8 Healthy Habits for Daily Life

by Suzie

Are you looking for some simple healthy habits you can practice every day?

Here I’ve put together 8 healthy habits we can implement daily.

This first one is for all of my fellow coffee lovers.

1. Drink Water Before Your Coffee

Our first healthy habit is one I have heard from many people in different stages of life, age, fitness, and occupation.

In the morning, you should drink water before your coffee.

Now, don’t get me wrong. Caffeine is a wonderful thing (especially if you are a sleep-deprived parent such as myself) that has many proven health benefits.

Some of those benefits are:

  • Improves mental clarity
  • Improves physical performance (for all the athletes reading)
  • Suppresses hunger (which can help with weight loss)
  • Increase serotonin levels (which supports balanced hormones and improves your mood)

But drinking coffee on an empty stomach first thing in the morning may not be in your best interest. When you wake up, your organs are starting up after a night of fasting, and what they really need to kick off the day is water.

Drinking coffee on an empty stomach is not ideal for your hormone balance or your gut health – which is responsible for so much of your overall health!

So in short: drinking a glass of water and/or getting a little food in your stomach before you enjoy your cup of coffee in the morning will help set you up for a balanced rest of the day!

2. Eat a Healthy Breakfast

Another healthy habit for daily life is eating a healthy breakfast.

Obviously, this could be a controversial subject, especially for those who do intermediate fasting. But hear me out when I say that most nutritionists and dietitians suggest not skipping breakfast.

Starting out your day by giving your body the nutrition it needs to function can help with the following:

  • Control cravings
  • Support a healthy weight
  • Improve mental focus

Eating a high-protein breakfast might also be in your best interest because protein keeps you full longer and that helps control cravings and snacking. Protein reduces the level of ghrelin in your body – the “hunger hormone”, and also plays a huge role in muscle maintenance.

Some high-protein breakfast ideas could look like this:

  • Eggs with cottage cheese
  • Greek yogurt with granola and fruit
  • Protein shake with peanut butter
  • English muffin with egg, sausage, and cheese

3. Move Your Body

I am a big advocate for physical movement. So naturally it is one of our top healthy habits for daily life! It clears your mind, gives you energy, boosts your mood, makes you more confident, and can relieve certain types of physical discomfort.

Exercise is one way to naturally release endorphins. Endorphins are one of the “feel good” hormones we have in our bodies.

This doesn’t mean you have to run 10 miles every morning or spend two hours lifting weights (that is… unless you want you). Any physical movement counts!

It can be as simple as walking, stretching, yoga, riding a bike, doing yard work, or playing a sport. It doesn’t have to be overly strenuous or leave you drenched in sweat to make it count.

Some simple goals you could reach for are as simple as walking 10,000 steps per day (which can improve cardiovascular health and reduce the risk of things like dementia and cancer) or daily stretching to keep your body flexible and mobile.

Find a way to move your body that you enjoy.

4. Drink Enough Water

Drinking enough water on a daily basis is another healthy habit that can help you stay physically and mentally healthy. Just to list a few, drinking water has scientifically been proven to:

  • Aid physical performance
  • Supports weight loss or maintaining a healthy weight
  • Prevent headaches
  • Aid healthy digestion and prevents constipation

But how much water should you drink every day? Well, the answer is both simple and complicated.

It is popularly suggested that men should drink 15.5 cups (3.7 liters) of water a day, and women should drink 11.5 cups (2.7 liters) of water a day.

But this isn’t one-size-fits-all, it can also depend on your weight, the climate you live in, your diet, physical activity, and so on. If it’s hard to drink that much water every day, a few tips I have implied over time include:

  • Invest in a nice water bottle that keeps your water cold
  • Set a timer to remind you to drink throughout the day
  • Add lemon juice, cucumber slices, mint leaves, or whatever flavor you like into your water to give added flavor

5. Spend Time Outside

This one can be a little tricky if you live in a place that has harsh, cold winters. (I’m a Montana native, so I understand)

Most of the time, if you’re outside you will be exposed to sunshine which gives you natural vitamin D. Vitamin D is beneficial for your immune system (making it less likely for you to get sick), and it also improves mental health and cardiovascular systems.

Sunshine is what we’re really shooting for here, but even fresh air will benefit your health.

Any amount of fresh air can help you feel more productive, decrease brain fog, clean out your lungs and also help your mental health.

6. Accomplish a Household Chore

This healthy habit will vary depending on who you are, your priorities, and your lifestyle.

If you put effort into accomplishing at least one household chore every day, it will make you feel productive, and encourage self-discipline and work ethic. (This may not be practical for everyone to apply daily, so do what works best for you. Even if it’s every other day or once a week.)

It doesn’t have to be complicated or time-consuming. It can be as simple as making your bed, cleaning a mirror, washing dishes, folding laundry, wiping a counter, refilling ice cube trays, taking out the trash… any little thing that will help keep your house clean and organized.

More often than not, if you start on one chore, you are more likely to accomplish more.

TIP: set a timer for 5-10 minutes and tell yourself you will work on a chore until the timer ends. Usually, you will want to keep going even after the timer is done and may even move on to other chores. The hardest part is to get the ball rolling.

Make it unique to you, think about what would make you feel a little more accomplished at the end of the day.

7. Focus On Nourishing Foods

Okay, so this might be a little obvious since we are talking about “healthy habits for daily life”, but it shouldn’t be looked over.

The kind of food you put in your body will greatly affect the way your body and mind function. Especially in America, most pre-made, easy snacks and meals are full of junk that is unnecessary and downright harmful to our long-term health.

Every day, think about the type of food you are putting into your body and how it’s going to benefit you.

You are usually better off making most of your meals from home because you have control over what goes in your food. But that isn’t always possible for everyone, so when you do buy pre-made meals or snacks from the store, read the labels and look for items with the least amount of ingredients and calories.

Focusing on nourishing foods will support a healthy gut, keep your mind clear, balance hormones and blood sugars, and make you feel so much better overall physically.

But, don’t feel guilty for enjoying treats or desserts! Because life is all about balance. As long as you are prioritizing whole, healthy foods, there is nothing wrong with having some ice cream or Oreos to top it off.

8. Prioritize Sleep

Our final healthy habit is one we can implement nightly… prioritizing sleep.

Getting enough sleep will help you function better on a daily basis.

The average hours of sleep suggested for adults is 7-9 hours. While some people have lower sleep needs and could probably get away with 5-6 hours per night, others have higher sleep needs and will need closer to 10 hours per night.

Obviously, not all of us are going to be in a position where sleep is easy. Such as college students who have to study, parents of small children that require attention throughout the night, and others who work night shifts or non-typical hours. My best advice for you all, because I’ve been there too, is just to try your best.

Do what you can to sleep when you can.

Getting adequate rest helps your body maintain a healthy weight, helps keep your immune system strong, helps manage stress, can put you in a better mood the next day, and even help you think more clearly. No wonder we don’t feel 100% when we don’t get enough sleep!

Conclusion

While it is important to practice healthy habits every day, don’t feel overwhelmed if you don’t imply each one every day.

We all have days where our priorities shift or our schedules make it difficult to do the things we want.

Living healthy is all about balance, it takes consistency – not perfection.