11 Healthy Habits to Start Adopting Right Now

11 healthy habits to start adopting right now that will make a huge difference in your life and overall well-being.

Now is the best time to make changes for yourself, even if you have no idea where or how to start. A few months from now, you’ll be so happy you just went for it!

In order to make these healthy habits stick, you need to slowly and gradually introduce them into your routine and then do them consistently.

Just remember, small shifts = big change over time.

When it comes to making changes, always try to focus on making progress instead of doing things perfectly. The reality is that you’ll never be able to chase perfection.

Change doesn’t happen overnight. It takes time, so be gentle with yourself.

Healthy Habits to Start Right Now

1. Do Something Kind for Someone Else

Doing a kind gesture has the ability to make someone else’s day as well as your own. When you show kindness, it can positively shift your outlook and instantly boost your mood.

Ask yourself this one question: how can I be of help to others?

This act of kindness can be as simple as:

• holding a door open for a stranger
• donating groceries to someone in need
• making a nourishing meal for a friend or loved one
• giving someone a compliment or praise
• sending a handwritten letter
• paying for someone’s coffee or tea behind you
• picking up litter on the ground when you see it
• donating to a charity whose mission you love
• letting someone in who’s changing lanes
• sending a ‘just because’ card to someone you care about

No act of kindness is too big or too small.

2. Do Something to Improve Your Mental Health Every Day

We all know the saying “you can’t pour from an empty cup”, which is especially important when working to improve our mental well-being.

When you really start to prioritize your mental wellness, you’ll make self-care a non-negotiable. It’s not about having the time to do it, but rather making the time.

This can be a workout you really enjoy doing. Check out the best online workouts for inspiration.

Or it could be simply getting outside daily for a walk and fresh air, pampering yourself with a long shower or bath, meditation, or whatever mood-boosting activity you enjoy.

It really doesn’t need to be complex, it just needs to become a priority.

3. Limit Your Screen Time

We use our phones/computers/tablets for everything these days, which can make it hard to get away from them. Limiting your screen time daily is a healthy habit that can have a profound impact on your overall well-being.

Instead of constantly looking for the answer from others on the internet or for validation, I challenge you to look inward. What is your own intuition saying? How do you really feel about something?

Those questions are only things that you can answer and that ultimately matter.

Technology is a blessing in many ways, but it can also be a curse if we allow it to rule our lives.

Need more convincing? Learn how a 30-day social media break can change your life.

4. Cook the Majority of Your Meals at Home

Going out to eat or getting takeout is great for supporting your local restaurants as well as exciting your palette with new flavors and combinations, but it shouldn’t be a daily occurrence.

If you want to truly start eating healthier and building better habits, you need to be cooking the majority of your meals at home. Get my free capsule pantry checklist to get started!

Eating at home saves you loads of money, and will help you build a lifelong skill that will always come in handy no matter what.

MORE RESOURCES TO GET YOU STARTED

• 10 Tips for Cooking on a Budget
• The 5 Basic Tastes of Cooking (And Why They Matter)
• A Quick Guide to Cooking with Salt

My adaptable recipe collection helps you cook with ease and use what you already have on hand and/or is tailored to your own flavor preferences and dietary needs.

5. Stop Buying Things You Don’t Need

Stop buying things when you’re bored, sad, or need a distraction. That new coat or those 10th pair of sandals aren’t going to make you feel happier, more fulfilled, or fill an empty void.

As cheesy as it may sound right now, those things are found within you. No material, no matter how glamorous it may seem, is going to solve whatever internal problem you’re facing.

Not only is it better for your well-being, but it’s also better for the planet, and your wallet when you stop buying things excessively that you truly don’t need.

6. Wash Your Pillowcases Regularly

Even though you wash your face every night before you go to bed, bacteria and oil from your skin and hair get left behind on the pillow.

This leads to clogged pores, irritated skin, acne, dirty hair, etc. When things feel off, it’s sometimes hard to pinpoint what has changed in your routine.

Dirty pillowcases could be the culprit that often gets overlooked.

To reduce further skin irritations, choose non-toxic and eco-friendly brands. Two great brands are Branch Basics (get $10 off) and Biokleen.

7. End the ‘All or Nothing’ Mentality

Many people think healthy habits are associated with dieting and other extreme lifestyle changes.

Fortunately, that’s not true. In fact, I’d say that those are quite unhealthy habits that you’ll want to stay away from.

In order to start incorporating more healthy habits into your life right now, you need to make small changes that you can actually stick with long-term.

Diets and extreme lifestyle changes are a vicious cycle that are simply unsustainable in the long haul.

An ‘all or nothing’ mentality does more harm than good because you become obsessed with rules and fitting yourself inside a labeled box.

WHAT TO DO INSTEAD

• quit labeling yourself, you don’t need to ‘be’ anything (other than a human)
• get creative, and be willing to try new things
• incorporate more color into your meals in the form of fruits/veggies
• leave room to occasionally indulge aka enjoy the brownie and move on (don’t dwell on it)
• be mindful of what foods/lifestyle changes make you feel your best

8. Go to Bed With a Clean Kitchen

I know, you’re exhausted at the end of the day after working and/or taking care of your kids. After dinner, you just want to veg out, potato style, on the couch.

Washing the dishes is the very last thing (possibly on earth) that you want to do.

The only thing that’s worse than not washing the dishes, is waking up in the morning to a sink full of dishes and/or a dirty kitchen.

When you start the day off like this regularly, it starts to make the mornings feel mentally cluttered and frantic because you now have to deal with yesterday’s mess before you can have a clean slate (literally and figuratively) to start your day on.

9. Wear Sunscreen Daily

While we know the importance of wearing sunscreen during the summer months to avoid sun damage and burns, we seem to forget to apply that knowledge to the rest of the year.

In the cooler months, it’s still important to use sunscreen on your face and neck daily.

Did you know that more than 80% of the sun’s rays can pass through the clouds? This is why you can easily get burned on a cloudy day.

Benefits of daily sunscreen use:

• lowers skin cancer risk
• helps to maintain even skin tone
• prevents premature aging
• protects your skin

A few non-toxic, reef-safe sunscreen brands that work, feel great on, and don’t make you look like a ghost are Farmacy Beauty, Kinship, and Biossance.

10. Drink More Water

For something that seems rather simple, a lot of people struggle to do this. We often mistake thirst for hunger. Drinking more water has many benefits such as:

• more energy/less fatigue
• better digestion
• clearer thinking
• improved skin (flushes toxins from the body)
• revs up metabolism
• and more!

The easiest way to drink more water is with a reusable water bottle. Hydroflask is great because it’ll keep your water cold (or hot depending) for hours, and is also a great way to reduce your carbon footprint.

To take it a step further, I recommend getting a water filter and keeping it replenished in your fridge. This way, it’s a no-brainer. Every time you open the fridge, you’ll fill your reusable bottle or glass up.

11. Celebrate the Small Wins

Sometimes we’re so focused on the big picture that we forget all the small steps that it took to get us there in the first place.

So, how do you go about weaving this healthy habit into your lifestyle? Write down your accomplishments at the end of each day or week.

No matter how significant or insignificant some of your tasks feel, write them down. Include the little details of your day (these can spark joy and inspiration later on).

When you look back, you’ll realize you did more than you’re likely giving yourself credit for. The little things add up to big things and that’s something to celebrate!

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