Healthy Habits That Can Transform Your Life.

Good, daily and healthy habits can make such a big difference to your overall health and your life. In this article I’m sharing with you 10 daily healthy habits that have changed my life in many different ways.

Some of these habits you already know them but you may not have thought about it in such a way. They have made such a really big difference to my life in different areas such as physical health, emotional health and mental or brain health.

Before we dive in I wanted to say a few things so you know the context.

• The first thing is these daily habits have been the result of gradual habit forming over the last five years- it’s not something that happened overnight. It is difficult to form habits and it does take time.
• The second thing – although these habits are daily habits, I don’t put pressure on myself to do them every day especially when things get too busy or things are too overwhelming. Sometimes things slide a little and that’s okay.
• When you’re making lifestyle changes it’s not about perfection, it’s about doing what you can and generally I do try to do these habits at least three to five times a week. This is especially true in the times that I’m really stressed out because I feel that they do help me stay on track and they do help reduce stress.

Anyway enough with the introduction let’s get into the daily healthy habits.

10 Daily Healthy Habits for Fit People

1. Drink a Glass of Water

The first of the daily healthy habit is that I drink a glass of water as soon as I get up, first thing in the morning. Well not as soon as I get up out of bed but you know doing the morning essentials – I brush my teeth, go to the bathroom to do my business and then I have a glass of water.

I find that this has made a big difference to energy levels in the morning.

When we’re sleeping we’re not taking it any water and when we wake up we can be mildly dehydrated and when we’re dehydrated our fatigue levels go up. (1)

So a good thing to do is start your morning by getting enough hydration. I drink a glass of filtered water. If I feel like it, I’ll add some lemon to it.

I don’t always do that and it’s usually at room temperature but if you like warm water that can work too. It really is about personal preference but drinking some water in the morning is a great thing to do for your energy levels.

 

2. Meditate or Pray

The second daily habit for good health is that I meditate for 10 minutes every day. Or you can pray. I used to be very skeptical about meditation when I first started.

I didn’t really believe in it. I didn’t think that there was science behind it but there is actually quite a bit of science. It can do things like reduce anxiety, it can help you improve your immune function, it can help reduce pain. It also gives your grounding.

There’s a lot that it can do. For me the biggest change is mental clarity and I feel much more calm. I am not naturally a calm person.

Years of meditation has gotten me to this point where I feel peace within regardless of what’s going on outside and I really do think that there are a lot of benefits to trying it out.

So how to start meditation?

Now if you’re a beginner, meditation can seem very daunting and I have two tips to provide. So the first one is try to just be very open about meditation in the beginning.

The first 10 to 15 sessions for me were very difficult. I didn’t know what I was doing and I felt overwhelmed and I felt like I was doing it the wrong way.

It wasn’t until the 15th or 16th session that I really got into it and I started to see the benefit. So give it time.

The second thing is if you are starting out try guided meditation versus meditation where you’re just doing it on your own. Guided meditation can really help you stay on track and can really guide you through the process.

Apps that can help with your meditation.

I use an app called Calm – I highly recommend it. I love it. There is also another app called Headspace which you could try out. Simply go to your favourite app and download. It’s pretty easy to use.

 

3. Brisk Walk

Walking is one of the healthy habits to do everyday. I go for a brisk walk outdoors every day. Now I have to say that if you live in a country where it snows a lot, it’s super cold or the weather simply won’t permit daily walking, a brisk walk outdoors every day will not happen year-round!

Walking won’t happen in the winter but for the rest of the year do try to get outside because I find it’s such a mood booster to get some fresh air.

Get some sunlight and to be out in the greenery. There are studies that show that exposure to greenery is good for your health.

Now for me the brisk walk is not just a mood booster – it’s also the way I get exercise. If you’re gym person, that will be your way to get the exercise. I am NOT a gym person. I have never been in gym person because I just don’t enjoy it. Anybody like me out there?

So for me getting exercise has to be something that’s part of my lifestyle and I love going up the walk. I started to make my walks my exercise.

Now the World Health Organization recommends that we get about 150 minutes of moderate cardiovascular activity every week or 75 minutes of cardiovascular activity. A walk can count if your heart rate is high enough.

So when I’m walking I test my heart rate. I have an app on my phone, it’s called Samsung health and it’s the app that I use and my heart rates usually between the moderate and thicker zone.

So my walk actually counts as a workout, it counts as water and activity so that’s how I get my 150 minutes of exercise per week through my walk.

 

4. Exercise

In addition to the brisk walk I exercise at least 15 minutes daily as part of my healthy habits lifestyle. So the walk is great for cardiovascular activity. If you’re doing a brisk walk or if you’re jogging or running they’re all a good addition to the walking.

However, a well-rounded exercise regimen should include more than just cardio. I like to include some weight and/or resistance training and yoga. More specifically I wanted to talk about weights.

There’s a lot of women shy away from weight training especially because they think they’re going to look a certain way if they train with weights. The World Health Organization recommends at the average adult do at least two sessions a week.

Why is it so important? As we age we tend to lose muscle mass. It’s a normal part of aging. Another normal part of aging is losing bone density. It happens.

However, we can slow that process down with one thing and that one thing is weight training. So it doesn’t matter what age you are. You could be in your 20s, 30s or 40s, it’s never too early to start preserving your muscle mass and preserving your bone density.

If you’re a beginner you should always speak to a professional. Learn the proper moves. You could do body weights or free weights but always speak to someone who knows what they’re doing so you don’t get injured.

Then eventually when you know what you’re doing you could always work at a home that’s what I do. I’m not a fan of going to the gym. So I will use free weights and bodyweight exercises at home.

 

5. Eat Your Greens

I try to eat something green every day. It’s rather embarrassing but I will admit that even as a nutritionist I find it hard to eat greens. I did not grow up eating greens so it’s a very foreign concept for me.

However, I do understand that they are very nutrient dense and it’s a good idea to get some greens on a daily basis, especially a variety of greens.

You are getting a variety of vitamins and minerals. You can find the nutrient density score of most foods by following this link.

Now if you’re beginner the easiest way to add greens to your diet really is smoothies. I find that that was the best gateway for me to get into the habit of eating greens. Like I said these daily healthy habits don’t get formed easily.

I personally find it really difficult to eat veggies like cucumber and other greens. So I blend them with an apple and a scoop of protein powder. This makes so easy to get the nutrients you need.

6. Consume More Fruits and Veggies

I eat at least two to three servings of brightly coloured fruits and veggies every day. This is my bare minimum. I usually try to eat more.

Why is it important to eat brightly coloured fruits and veggies? Well you may have heard of the term eat the rainbow. Eat the rainbow basically suggests eating fruits and veggies from different colors but different colors mean they have different phytochemicals.

The phytochemicals mean they have different health properties. Some phytochemicals can help with cancer prevention, some can help with liver problems and some can help with metabolism, to name just a few.

There’s different reasons to have those phytochemicals and it’s a good idea to get a variety. So I do try to cut at least two to three servings of fruits and veggies from those different groups.

If you’re interested in learning more about eating the rainbow, you can follow this link here for more. Also check our article on the healthiest food groups to eat.

The remaining healthy habits to share have nothing to do with weights, exercise or food eating patterns. You will find them interesting really.

7. Listen to relaxing music

I listen to relaxing music every evening as a way to wind down. So music has many different health benefits. The science is still emerging but what I found very interesting is that nature sounds and relaxing music can help reduce stress. It can help reduce the stress hormone called cortisol.

I do listen to something that’s very relaxing. Sounds such as flutes, maybe some nature sounds rustling with leaves, things like that a waterfall or rainfall. Those are all really nice to listen to at the end of the day as a way to wind down and just relax and enjoy a great end of your day.

 

8. Learn Something New Each Day

I try to read or learn something new every day and I love to do this because it’s something that I truly enjoy. However, there are other benefits to it especially when it comes to brain or mental health.

As we age there is that natural decline in our memories. It happens but mental stimulation can slow down that decline. So for me it’s reading. I will like to learn new things.

For you it could be whatever works for you. If you’re a reading person read a book fiction and nonfiction both have their benefits.

If you’re not into reading learning a new language on an app such as Duolingo could work. You could also watch something every day like short snippets on Ted Ed to learn something new. It’s all about keeping your brain engaged and stimulated. These healthy habits will also help you in dealing with depression.

9. Spending Quality Time With Loved Ones

I try to spend quality time with loved ones every day. I want to underline the word quality time because a lot of us end up spending time with our loved ones but we’re on our phones and we’re not properly engaged with them.

We’re not really talking to them and it’s not good communication. This happens to everybody. It’s just the digital age that we live in.

I used to scroll on my phone next to my husband and I felt like I was spending time with him but that wasn’t really spending time. So now no phones. Properly talk to him and spend with him. I spend time with my cats.

I find that cuddling a pet or a human, can help you release oxytocin which is known as the cuddle hormone or the love hormone and it can help reduce stress.

 

10. Put Away the Phones

I avoid phones in the one hour before bed. I used to be on my phone right before bed and I found it very difficult to fall asleep because my brain was all over the place. It was very mentally stimulated.

Phones also emit something known as blue light. The blue light is something that your brain thinks it likes. So when you’re on your phone and that blue light is going to your brain your brain thinks it’s not time to sleep. So it won’t produce melatonin very well and it becomes harder to sleep.

Conclusion

Forming these daily healthy habits do not always come easy. But start with a couple and see it positively affects your life for the better and then keep adding more of them.

Are there any healthy habits that I didn’t mention that you follow daily? Please share in the comments section below.