefits. Make time each day to call a friend or family member for a quick catch-up, or carve out time for in-person quality time. This habit will help you express vulnerability through relationships that support emotional wellness.
7. Establish a Nighttime Routine
Just as you should start your day with healthy habits, having a structured routine before bed is a wellness practice that shouldn’t be overlooked. Experts recommend avoiding screens for 1-2 hours before bedtime and engaging in relaxing rituals like light stretching or yoga, taking a warm bath, reading fiction, writing in a journal, or meditating. A soothing pre-bed routine helps improve sleep quality.
8. Practice Gratitude
Gratitude has been shown to improve mood, outlook, and life satisfaction. Creating a habit of naming just a few things you’re grateful for each day shifts your perspective in a positive direction. You can think about gratitudes silently, write them in a journal, share them with a loved one, or incorporate gratitude into a prayer or meditation practice.
9. Plan and Prep
Taking a bit of time each day to plan and prepare for the next helps create a seamless, low-stress routine. In the evening, review your schedule for tomorrow and pack anything you’ll need like a gym bag, healthy snacks or lunch, and so on. You can also layout an outfit or start preparing ingredients for tomorrow’s breakfast or dinner. While it may seem tedious, getting in the habit of prepping sets you up for daily success.
10. Limit Your Screen Time
We’re all guilty of mindlessly scrolling on our Instagram for hours. Make a conscious effort to limit unhealthy screen habits by setting usage restrictions or downtime from certain apps or websites. Use the free time this creates to pursue other healthy habits instead like reading, exercising, calling a friend, or practicing a hobby you enjoy. Curbing compulsive screen time frees up mental real estate.
Creating true lifestyle changes through new healthy habits takes discipline and patience at first. But as you begin to experience the positive impacts on your wellness, energy levels, productivity, and overall quality of life, these habits will start feeling more natural and automatic over time. Start small by incorporating just 1 or 2 new habits consistently, then build from there. You’ve got this!
