It's a new year, so it can be a fresh start if you want. If wellness is part of your New Year's resolutionit doesn't have to be scary. You can start by incorporating simple yet powerful daily habits into your routine that can easily benefit both your physical and mental health. Start with one new habit, move on to more, and don't be too hard on yourself if you fail. Keep going and before you know it, these habits will be a natural part of your lifestyle.
When you're ready, use these supported by science habits to take the next step towards better physically and mental health.
12 daily habits to improve your health
Here, we are talking about small adjustments that benefit every person. With these small modifications to your daily routine, you can start working toward better health without having to give up a lot of time, money, or enjoyment.
1. Prioritize sleep
Walking without sleep is a lot like expecting your phone to run all day on 12% battery. Your body needs time not only to rest and recharge, but also to do important worklike learning new things and consolidating memories.
Adults should get at least 7 hours on closing eyes every night. If this is a challenge for you, reach out to your circadian rhythm. This is your body's natural process to help you fall asleep, stay asleep, and wake up refreshed.
Like you use your circadian rhythm for better sleep? Go to bed and get up at the same time every day.
2. Walk more
Going for a walk boosts your physical and mental health, so it's worth adding to your list of healthy daily habits.
On the physical level, regular walking it supports your immune system, reduces joint pain and makes it easier to maintain a healthy weight.
Any exercise helps your mental health, too involves walking. If you're looking to change your daily habits to combat symptoms of depression or anxiety, or to boost your mental well-being in general, dedicate a day to lacing up your walking shoes.
3. Read for 30 minutes
Feeling stressed? Open a book. One study showed that half an hour of reading it can have the same stress-busting effect as well-known sources of calm, such as yoga and humor.
Reading also does a lot for your brain, like strengthening ties. That study found that diving into a book has both short- and long-term benefits for your brain health. So make reading one of your daily habits to keep you motivated. When you do that, you will also be actively working on fight against cognitive decline as you get older.
4. Meditate
Another one stress reducer and mental health boostermeditation gives you a way to engage in the present moment. In our busy, hyper-connected world, this can go a long way in not only keeping you healthy, but also protecting your happiness.
Getting started with meditation can be as simple as doing some reading on it and setting a timer for, say, 5 minutes each day. There is also very good apps to guide you. You can even incorporate a meditative mindset into your regular activities, such as conscious eating.
Meditation gives you a way to engage in the present moment to reduce stress and improve your mental health.
5. Spend time in nature
Getting into nature can help us calm down. It offers an effective counterbalance to all the screen time built into most of our days. Expanded body of research shows that weather in nature can:
- Improve our cognition
- Increase your attention span
- Lower risk of mental illness
- Increase empathy and social connection
You can combine this with other healthy habits, such as your daily walk. Ideally, aim for green (like a forest) or blue (like bodies of water) spaces during your time outdoors.
6. Eat more plant-based foods
You probably already know that eating nutritious food makes you feel better. As an overarching concept, healthy eating habits can feel a bit vague.
So let's be specific: Work on getting more plants into your plate. Plant-supported nutrition it helps you maintaining healthy cholesterol and blood pressure levels and reducing the risk of some chronic conditions. Plants are full of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients that we need to keep our bodies working optimally.
Try to include more fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts and legumes in your daily meals. It can be helpful to keep a container of produce on your kitchen counter so you can grab them and work as a quick snack.
A plant-based diet helps maintain healthy cholesterol and blood pressure levels and reduces the risk of some chronic conditions.
7. Drink more water
This is one of those areas where it's easy to see how healthy habits help. Because we are mostly waterit makes sense that we would need to constantly replenish our body's reserves. Getting enough water helps your body flush out waste and keep your joints lubricated, while acting as a shock absorber for your spine and aiding in digestive processes.
To build healthy water habits, start carrying a reusable water bottle with you. Whenever you are bored, take a sip. Your body will thank you.
8. Reduce your alcohol intake
Reducing the alcohol you consume does a lot for youespecially if you have been drinking excessively.:
- It reduces the risk of high blood pressure, depression and other conditions
- It reduces the symptoms of those conditions
- It helps your body absorb nutrients better
- Improves sleep and minimizes fatigue
- Supports liver health
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend that men drink two or fewer drinks each day, while women stick to a maximum of one drink per day. To help yourself here, find a soft drink that you really like. Sparkling water, bitters and lime can make the cocktail itch without adding another alcoholic drink to your daily total.
9. Quit smoking
Is this a surprise? Smoking is bad for the heart and lungs, and so is bad for your longevity. In short, if you want to live a longer, healthier life, kick the habit.
As you think about how to be healthier, don't turn to vaping. It may be less harmful, but it is just as addictive and still comes with health risks.
Smoking is one of the hardest daily habits to quit. On CDC and on American Lung Association have the resources to help.
10. Spend time with the ones you love
If you're following healthy habits to feel happier in 2024, hang out with your people. Social connection goes a long way towards strengthening our mood.
If you already have a group of friends or family, let this be a reminder to attack them. Call someone you haven't talked to in a while, or invite a few people over for a game or movie night. Check how you feel afterwards. Better? So we thought.
If you don't have a social circle, make 2024 the year you intentionally work to create connections. It could mean starting a conversation with a colleague or getting to know your neighbors.
Social connection goes a long way toward boosting our overall mood.
11. Take a break from electronics
Screen time takes its toll. Studies directly link it to lower psychological well-being.
Fortunately, the opposite is true. A digital detox can:
- Improve your sleep
- Increase your focus and productivity
- Reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety
- Support real-life social connections (see point above)
You can try turning off social media apps for a while and see how you feel. If you want to incorporate this into your healthy daily habits, set aside screen-free time each day. For better sleep, maybe do it the last hour before bed.
12. Take up a new hobby
Your healthy habits can also be fun and rewarding. What have you always wanted to do? Your answer to that question could lead you to a new hobby to explore in 2024. to help you reducing stress and enhancing mental well-being.
Plus, some hobbies can get you moving, supporting both your physical and mental health. You might indulge in a game of pick-up soccer at the park, or you might explore yoga.
After all, you have many options for healthy daily habits that you could incorporate into your lifestyle. You can pick one or two, or go big and go for the whole dozen. Either way, you'll be on your way to a healthier, happier you.