The start of a new year always symbolizes a new beginning. For most people, it means signing up for a gym membership or retrieving the running shoes from where they had resided for a while. You don’t have to keep starting again and again every year. And because life happens, what if you don’t start in January, and it’s July already? Will you wait for January next year?
I will share a secret that works for me with you. The best way to make your health goals stick is to set smart health goals and then incorporate them into your daily routine. A healthy lifestyle results from consistent healthy habits. You are what you repeatedly do. If you want to enjoy a healthy life, you need to put effort into having a healthy routine where taking care of your health becomes part of you.
Today, I want to share 10 healthy habits you can add to your daily routine to make you stronger and better. This article will also share how to hack your brain to make healthy habits stick. These tips will help you improve your health and life through small daily actions.
In This Article
What is a Healthy Habit, and Why Is It Important?
A healthy habit is any activity that improves your emotional, mental, physical, or social health. Because your habits result in outcomes, your ability to form good, healthy habits has the power to make you well. Some healthy habits may be harder than others and determine whether you will maintain or give up. For example, most people struggle with exercising regularly because it takes mental and physical energy. It is not easy to be consistent.
However, once you have followed the habits for a while, they become part of your routine, and you won’t have to struggle to follow them. That’s how you hack your brain to make healthy habits stick. Think of how you brush your teeth daily or make your bed after waking up. You have done them many times that you don’t have to think and plan how to do them. If you are consistent in your health habits, they will also become second nature, and you won’t revert to your previous habits.
10 Healthy Habits for A Better You
Before we go into how to hack your brain to make healthy habits stick, let’s look at 10 health habits to kick-start a healthy lifestyle.
1. Stay Hydrated
Drinking enough water is critical for your health and well-being. Some of the science-backed benefits of drinking enough water every day include reducing constipation, improving brain function, preventing headaches, and can aid in weight loss. Aim for at least 8 glasses daily to stay hydrated, boost your metabolism, and keep your skin glowing.
2. Eat healthy meals
Eating a balanced diet daily is one of the top healthy habits you should adopt in 2024. Ensure your diet includes whole grains and healthy fats such as avocado and nuts, lean protein, fruits, and vegetables. Limit your intake of fatty meat, processed meat high in cholesterol, and refined grains such as white bread, white rice, and pastry.
A healthy diet helps you maintain a healthy weight, boost your immunity, and reduce your risk of chronic illness. It also helps to reduce unhealthy cravings, control your appetite, and ensure optimal insulin function. Limit your intake of highly processed food laden with sugar and fat, which causes irregular blood sugar levels and may lead to insulin resistance and cause type 2 diabetes. Furthermore, unhealthy foods cause high inflammation, disrupt the colon, and may lead to cancer.
Also Read: 12 Healthy Foods You Should Always Have in Your Kitchen
3. Move Daily
According to the World Health Organization, over 30% of adults do not get the required exercise daily. You need to commit to a regular exercise schedule to improve your health outcomes. You don’t have to be a seasoned athlete to go for a jog or run.
Regular exercise improves heart health and lowers blood pressure, reducing your risk of stroke and heart attack. Furthermore, exercise reduces the production of the stress hormone cortisol and increases the natural feel-good hormone endorphins, which boosts your mood.
You need at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity workouts or 75 minutes of vigorous intense workouts every week, plus two days of strength training activities to maintain a healthy lean body. However, you don’t need to camp at the gym every day. Exercise does not need to take up all your time. Include a short burst of workouts throughout the day and incorporate moving into your routine.
Find activities you enjoy and make them a part of your routine. Whether it’s a brisk walk, a home workout, or a dance session. Choose what you can commit to for the long haul.
Also Read: 5 Pillars of Health and Wellness
4. Get enough Sleep:
Sleep is not a luxury. Your body needs rest to perform optimally. Research shows that sleep is vital for health. It helps you maintain a healthy weight, improves focus and concentration, and reduces your risk of heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes. Furthermore, irregular sleep patterns also interfere with your immunity and metabolism and can cause hormonal imbalance, dementia, obesity, and heart disease.
Ensure a regular sleep schedule to maintain your body’s natural sleep rhythm. Aim for 7 to 8 hours every day. Create a bedtime routine, limit screen time, set an alarm for sleep time, and sleep in a dark room for quality rest.
5. Digital Detox
In the current digital world, we are bombarded by technology everywhere. It may be hard to keep an electronic gadget, but it is necessary. Take a day every week to unplug from technology. Instead, do activities that nourish your mind and soul, such as walking outdoors or spending time with your family, instead of mindlessly scrolling on social media.
6. Practice gratitude
Healthy people maintain a hopeful and cheerful outlook on life no matter what happens in the shadows. According to the American Heart Association, being grateful is good for your heart and has been shown to boost your mood and reduce stress, anxiety, and chronic pain.
When you focus on the good things happening in your life and count your blessings, you will be less depressed. Furthermore, it may reduce blood pressure, anxiety, depression and stress. Choose to look at the bright side of life every day. A good practice is having a daily gratitude journal where you write things you are grateful for. You can also keep a gratitude jar and keep notes of everything good that has happened in your life.
7. Learn and grow
Commit to lifelong learning to improve your mental capacity. Improving your skills adds more meaning to your life. Research shows that adults who spent hours learning a new skill have improved memory compared to those who didn’t.
Take up learning a new musical instrument, language, or sport to work out your brain. Make it a priority to maintain your mental health by reading books and listening to inspiring music. Also, challenge yourself to learn something new every day, no matter how small, and you’ll see it stack by the end of the year.
8. Practice mindful eating
Mindful eating means having your meals without other distractions. It allows you to enjoy all the aroma, taste, and texture of foods and can improve your eating experience.
According to Harvard Health, mindful eating helps you listen to your body cues and notice when you are full to avoid overeating, which is good for maintaining a healthy weight. It can also improve your relationship with food and can reduce binge eating and emotional eating, which leads to weight gain. So this year, take time to enjoy your meals in silence. Switch off your TV and put away your phone when eating.
9. Spend time outdoors
Walking outdoors is beneficial for your health. It helps you get sun exposure, which increases your body’s production of Vitamin D. A short walk around your neighborhood or at the park will uplift your mood because walking in nature has a calming effect.
You don’t have to go outdoors alone; use the time to take a walk with your family and catch up. According to Harvard Health, people with strong relationships with friends or family tend to be happier and have fewer health issues. Social connections help to reduce stress, which may affect your immune system and insulin function.
Also Read: Is Walking Good For Weight Loss? 10 Health Benefits of Walking Everyday
10. Practice stress management techniques
Chronic stress can negatively impact your health. Find healthy stress management methods, such as deep breathing, meditation, and yoga. Avoid reaching out to alcohol or comfort foods to number what you are feeling. The use of drugs and alcohol can be addictive and challenging to stop once you get used to them. If you feel pressured by what is happening, contact your trusted friend, family member, or a professional to help you cope.
How to Hack Your Brain to Make Healthy Habits Stick
Now that you know the best ten healthy habits for a better you in 2024, you may be wondering how to build healthy habits that become automatic and require less thinking. Here are 5 tips on how to hack your brain and make health habits stick.
1. Reflect on what you need to change
What do you wish to change in your daily routines? Your health goals may vary, but whether you want to lose weight, eat healthier, quit drinking, or maybe drink too much soda or watch too much TV. It is important to make a plan and commit to it.
Before you can make new habits, you need to be clear about what you want to change, write out your goals clearly, and why you want to achieve them. Having a strong why is the best way to stick to habits. So, as you write your goals, ensure to include why it is important to achieve them. Whether it’s to build a better physique, lose weight to feel more confident, reduce your blood pressure, or have more energy.
2. Make a plan and stick to it
A realistic plan has small, actionable steps to help you reach your main goal. For example, if you want to change your sleep routine and stop scrolling on social media at night. Then, start by reducing the hours you use your phone before bed by 15 or 30 minutes. This may be more achievable than going “cold turkey” and changing it in one go. Have a daily and weekly action plan to weave into your current routine.
3. Monitor your progress
The only way to build healthy habits that stick is to have a regular review of your progress. Don’t set goals and leave them until the end of this year. Keeping track of your daily and week with a habit tracker, whether on your phone or your journal, helps you know when you are falling and need to get back on track.
4. Create a reward system
Some health goals, like losing weight, may not be instant, and it is hard to motivate yourself when you know your ideal future is far ahead. That is why it’s important to give yourself weekly incentives for adhering to your action plan.
You can go for a massage, buy clothes you always wanted, or have a bar of chocolate. Getting a reward makes your brain reduce resistance to changing your old ways
5. Be kind to yourself
It takes work to change your habits. So when you feel like you’re not strong, be kind to yourself and remind yourself of your why. Don’t talk down on yourself or allow negative thoughts to make you feel your goals are impossible. The habits will stick in a short while, and you will not have to struggle. So be patient and take small steps towards your goals. Remember that daily consistent efforts are better than once-a-month efforts. So keep at it and don’t give up.
FAQs
- How can I improve my habits in 2024?
To improve your habits in 2024, you need to have a working routine and smart health goals that you can achieve easily. Ensure you eat healthy meals, move daily, have a self-care routine, and prioritize quality sleep.
- How do I start my year healthy?
To start the year healthy, commit to a healthy lifestyle. Eat whole foods, limit processed foods, and move your body daily. Focus on your health goals, whether they are to reduce stress, quit smoking, or lose weight.
- What are the 5 tips for a long life?
If you want to live long, you need to take care of your body. People who live long maintain a healthy weight, eat a healthy diet, move their bodies every day, abstain from smoking, and consume alcohol only in moderation.
- How can I have a healthy future?
The future is unpredictable. However, a healthy lifestyle can prevent illness and give you a healthier future. Ensure that you take adequate water daily, eat healthy meals, get quality sleep, exercise regularly, and detox regularly from technology.
Final Thoughts
It is never too late to start prioritizing your health. Ensure that you adopt the 10 healthy habits to your daily routine. Commit to a regular exercise routine, prioritize sleep, practice gratitude, eat healthy meals, manage stress, and spend time outdoors reflecting or with family and friends. If you are wondering how to hack your brain to make healthy habits stick, remember that building healthy habits takes time and consistency. Small changes can make a big difference. It’s hard to change 10 things in your life at once. But it’s easy to start with one. You don’t have to start all at once. Pick one or two for a start and build them over time. You got this.
Comment below, and let’s inspire each other on this wellness journey. Don’t forget to follow for more health and wellness tips. Cheers to a healthier, happier you!
Read Next:
