Everyone has habits, some good, some bad. If you’re looking to create better habits to improve your life you’ve come to the right place. This list of healthy life habits will change your life for the better!
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Life can get busy, and we can easily fall into a whirlwind of bad habits.
Habits are things we do regularly that make up our days. Sometimes they can be good, and sometimes they can be bad.
When we get busy with family, work, and friends, a lot of the time our healthy routines are the ones that pay the price. Instead of taking the time to make sure we’re living a healthy balanced life, we end up running around like an unorganized, exhausted mess.
If you’re looking to add some healthy habits into your life you have found the right place.
It is never too late to start living a lifestyle you are proud of.
In this post, you’ll find 27 insanely good healthy life habits you can incorporate into your daily routine to start living a healthier and more balanced lifestyle today.
Wake Up Early
The first healthy life habit is to start the day earlier because it can change your overall outlook on the day.
It allows you to have more time in the morning. You can use this time to get ready before you need to leave or start a healthy morning routine.
You can relax and not rush around trying to get out of the house like most people do every day.
The mornings always feel like the most productive time of the day, so imagine if you start getting up even earlier.
You will feel like you have so much more time to accomplish tasks during the morning, and in turn, will result in more time during the rest of the day.
Earlier Bedtime
Some people say they are night owls and others say they are morning lovers. And it’s completely up to you and what makes you feel the best.
However, in most cases, people who get to sleep earlier tend to say they feel more rested and have increased energy compared to their previous schedule of going to bed later and waking up later.
Also, because our bodies have a natural circadian rhythm, they are smart and know what is best for us.
Based on our circadian rhythm our bodies naturally want to go to bed once the sun sets and wake up when the sun rises, it’s instinct.
Try getting to bed a bit earlier this week and see how you feel!
Consistent Sleep Schedule
Along the lines of waking up and going to bed early, it is just as important to set a consistent bedtime/wake-up time.
Our bodies are smart and they like routine. They function better when they know they will be receiving rest and repair time, aka sleep.
That’s why getting to bed and waking up around the same time every day makes us feel the best.
If you aim for 8 hours of sleep and want to be up by 6 am then you need to be in bed by 10 pm. Ideally sleeping by 10 pm, but most of us know how that goes when we try.
I for one usually roll around for 20-30 minutes thinking before I drift off. Either way, getting into that bed and preparing for sleep will set you up for success.
Limiting Phone Use
Another healthy life habit to start doing is limiting phone use in the morning and at night.
Our thoughts can be greatly affected by what we consume. When we immediately grab our phones after waking up, whatever is on social media or the news is the first thing we expose ourselves to.
This can affect the way we view ourselves and go about the rest of our day.
Allowing yourself time in the morning without phone distractions will allow you to enjoy the beginning of your day without being worried about other people’s lives or problems.
You will feel less stressed because you are focusing on yourself and not immediately comparing your life to everything you see online. Which a lot of the time isn’t real and is portrayed to seem better than it is.
This can make us feel worse about ourselves.
The same goes for the evening time.
If you’re using your phone before bed, it can affect the quality of your sleep. It can be affected especially if you’ve just seen something upsetting on social media before you put it down.
Instead, some great things to do before bed are reading, journaling, or simply getting right to it and closing your eyes.
Healthy Movement Habit
Movement is essential to our health.
Aiming for at least 10-15 minutes a day of movement can have many positive benefits.
Not only does exercise provide physical benefits, like helping reduce fat, and reducing the risk of heart disease and stroke, but it also improves our mental health.
Even if you’re super busy and only have time for a quick afternoon walk that is better than nothing.
If you’re waking up early you can do a quick yoga flow or a home workout. If you have more time and enjoy going to the gym you can do a weighted workout, a cardio class, or pilates.
All are great options.
Movement is part of what keeps our bodies healthy as we get older, so it’s one of the many great healthy life habits to start.
Start a Hobby Habit
Take the time to do something you enjoy.
Whether you have a hobby already that you don’t spend enough time doing or, you want to find a new hobby.
Spending time doing something you truly take pleasure in it will expand the joy in your life.
Always being about work, taking care of a home, or other people, can leave little time for you.
Allow yourself time to read, paint, journal, play music, draw, craft, puzzle, garden, or even hike.
It can be anything! Simply making sure you prioritize time for yourself and the things you enjoy doing is another great healthy life habit.
Spend Time Outdoors
Have you ever noticed that being outside always makes you feel a bit better?
Whether it’s the fresh air, the sun in our eyes, or a combination of both, something about being outside makes us feel alive.
We aren’t meant to spend 95% of our lives indoors. Our ancestors spent most of their time outside and benefited from it greatly.
These days most people work indoors which doesn’t allow for endless hours of outdoor activities, but we can still prioritize getting outside.
A morning walk, eating outside for lunch, a quick coffee or tea break, or even an evening walk before or after dinner.
You can take it further by walking barefoot and getting benefits from earthing.
Anything you can do to spend more time in nature is one of the amazing healthy life habits you can start.
Stop Eating When Full
So many of us these days are extremely unconscious when we eat. We eat in our cars on the way to work, or in front of a TV after work.
Not paying attention to what we’re eating, how much we are eating, or how it’s making us feel.
We don’t savor and enjoy what we eat, we’re too distracted.
A great tip for how to stop eating when you’re full is to eat slower.
If you’re shoveling food down and eating your whole meal in less than 5 minutes your body doesn’t have the time to register that it’s full.
Then suddenly you realize you’ve overeaten, and you don’t feel great.
Instead, take your time eating.
Aim to allow yourself at least 20 minutes to eat a full meal.
Chew slowly and be mindful about each bite you take. This will not only help you to notice when you are full but also help with better digestion.
Make Your Bed
This may seem mundane, but it can truly change the way you feel in the morning and throughout your day.
It’s one very simple thing you can do right after you wake up that will help you immediately feel accomplished.
Plus, it can improve your mood because every time you walk into your room it will look put together and clean.
Many people say they have a more positive outlook during the rest of their day because they start by making their bed.
Try this easy healthy life habit for yourself and see if it improves your mood during the day.
Express Your Feelings
Holding in your emotions all the time can cause mental distress.
Bottling up and pushing down a negative emotion won’t make the emotion go away. The best way to move through an experience or feeling is by expressing it.
You can do this in different ways.
You can write it out in a journal, talk to someone you trust, or you can even physically move the energy by dancing or shaking.
If you’re looking to do some self-discovery journaling here are 23 Powerful Journal Prompts to help you discover your true self.
You can use this free Mindful Journal I created to help express and write out some of those feelings.
Sometimes even shouting out loud really helps to allow the feelings to release.
Feelings are energy, and when bottled up can cause overthinking and stress. Learning to express them will allow you to feel more open and free.
Water Bottle Habit
Bring a water bottle everywhere with you, I mean everywhere.
Make your water bottle your best friend.
Find yourself a water bottle you love and always have it near you.
Most people are more dehydrated than they know, and since our bodies are made up of about 60% water, we need to make sure we are continuously hydrating.
Having a water bottle beside you all day will remind you to take a sip occasionally.
A tip is to take small sips more often than chugging large amounts. Generally, water is better absorbed in the body when it’s sipped throughout the day compared to chugging a whole bottle in 2 minutes.
Nighttime Wifi/Data Habit
Another one of the great healthy life habits to start is turning off your wifi/data at night.
Every day all day we are surrounded by EMF’s (electromagnetic fields) from data and wifi.
Studies are researching more about the effects of EMF on humans and our development over time.
Some findings are neutral, but a lot are showing signs of negative aspects with continuous exposure to EMF’s.
If you have the ability to completely turn off your wifi modem I would suggest that.
Or you can simply turn off your wifi and data on your cell phone. That way it’s one less thing producing EMF signals around you while you sleep.
You don’t use your cell phone while you sleep anyway so there isn’t a downside to doing this.
You can still receive emergency calls if someone needs you, the only thing that will be turned off is social media and news notifications, which most of us need a break from anyway.
Eat More Whole Foods
In today’s society, people eat a large amount of their daily calories from processed foods.
These foods aren’t what our bodies truly desire.
Eating more whole foods will benefit you in so many things. From how you feel every day to how to recover when you come down with a cold.
Eating more whole foods like fruits, veggies, and unprocessed meats will provide you with the nutrients your body wants and needs.
You will notice how much better you feel once you cut out processed foods and eat more whole foods.
Check out my Light & Fluffy Chocolate Chip Banana Protein Muffin recipe for a healthy snack!
Positive Self Talk
You are the one who talks to yourself more than anyone else. So, do you think that what you say to yourself matters?
You bet it does.
If you are constantly speaking negatively towards yourself, your life will be full of that negative energy.
We need to learn to be kinder to ourselves.
You can do this by starting healthy life habits of more positive self-talk.
Instead of waking up feeling upset you didn’t sleep great or woke up late, be grateful that you can sleep a full night and wake up to a new day full of opportunities.
When you look in the mirror, stop criticizing every little thing you see and realize that you are beautiful no matter what.
If you start to wear clothes that you feel good in that can help you feel more confident and less self-conscious.
When you look outside take a minute to soak in the beauty of the day, even if it’s raining.
Stop picking at every little thing you see bad about yourself. They aren’t bad, they make you human so start accepting yourself for who you are.
Another way to think is, would I say these things to another person?
No.
So why are you saying them to yourself? When you look at it this way it makes more sense.
Meditation Habit
You can practice meditating in many ways.
The most common way is sitting somewhere you are comfortable, and focusing on your thoughts and how your body feels.
You can play gentle music in the background and add soft lighting if desired.
You want to create a space where you can take a few minutes each day to reflect and check in with yourself.
People who meditate tend to better handle stressful situations in their lives.
Mediating allows you to practice focusing on what’s truly important while allowing everything else to pass through.
When situations arise that create stress or anxiety, you will be better prepared to work through them.
You can acknowledge your feelings and then release them.
A lot of time practicing meditation can help you cope with and regulate your emotions without getting too attached to them.
Instead of immediately getting upset or angry you can more easily recognize how that situation is making you feel, allow the feeling to move through you, and then release the associated tension.
Time Blocking Habit
This has been a lifesaver for me.
I find that when I don’t time block, I can spend way too long on one task and never make it to the other things I wanted to get done.
Time blocking my morning routine, work schedule, meals, and free time, helps keep me organized and on schedule.
You can use a planner or notebook to write out your schedule and then allocate specific time frames for each activity.
This helps keep you on track for each task and helps you feel more productive.
You will see how much more you accomplish every day once you start time blocking.
Write Goals Down
I love goal setting.
It allows us to be present in what we want in this life.
Not only is goal setting important but what’s more important is to physically write down the goal. And have that written goal somewhere you see it daily.
This helps to keep that goal top of mind, which keeps you focused on it and more likely to achieve that goal.
There have been studies done comparing the likelihood of achieving a goal that was written down vs not written down. The people who had written down their goals were always more likely to achieve those goals.
Especially if you keep them out in a place you can see them every day.
Keeping goals helps us feel like we have a path to follow and allows us to feel driven to work towards those goals.
I have a Free Morning Mindful Journal with a portion for goal setting if you want a clean and organized place to start writing your goals!
Breaks While Working
Our brains and bodies can get burnt out and tired when working for hours on end.
Sometimes taking a break can help us reset and help us be more productive at the task at hand.
Some people like the Pomodoro technique. This technique is where you work for 25 minutes and then take a 5-minute break.
This could be as easy as getting up and walking around, going to the washroom, or grabbing a drink of water.
You can even take it a bit further and do a bit of stretching during that 5-minute break.
Taking small breaks during work is beneficial because it allows your mind to relax and refresh before diving back into work.
If you feel stuck on something, sometimes taking a small break can give you a new perspective and idea for what you were struggling with before.
Reading Life Habit
Reading can have so many wonderful benefits.
If you’re a fiction lover then getting lost in a world separate from your own can help you de-stress after a long day.
Or, if you’re a more nonfiction fan then reading books you love to learn from can be a great way to spend your free time without watching TV or scrolling on social media.
Plus, reading helps stimulate parts of the brain that can improve focus and memory.
Setting a goal to read at least 10 pages per day is a great healthy life habit to start.
Plan Your Day Habit
Get yourself a notebook or planner and write down everything you need to do that day.
Write down if you have any appointments, any bills due, or even house tasks that need to be done.
You can go a step further and plan a week or two in advance.
This will help you accomplish those goals we talked about setting earlier.
Then if you timeblock your days, you’ll be on a roll for being extremely productive.
Daily Affirmations or Prayers Habit
Start writing or saying daily affirmations or prayers. Whichever resonates more with you.
Please take a couple of minutes each day to either say these things out loud or write them down.
If you prefer to write them down, having a journal dedicated to your prayers/affirmations is a wonderful way to start adding these healthy life habits into your routine.
Affirmations are simple ways to intentionally set out things you want in your life.
By writing them daily or at least looking at them daily, they remind you of those important intentions and help you live the way you aspire to.
Keeping Good Posture
Be conscious of your posture throughout your day.
I notice many people who sit hunched over, don’t stand straight, or walk with their shoulders curled forward.
I see hunched shoulders everywhere.
I can predict that one day when those people are older, they will experience increased back pain and may have developed a more permanent back hunch.
Not only does having good posture help keep your muscles functioning as you age, but it can help increase self-confidence.
If you’re talking to someone and you want to make a good impression, then stand tall.
Standing tall with your shoulders back will silently show that you are confident and take pride in yourself.
Clean Living Space
We spend most of our time in our homes.
If we are living in a space that is cluttered and unorganized that can make our minds and therefore our lives feel cluttered and messy.
Keeping the area you live tidy will help you feel less stressed and can actually increase your happiness level.
Coming home to a tidy living space always feels so good.
Healthy Say “No” Habit
Trying to please everyone can take a toll on our minds and bodies.
Constantly saying yes to every situation even when you don’t want to isn’t the way to honor your body.
Learn to respect yourself enough to say no when you feel a situation isn’t right for you at that moment.
If you’re asked to go out one evening but you feel like you need a night in to relax and unwind, say that.
Tell them tonight you need some time to yourself.
Your mental health is more important than trying to please a friend or family member. Start saying no more when it feels right for you.
React Less
Every day things happen that aren’t part of your plan.
Things get messed up during your day which can cause you to get upset. It may even ruin your entire day.
That doesn’t have to be the case though.
Life is always going to throw you curve balls. Things are going to come up that frustrate us.
Someone will cut us off in traffic, we will spill our coffee in the morning, or step in a puddle on our way to the store. But those things don’t have to ruin our day.
You must let the situation unfold and then allow yourself to move on from it.
Sure, you may be upset that you have coffee on your favourite shirt right now, but what are you going to do about it? It already happened.
All you can do now is clean up and move on with your day.
There is truly no need to let little mishaps shape the rest of your day.
Practice accepting everything that happens during the day, good or bad, and simply moving forward without letting it continue to affect your mood. You’ll start to feel so free.
Drink More Tea Habit
We love a good morning beverage to start the day.
By far the most popular is coffee. Coffee is great.
It tastes great and can help us feel a little more alive in the morning.
But a lot of people don’t think about the other great option, tea. Tea can provide so many wonderful benefits while also being a soothing warm drink to enjoy.
It warms us up first thing in the morning and because there are so many different kinds, you’ll no doubt find one you adore.
The great thing about most teas is that they have many health benefits.
Tea blends have different herbs, and herbs always come with an array of health-boosting properties.
If you’re looking for a tea with caffeine for a little energy boost then opt for matcha, green, black, white or oolong teas.
One positive aspect of tea is that you generally won’t experience a caffeine crash like some people do from coffee.
Many teas can even help improve your skin complexion, specifically green teas.
If you’re wanting to sip on a nice herbal tea, there are hundreds of blends you can try. Most local grocery stores carry multiple brands and blends to choose from.
Stretch in the Morning
I can attest that shortly after waking up, spending a few minutes doing some light morning moving either stretching or yoga helps to start my day off right.
I know as I’m getting older, I can wake up feeling a bit stiff.
I could avoid the morning stretching but eventually, I’ll begin noticing my back and hips will start to feel stiff.
Dedicating 5 minutes in the morning to some easy stretching helps to get the blood flowing through your muscles and joints.
Dedicate a few minutes to whichever type of morning movement you prefer, and you’ll start to notice reduced stiffness throughout your days.
With these healthy life habits, you will start to feel better and have a more positive outlook on life. I bet your friends and family will even notice and ask what you’ve been doing differently.
You can start by adding a few of these habits into your day or jump right in and try them all.
Great job, Kendra!
Thank you!