I’m calling it right now, 2024 is the year of positive changes for a lot of us! New Year’s resolutions aren’t usually my cup of tea (check out my New Year’s life hacks post after this) — but this year has already felt full to the brim with good habits. I’ve been working on getting up earlier, working on my blog daily, upping my fitness and running routine, and eating healthier. If I can do it, I know you can crush your goals too! So even though we all have different goals, pick and choose the habits from this list that will help you accomplish yours. Don’t worry about the habits that don’t jive with you. Let’s get right into these easy healthy habits for this year!
8 easy healthy habits to be your *best self*
It’s about time we stop making excuses and put ourselves (and our personal growth) first. We all deserve to be our best selves and live a life that we’re proud of.
It all starts with small changes and implementing one new habit at a time. So take what you want from this list (whatever’s gonna push you towards your ultimate goals) and leave the rest behind.
The first of my easy healthy habits is an important one because it involves something a lot of us neglect — hydration.
Disclaimer: This blog post is not meant to be used in place of health advice from a doctor. Although time & care has been taken in preparing this content for you, I am not a medical professional, and my advice should not be taken as such.
1. Always keep a reusable water bottle by your side
Drinking enough water every day is so important. Unfortunately, a lot of us neglect this in our daily routine.
An easy way to make sure we’re getting enough water is to always have a giant water bottle by your side.
I have a few 40 oz water bottles that I keep in my daily rotation: my Owala straw cup and my Hydroflask bottle.
I know Stanley Cups are overhyped as hell on social media right now. And I’m not a believer in needing a cup in every color of the rainbow by any means. But having a cute water bottle (or two) really is motivating to make sure you’re hitting your water goals.
It makes it easier when you’re out and about, going to the office, etc. You just fill up your bottle and are good to go for hours!
2. Add one fruit or veggie to every meal
I’m all about adding more healthy foods and not cutting out the foods you love!
One easy way to get more micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) into your diet is to add produce at every meal.
You can even take it a step further and try to include a fruit or veggie in your snacks as well.
Here are some easy ways to squeeze in extra fruits & veggies throughout the day:
- Breakfast: add a handful of berries to your oatmeal in the morning
- Lunch: add greens (spinach, kale, etc.) to your sandwich
- Post-workout: instead of a protein bar, have a protein smoothie (with banana, berries, spinach, etc.)
- Dinner: eat a side salad with your dinner
- Dessert: have some fruit to satisfy your sweet tooth after meals
If you’re not in the habit of adding produce to most meals, start with 1 meal a day. That’s it! You can work your way up from there, but it’s no rush. Small steps in the right direction are awesome progress. 🙂
3. Walk for 30 minutes a day
Walking is one of the easiest forms of exercise to implement into your daily routine.
If it’s nice out in your city, go on an outdoor walk and enjoy nature.
If it’s too cold or hot where you live, and you don’t have access to gym treadmills, I’d recommend a walking pad.
A walking pad is a game changer especially if you work from home. You can easily squeeze in a few miles throughout the day while you’re working. Talk about multitasking!
Walking isn’t only good for your physical health. It also allows you time to decompress, be alone with your thoughts, and process the day.
I always feel 10x better, no matter how stressed out I am, after heading out on a long walk.
You can also make walking a social activity. Head out to the park or walk around your neighborhood with your significant other or a good friend!
4. Implement a no-screen time window
I’ll be the first to admit this — I’m addicted to my phone. Combine the time on my phone with watching TV, working on my laptop, etc… It gets ridiculous and honestly a little scary.
That’s why this year I’m making a big effort to reduce screen time.
Either first thing in the morning or right before bed works great for this!
An hour before I head to bed, I’ll plug my phone in to charge in the other room and lay on the couch to read a book.
Having designated times to avoid screens (phones, TVs, laptops, etc.) does wonders for your mental health.
If you struggle with sleeping at all, this can be a game changer for falling asleep faster as well.
5. Stretch every day
This is one of those “practice what you preach” habits for me. I’m always trying to stretch more, but for whatever reason, it’s one of the toughest habits to stick with.
Because guess what… stretching is BORING. In my opinion anyway. 😉
But sometimes the most boring habits are the most beneficial for our health.
Stretching helps keep our muscles strong and healthy, improves our joints’ range of motion, and overall helps us to avoid injury. (source)
Since implementing a daily 10-minute stretch before bed, I’ve already felt less tension in my neck/shoulders from sitting at a computer all day. I’ve also noticed feeling more relaxed, limber, and less pain overall.
One of my favorite videos to do after work is this 10-minute yoga routine from Yoga with Adrienne. It’s a game changer if you work a desk job and stare at a screen for 8 hours a day.
6. Read every night
I mentioned this before briefly, but reading books is such an easy and fun habit to get into! When I decided to get seriously into reading last year, it quickly became one of my favorite hobbies.
Reading before bed (with a warm amber booklight) is so helpful to relax and wind down. I can’t go to sleep anymore without picking up a book for at least 10-15 minutes to get sleepy.
For most of my life, I struggled to read because I would only try to read non-fiction and personal development books.
If you struggle to enjoy reading, I’d recommend trying a few fiction books that pique your interest.
Here are a few of my absolute favorites from this past year:
Fiction books are like watching a TV show in your mind. They’re so much more fun to read than non-fiction, and a good book is so hard to put down!
I’m a member of Book of the Month and LOVE it. Choosing my monthly hardcover is like a mini Christmas every single month. 🙂 If you’re trying to get into reading and want a good fiction book to get started, you can start Book of the Month for only $5/month with my referral.
No pressure at all. 😉 But if you try it out, I hope you love it as much as I do! You can also cancel or skip months anytime, which is always a plus.
7. Get into journaling
Journaling is amazing for your mental health. It allows you to get worries out of your head and onto paper. Journaling might seem hard to get into at first, but it doesn’t have to be!
Instead of following a journaling prompt, just grab a pen and paper and brain-dump whatever’s in your head.
This can include negative thoughts (or positive thoughts!), worries about the day, things you don’t want to talk about with anyone, to-do lists, fears, literally anything…
When I’m feeling anxious or upset about something, reaching for my journal always helps me feel so much better.
I just brain-dump everything that’s on my mind until some of the negative feelings just seep away.
If I go back and re-read what I wrote, I can see a huge change from the start of the journal entry to the end of it.
For example, it’ll start off with a bunch of things I’m annoyed/anxious about in a stressed-out tone. After a couple of pages, I’ll start to sound sensical again and naturally be more positive.
Journaling is amazing!
I use this basic lined journal, but you can journal on anything, as long as you have a piece of paper and a pen! Or, if you prefer journaling in Google Docs or a notes app, that’s totally fine too. I just prefer putting a pen to paper.
8. Wake up at a consistent time (most days)
I know this one is easier said than done, especially if you have a job that starts at different times every day.
But going to bed and waking up at the same time every day is so good for your health and energy.
It helps to reinforce your circadian rhythm, which keeps your body functioning at its prime. This helps with proper digestion, metabolism, concentration, productivity, mood, and overall health (source).
Put it into action: Try a 7-day challenge where you wake up at the same time every day for a week, regardless of when you went to bed. (Obviously, getting around 8 hours of sleep is ideal too.) See how you feel after and if this is something you could implement into your daily life.
Start these easy healthy habits today!
There’s no better time than the present to start taking steps towards being your best self. So why not start today? (Or tomorrow, depending on what time you’re reading this…) 😉
Pick one of the habits above and implement it into your day. After a few weeks of that habit, take note of how you feel, and if you’re ready, start implementing another new habit.
By the end of this year, you’ll be living your best life, and be the healthiest, happiest version of YOU.
I hope this list provided some inspiration and a few ideas for easy healthy habits. Let me know in the comments if you tried out any of these ideas and how they worked for you!
Or if you have any extra ideas that weren’t included in this list, I’d love to hear them too! 🙂
Unfortunately, I had to disable open comments due to a disturbingly high number of spam/bot comments coming in daily. So if you’re unable to log in to comment but want to get in contact, feel free to email me. I’d love to hear from you! 🙂
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