Building healthy habits doesn’t need to feel like rocket science. In fact, most healthy habits can be really simple and straightforward to implement in your life and don’t need great effort or time. But it is hard to know which are the best healthy habits to start.
If you start small when building healthy habits, you’re far more likely to succeed. And if you succeed with the small habits, then you’re more likely to later implement greater health changes.
So start with these 7 healthy habits that are extremely simple but also highly effective at changing your life for the better.
Healthy habits don’t need to be over the top or extravagant to create positive change in your life. Start implementing these 7 healthy habits to be on your way to a happier, healthier everyday life.
Talk about simple! Drinking more water is likely one of the simplest healthy habits to start, but it can drastically affect your overall health and well-being.
Since our bodies are hydrated and lubricated by water, this easy healthy habit can make your body feel better, improve your energy and mood, and even make your mind sharper. That’s a lot of reward for such a simple, quick task.
So set a reminder in your phone or log your hydration in an app so that you can hold yourself responsible to drink more water daily. Your body and mind will thank you in the long run.
Of all the healthy habits to start, this one you’ve probably heard the most about. Movement is medicine, but our modern sedentary lives rarely offer this therapeutic modality.
But movement is one of the most important healthy habits you can introduce in your life. Whether you go for a short walk outside, sweat it out in a 90-minute HIIT session, or practice a fun yoga flow, movement is magic.
Not only does moving your body help circulation, lymphatic flow, digestion, respiration, hormonal balance, and mood regulation, it also helps to improve your sleep, increase your energy, and encourage your body to crave nourishing foods.
It’s one of the 7 healthy habits that encourages continual building of even more healthy habits.
Ready to move your body? Practice this Feel Good Flow
While movement is vitally important to your overall health, relaxation and restoration are equally important healthy habits to start.
In our everyday lives, we don’t often give ourselves permission to let go and unwind. But relaxation is crucial to the health of our nervous systems, endocrine systems, and beyond.
So start allocating time in your daily life to relax and restore. This can be as simple as gently stretching, practicing yin or restorative yoga, taking a bath, reading a soothing book, or cuddling with your pet.
While it might not seem like much, this simple healthy habit can greatly impact your general well-being.
Relax and restore with Yin Yoga for Stress Relief
When it comes to building healthy habits, this might be one of the trickier items on the list. But it really doesn’t have to be so challenging. Meditation can look like many different things to different people—it does not require you to sit with your legs crossed and your eyes closed for hours at a time.
Perhaps you find reflection and a meditative state when you walk your dog. Or maybe playing an instrument is your form of meditation. Perhaps you like to reflect on all the things that you’re grateful for or just take a few moments to breathe deeply.
Need more time to breathe? Explore The Power of Pranayama: Control Your Breath to Calm Your Mind
Maybe your meditation is simply allowing yourself to just be for a few moments everyday rather than constantly feeling the need to do.
Whatever meditation and reflection may look like to you, it’s one of the most important healthy habits to start to give your mind a moment to pause, reflect, and unwind so that you can find greater clarity and calm in your day-to-day life.
Want to dive deeper into meditation? Join Nomad Yoga’s 10 Hour Online Meditation Training for an in-depth exploration of various meditation techniques and practices
Quality sleep is so vital to our overall health and well-being. But so few people really get quality sleep regularly.
Sleeping better is one of the most important healthy habits to start taking seriously and it can be so simple to improve your sleep quality. Turn off screens about an hour or so before bed. Follow a nightly ritual at bedtime. Snuggle with loved ones or journal or read before shutting out the lights.
Practice good sleep hygiene by sleeping in a comfortable temperature and avoiding bright lights and loud sounds. Go to bed with enough time to sleep for 8 to 10 hours. Strive to go to bed at the same time each night and wake up at the same time each morning.
Maybe follow a guided meditation before bed or run through a gratitude list in your head. Whatever helps you to fall asleep more soundly and to stay asleep more easily is the best practice for you to follow this simple healthy habit.
Use This Free Guided Yoga Nidra to Find Deep, Restful Sleep
Building healthy habits means learning to take care of yourself. And there are few healthy habits as powerful as practicing self-care.
Self-care can mean many different things to different people. Relaxing in a bubble bath, going for a run, getting a massage, following a skincare routine, establishing a meditation practice, eating nutritious meals, taking a break from social media, going out with friends, and taking a nap all qualify as self-care practices.
Whatever self-care means to you personally, learn how to practice it regularly. There are few better healthy habits to start than truly taking care of yourself.
Practice self-care with Restorative Yoga for Self-Care
Perhaps the most important healthy habit to start is finding balance—in all things. While it can be tempting to try and make your life as “healthy” as possible, remember that real health is balanced.
That means that you can eat that chocolate cake and still be healthy. You can have a drink with friends and still be healthy. You can skip your workout one day and still be healthy. You can have negative thoughts from time to time and still be healthy.
Better health is not a singular goal but a journey and a lifestyle. True health is not restrictive, but it embraces all the multi-faceted elements of life.
Real healthy habits include working out and hanging out with friends, eating healthy for your body and indulging in treats for your soul, getting better sleep and knowing when it’s worthwhile to stay up late.
Building healthy habits should feel inclusive (not restrictive) and enjoyable (not torturous). If you can master finding balance, then all other healthy habits will simply fall into place.
Find Balance and Calm With This Soothing Pranayama Practice
Find greater overall health and well-being as you start building healthy habits. These 7 healthy habits may seem simple and insignificant, but each and every one can have a powerful influence over your everyday health.
Try out these 7 healthy habits and notice if you slowly experience some greater shifts in your well-being. You just might surprise yourself.
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