The way we live every day is what dictates our futures. It contributes to everything from the amount of energy we have waking up in the morning to our level of contentment and physical wellness—or lack thereof.
And the good news is that you can start any and every healthy habit today. There is no deadline where it’s “too late” and you can never lose out on making a healthy impact on your life.
So let’s dive into how you can start creating healthy habits that are sustainable, as well as the most beneficial ones to prioritize.
How can creating healthy habits impact your health in the short and long term?
Let’s be honest. The bulk of the benefit you’ll experience from your healthy habits won’t be immediately obvious. In fact, if you’re doing them correctly, you don’t necessarily notice them. This is purely because the process of becoming healthy and the good your healthy habits contribute to your life are so gradual that you won’t feel the contrast. It will just be your life.
Usually, the long term impacts come from other people.
“How do you have so much energy all the time?”
“I’ve had a cold like every month this year! How do you hardly ever get sick?”
“You look like you’re glowing! What’s your secret?”
Those long term benefits will become your new normal, so it seems less impactful when in reality, the lack of struggle is the ultimate long term benefit—the absence of common illnesses, extra weight, exhaustion, stress.
For the short term, you’ll benefit most from the more emotional elements. You’ll feel really satisfied with your discipline. You’ll be proud of yourself and gain self-respect knowing that you’re contributing to your life in a healthy way. And of course, there will be initial changes that are quite noticeable.
Particularly when it comes to your energy with taking action on tasks. Your motivation will increase when your body is having its needs met, and you may even find yourself wanting to participate in more hobbies and things you truly enjoy because of that.
What are some of the most important healthy habits to focus on and why?
What’ll benefit each person most depends on where they are starting from. That said, there are some universal healthy habits you can start right away that will improve your quality of life significantly.
Exercise
Our bodies were created to move. The benefits of just increasing your heart rate every day are significant. Just by increasing blood flow to all areas of your body, you’re delivering more nutrients to all areas of your body. You’ll find that your mind operates better, your joints feel better, and you’ll have a sense of accomplishment.
You can start today by going for a 15 minute walk. That’s all you need to get started! But of course, continuing to increase your heart rate, utilize your muscles with bodyweight exercises or weights if you feel confident.
Get Outside
If you think about how humans operate without societal advancement—thinking of us as animals—consider the amount of time we would spend outdoors. Now, think of how much time you spend outdoors on a daily basis.
Fresh air and sunlight are powerful for your mental health, as much as it is for your physical health. Going for a walk outdoors is a great way to get both!
Brush your teeth
Not only are dental challenges expensive and painful, they can contribute to other health concerns, because if your teeth hurt, you’re less likely to eat quality foods that often require more chewing. It only takes two minutes to brush your teeth–start your habit today!
Get your sleep
Your body needs sleep for many functions that detoxify and keep us healthy. If you’re not getting between 7-8.5 hours of sleep per night, do what you can to prioritize it. This will be a big leverage point to your health in all the other areas.
Drink water
Specifically, drinking water in place of beverages high in sugars and preservatives. You might not feel thirsty if you’re sipping on soda or juices or even diet drinks. But what you may be lacking is the purity of water that can flush through your body and operate at a higher level.
Enjoy time with friends and family
This significantly contributes to your wellbeing. Many studies confirm that spending time with people you love, laughing and enjoying each other’s company, is really impactful to your health. It reduces blood pressure, reduces stress, and gives you a sense of wellbeing.
Your mental health is significantly impacted by a strong support and social circle. Note that this doesn’t have to be a large social circle. But having people around you who you can be your true self with, who you can confide in, and who can be honest with you, is incredibly important to your health.
Eat healthy foods
By “healthy,” we mean “real” foods. The more you can shift your diet from processed foods to foods that naturally occur in nature, the better your health will be. While we understand that sometimes, natural foods are not as accessible as processed foods, especially because you need a higher quantity of natural foods to meet caloric needs, it’s worth it to start somewhere. Even canned vegetables are better than artificial foods. Natural foods are much higher in micronutrients, and those are required for your body to function at its best level.
Try replacing a portion of your meals with naturally occurring foods, and start there.
Tackle stress
We live in a high stress culture. We all have to figure out what reduces our specific stress. We could list off a bunch of activities for you to try, but the truth is that you already know the times when you feel lightest. You just have to think back on a time in your life, an event, or a weekend, where you felt peaceful.
What was around you? Where were you? What are some elements that you can bring into your regular life, even if they feel “frivolous”? Stress is toxic, and contributes to poor eating decisions, a lack of energy that keeps you from exercising, and more.
See your PCP every year
Some things take a long time to develop. Just like you might not even notice all the benefits of these healthy habits, you might miss when your health has actually taken a downturn. Seeing your primary care provider every year is vital to understand where your body stands, which of these healthy habits might be best to prioritize, and developing a long term relationship with someone who can watch this process year after year.
How do you go about starting a new healthy habit?
Start with a plan, and knowing why it is you want to start the healthy habit. The deepest why. If you want to eat healthier, what is the goal of that?
Is it to have more energy? Why do you want that energy? Is it so you can spend more time running around and playing with your young children or grandchildren? Now that last reason is one that feels purposeful and that you will likely stick with.
The reason for your healthy habits has to be top of mind, or else it becomes really easy to not stick with them.
Then, make the habit as easy as possible. The more barriers to action we face before a task, the least likely we are to do it. So if you prepare healthy meals for the week on a Sunday, your chances of actually eating those meals will increase.
By setting an alarm on your phone every morning, not to just wake up but to go on a walk after you’re up and moving, you don’t have to rely on just remembering to do it. This also goes for setting out exercise clothes in the morning so right away, you’re dressed for that healthy habit.
You can also try to combine the habits into one. For example, going for a bike ride or walk with your family and neighborhood friends hits three different habits at once!
At the end of the day, starting any healthy habit that you currently don’t have will do wonders for improving your health. The most important tip we have, though, is to not try to do everything at once. Ease into a healthy lifestyle one healthy habit at a time, and start with a visit to your primary care physician to discover which one to prioritize first.
