12 Healthy Life Improving Habits

12 Healthy Life Improving Habits 

12 Healthy Life Improving Habits are simple and effective ways to start taking real and true control of your life! When you engage in healthy habits, your brain develops an expectation of what will happen and when it will happen. This is a really useful tool to both develop and manage a daily routine that you feel in control of. 

When you are in control of your life, habits, and routine, you are much more able to focus on what is important, accomplish goals, and manage your time effectively. This also allows you to respond to stress and true problems in a much more controlled and productive way. 

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Why are healthy habits essential? Habits shape our attitudes, actions, and decision-making abilities. Habits are small changes that can add up to significant results over time. 

These 12 healthy life improving habits will set a good solid foundation for having a good day everyday and being able to handle the curveballs that life may throw at you. 

Get Up Early 

Allow yourself time to prepare for the day ahead. This gives you time to wake up, enjoy a cup of coffee, and plan the day and what your priorities are without rushing. 

When I feel rushed, I feel out of control, and things don’t run smoothly. This makes me really grumpy, because I’m not honoring my routine and it throws off my day completely. 

Stay Hydrated 

Chances are you are not getting enough water each day! I know that there are times I struggle with this as well. Drinking plenty of water is essential though, because it will help you feel lighter, more clear headed, snack less, and sleep better. 

I love this water bottle. Mine is bright pink, there is no mistaking that it is mine, as it fits my personality. I take it everywhere with me, and I always have ice on hand to fill the bottle, because I love cold water. Knowing these things and my own requirements, like drinking more water if it is super cold, for example, is essential for helping me make sure I’m staying hydrated and not reaching for soda or anything else unhealthy. 

Go for a Walk Every Day 

Getting out for a walk and exercise each day will help you take a break from things, get the blood pumping, and relieve some stress! Just 10-30 minutes per day is enough to make a difference and get you on the road to being healthier! 

You can start slow, and just go for 10 minutes, and work your way to more if you want to. This is a great way to clear your mind, or even focus on creative things. I find when I’m having writer’s block, a good walk will make a difference. 

Plan Meals in Advance 

Planning meals ahead of time is one of the best habits that I can recommend! This is a way to be kind to your waistline and your wallet at the same time. Planning meals means you are not staring at the pantry and trying to find inspiration. Nor are you automatically ordering takeout because it is easy. 

I’ll be the first to admit that I love planning out my meals, and when I forget, I notice! Because I get really irritable with myself for it, and end up just ordering takeout because I’m not only hangry, I’m upset that I failed to plan. 

Adopt a Proper Bedtime 

Having a proper set bedtime will help train your brain to switch off and get a more restful and productive sleep. Pick whatever time works for you, and make it a point to stick to that time every night. 

Having a set bedtime means that you’re allowing yourself to get enough rest each night to wake well in the morning and be more productive. Not getting the proper amount of rest you need can not only ruin your day, it can lead to burnout, and be really harmful to your mental health. 

Plan Your Week Ahead on Sunday 

I am a stickler for my planner and use it daily. The most important time to use it though is on Sunday, because I can look at my week and determine what my priorities are and where my attention needs to be focused. 

I find making a list of tasks and priorities for each day to be essential, then going back to check them off the list as I accomplish each one. Writing things down in my planner, where I have it in black and white, makes me so much more accountable to myself. It means I have no choice but to be honest with myself and really work toward achieving my goals and seeing where my priorities need to be. 

Make Self Care a Priority 

Self care isn’t selfish! Repeat that one out loud with me. You can’t be your best self if you aren’t taking care of yourself. Make your own health and wellbeing a priority, and do so without feeling guilty about it. 

You know the speech flight attendants give about putting your own oxygen mask on before you start to help anyone else? That concept applies to life in general! You can’t help anyone else if you aren’t taking care of yourself first. 

Track Your Spending 

There is nothing worse than getting to the end of the month and wondering where all of your money went. Take control of that by keeping track of your spending, and making yourself accountable. 

The planner I linked to earlier has soooo much room for notes in it, and I often use it to track money on top of everything else. When I pay my bills, if I paid by check, the number. If I pay online, note the confirmation number. This is also a great place to plan meals, or note if I’m eating out so I can pay attention to how often I am. You’ll become a lot more aware of your spending if you’re keeping track of it, and you can make any changes you deem necessary to help save your money. You worked hard for that money, you should know where it is going! 

Cook from Scratch 

I am a stickler for knowing what is in my food, and there is no better way to do that than cooking completely from scratch myself. Choosing fresh over processed and pre-packaged food is not only healthier, it is also much cheaper. 

My favorite recipes are the ones that are made from scratch, but are also simple. I think that is one of the most common myths about homemade food, that it is difficult, time consuming, and expensive to make. But it doesn’t need to be. Simple ingredients prepared well make the best meals. 

Unplug an Hour Before Bed 

Turn off the tv, put your phone down, and any other distractions. Take a bath, read a book, journal, and just relax. Let your body know that it is almost time for bed. 

This will be a huge asset in setting yourself up for a restful quality sleep each night. Sleep is essential to everything we do, let’s maximize the quality of it! 

Journal 

Journaling is an amazing way to get to know yourself better, find out what makes you happy, relieve stress, and keep track of your goals. 

Practice Gratitude 

Learning to practice gratitude is a way to train your mind to focus on the positive things in life instead of the negatives. You’ll likely find that you want for less and are more content than you realized. 

I also have a firm belief that when we see positives, positives will happen. When we see problems, we will find problems. There is no easier way to find problems than to go looking for them and focus on them. By practicing gratitude, it is a simple way to shift that mindset and not automatically go looking for problems in our lives. 

How to Start Practicing Healthy Habits 

How do you break the bad habits and start practicing these healthy habits? Start with being honest with yourself. Where do you need to improve the most? Don’t lie to yourself. 

Figure out why the bad habits are there. 

Set goals and create a plan for how you want to start practicing better habits. A good example is where I talked about my water bottle earlier. I know exactly what I need to help myself drink more water and achieve that goal. Think about how to implement things like that in your own life. You know yourself better than anyone else, so you will know what you need. 

Write your goals down. Use pen and paper, or put them in your planner. Then tell someone close to you about them. I tell my husband about my goals often. That way I’m not only accountable to myself, I’m allowing myself to be accountable to him too. 

Give yourself some time to develop these healthy habits. Be patient! Seriously, be patient with yourself, as it takes 59-70 days to form good habits. You may fail at times. I failed at planning dinner last night, and I was livid with myself. I had to take a step back and remind myself that life happens and I just need to focus on doing better tomorrow. I’ve got this, and so do you! 

Don’t give up on yourself if you fail, make a mistake, or miss doing something one day. Each day is a fresh start, and an opportunity to do better. Own your mistakes, and focus on improvement, and then celebrate it when you are successful. 

12 Healthy Life Improving Habits Notes 

How long does it take to form a habit? It takes an average of 59-70 days to form a habit and that habit becomes automatic. That is why making it a point to be more mindful of good and bad habits is essential. 

What do bad habits do to us? Bad habits can damage our brains! Bad habits can be very harmful to our bodies, our brains, and our mental health. Good habits help us reach goals more efficiently and effectively, while bad habits can make things much more difficult or even prevent success entirely. Habits are a powerful thing! Which I don’t think they get nearly enough recognition for. 

12 Healthy Life Improving Habits Discussion 

Do you practice these 12 healthy habits in your own daily life? Are there parts that you need to improve on? Has this post helped you to start creating better habits in your life? Let me know your thoughts in the comments! 

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