9 Daily Habits for Health You Need to Start Today
Being “healthy” doesn’t require you to run 5 miles a day or do intense detoxes every week. Many people overlook the significant impact that small, daily actions have on our overall health and well-being.
These healthy habits to start today don’t have to take up hours of your day. In fact, most of these daily habits for health are things that make you slow down and do less.
The way to do this is to make these 9 daily habits for health part of your routine and lifestyle, so you are supporting your cells, organs, and body every day. Let’s see why these healthy lifestyle habits are ones that will actually make a positive impact.
1. Catch Some Rays
One of my favorite things to do is to get outside whenever possible, especially in the morning as I’m sipping on my tea. When you get outside, as close to sunrise as possible, it helps keep your circadian rhythm in its natural cycle.
This is your body’s internal clock that plays a role in hormone production, eating habits, digestion and your sleep-wake cycle.
Your circadian rhythm helps you wake up feeling refreshed every day and helps your body relax into a deep sleep at night. With all the artificial lights we are exposed to, it’s vital that you get natural sunlight as much as possible for optimal health.
Not only does sunshine brighten your day, but getting sunshine provides your body with vitamin D. Vitamin D improves your mood, bone health, and immune function.
2. Move Your Body Everyday
A great daily habit for health is to embrace a routine that includes moving your body and getting a sweat on. My health tip here is to pick an activity that you actually love doing.
If you hate going to the gym, then don’t do it! Join a tennis membership or hot yoga studio instead.
Being active everyday is essential for feeling good and longevity.
I encourage you to push yourself until you start producing a sweat, as this is a great daily detox habit that eliminates toxins from your body. Even if you’re a busy mama like me, you can put your kiddos in the stroller, give them some snacks and pick up your walking pace until you’re sweating.
Getting daily physical exercise will help decrease your risk for chronic diseases like cancer and diabetes. It also improves your physical function, and can even support a healthy gut microbiome. Just 15-20 minutes of movement a day is one of the best daily habits for your overall health.
3. Drink Plenty of Filtered Water
The majority of the population is dehydrated. They don’t drink enough water and instead rely on coffee, soda, and other high-calorie drinks.
Except our body needs water to function optimally. Our body is 70% water…
Being adequately hydrated helps digest foods and keep your bowel moving regularly, relieving constipation. It also gives you energy, helps with detoxification, reduces calorie intake, and helps your brain function better.
My tip is to invest in a water filter for your home. This way, when you are hydrating yourself, you are also eliminating any additional toxin load.
Sadly, many water sources are filled with hidden toxins that are damaging to our health. The last thing you want to do is add more toxins to your body. I love the Berkey water filter and Aqausana, so I recommend checking those out.
4. Get to Bed Early
Ahh, this is one of the most underrated aspects of health. SLEEP! You need adequate amounts of high-quality sleep for your body to work optimally internally and externally.
Sleep allows your body to clear out damaged cells and restore itself. It is also when your immune system is working hard to help keep you healthy. During sleep essential hormones are even being secreted and regulated.
One of the best healthy habits to start today is to actually prioritize your bedtime. Instead of staying up until 11 pm -12 am each night, really make it a priority to get to bed at a decent time. You should be getting a solid 7-8 hours of sleep each night and feeling refreshed in the morning.
If you find it difficult to fall asleep and stay asleep, you may experience great benefits from taking a magnesium supplement, which can be a game-changer in your quality of sleep. regarding which type of magnesium you should get.
5. Be Present During Meal Time
How often do you scarf down food as you’re multitasking, trying to get work done? Before you know it, your food is gone, and you don’t even remember eating it. Most time, this means you aren’t chewing your food thoroughly. This sets yourself up for poor digestion and harmful bacteria overgrowth.
Taking the time to slow down and actually consume your meals is one of the simplest yet most powerful daily habits for health. When you do this, you’ll avoid overeating, and you’ll actually chew your food efficiently for better digestion and a happy gut.
6. Daily Green Smoothie
Daily green smoothies can be so helpful!. Plus, this is one of the easiest daily habits for health optimization. Green smoothies are a super easy way to get in an abundance of nutrients for the day and they are delicious. You can throw in a frozen banana along with a handful of greens, avocado, nut butter and other hidden veggies that you can’t even taste, but that greatly support your cells and your body’s functions.
And just like that, you can get in 6 servings of fruits and veggies! I recommend adding in more vegetables compared to fruit to ease the spike in your blood sugar.
7. Limit Screen Time
Screen time is hurting our health in multiple ways. Not only does it impact our circadian rhythm, leading to poor sleep and daily fatigue, but it’s also causing our mental health to take a hit. We get caught up in the lives of others that we forget to be present in our lives.
A great healthy daily habit is to have certain parts of the day where you allow yourself phone time. Other times it can go into a drawer. You can turn off notifications on your apps except for calls and texts, so you can fully concentrate on the things that need your attention (like your work, the kiddos, working out, etc.).
By 7 pm, screens should be put away for the night to reduce the impact on your sleep and body’s clock. If you need to do work at night, be sure to get a pair of blue light blockers, so it doesn’t mess with your circadian rhythm.
8. More Colorful Veggies, Less Processed Foods and Inflammatory Oils
Processed foods have really taken over our food system and grocery store shelves. It’s essential that you know the consequences of fueling your body with nutrient-poor and inflammatory foods, and that you take the steps to fuel your body with real, nutritious foods and ingredients instead.
When you are making up a meal, pile your plate up with as many colorful veggies and whole foods as possible. If you focus on fueling your body with the good stuff, you’ll have less room for the bad snack foods.
Processed foods encourage inflammation, which can cause annoying daily symptoms, chronic diseases, and autoimmune conditions.
Organic veggies and whole foods provide your body with antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, and anti-inflammatory properties to protect your body from cellular damage and health issues.
9. Take 15 Minutes For Yourself
There are SO many days where there’s one task after another that needs to get done. Before you know it, it’s 10 pm and you had zero time for yourself to even think straight.
It’s imperative that you make time for yourself every single day. Even 15 minutes a day is better than nothing. Use this time not to play on your phone but to meditate, write in a gratitude journal, do breathing exercises, or write down your goals.
These daily habits for health will significantly help your mindset, your mental health, and even your physical wellbeing through the brain-gut connection.
