Hey there! Are you ready to kickstart your journey towards a healthier lifestyle? Whether you’re aiming to shed a few pounds, increase your energy levels, or simply feel better overall, adopting healthy habits is the way to go. But don’t worry, I’m not going to suggest anything extreme or complicated. We’re talking about 22 simple habits for a happier and healthier life. Of course, you won´t have to do all of them. Even swapping three old bad habits for three healthier habits is great. 

22 Simple Habits for a Happier and a Healthier Life

1. Start your day with a glass of water: Hydration is key, and starting your morning with a glass of water helps kickstart your metabolism and rehydrate your body after a night’s sleep.
2. Wake up earlier: Don’t stay in bed until the very last minute before you have to leave for work/school. Get up immediately, even on the weekends. Imagine what you can do if you wake up at 8 on Saturday instead of 11.
3. Get moving: Exercising is important. It releases feel-good hormones, is good for blood circulation, and more. Make time for a (short) workout every single day. Go for a walk, do a workout from home, or do some Yoga.
4. Stay organized: I am a little bit chaotic sometimes and a year ago I started using Notion to help me to stay organized. I have made lists of work-related things I have to do and I have a list of other things I have to do. I even make lists of things I have to buy and when I go to the stores I can simply look at my list and buy everything I need. But you can make a list for everything and it feels good to be so organized.
5. Meditation: Meditation has so many benefits, but it can mostly help you with controlling your thoughts. So when you get a thought that you don’t want, you notice the thought and you can just let it go.
6. Eat healthier: Eat more vegetables and fruit instead of highly processed food/meals. Be more mindful of what you buy and eat. Make a list (filled with healthy things) every time you buy food and stick to that list.
7. Get enough sleep every single night: There is nothing more important than getting enough sleep every night. Make sure you have a great evening routine and nothing can distract you from sleeping. If you get enough sleep, you feel more energized, happier, more motivated, and more focused.
8. No screens before bedtime: One thing that can help you get better sleep is to reduce your screen time in the evening. I always put my screens away around 8 in the evening. After that, I just journaled and read and it really improved my sleep.
9. Drink enough water during the day: Instead of drinking sugary drinks and coffee all day, try to drink more water and herbal tea.
10. Don’t skip breakfast: Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. I am sure you have heard that before but it is true. After not eating for hours, you need to fuel your body with food so you can face the day with more energy.
11. Wear sunscreen every day: Wearing sunscreen every single day is the best thing you can do for your skin. Yes, that also means you should start wearing sunscreen when it is a cloudy winter day. The daylight can still have an impact on your skin.
12. Stay connected with your friends: Having a social life is important. So make sure you make time for them. It is way more fun to talk in real life than through your phone. Call them and see if they want to have lunch or dinner. Maybe they want to watch a movie with you.
13. Do what you love: Do more of what you love to do. If you like to make music, do that more often. Try to make more time for it. Life is more than just working and paying taxes. Or find a job that makes you excited every single day.
14. Leave your comfort zone: Staying in your comfort zone sounds great and safe. But it is also great to face your fears and make your comfort zone a little bit bigger each time. Try more new things.
15. Practice gratitude and positive thinking: In every situation, you can focus on something ‘bad’ or something ‘good’. And practicing gratitude by keeping a gratitude journal, will help you to focus more on the good things.
16. Practice Good Hygiene: Make time in the morning to take care of your body. Take a shower, use a deodorant, and maybe a little bit of perfume to smell good. Dress to impress is also a part of that routine. Wear clean clothes!!
17. Prioritize self-care: Self-care comes in different forms. The obvious one is to take care of your body. But self-care can also mean working on your mindset or doing something fun for your soul.
18. Stretch regularly to improve flexibility: Especially if you sit a lot during the day, you might want to stretch to improve flexibility. The good thing is that you can easily do this during another task like cooking or watching Netflix.
19. Read more: Reading is good for you and it also has a lot of benefits. For me personally: it helps me to sleep better and to relax. But it is also a lot of fun when you are reading the right book.
20. Journaling: Journaling can mean anything. Maybe you want to write down how your day went or maybe you want to use it for writing down your progress with your goals. The options are endless. But it is also very good to stop overthinking before sleeping. Writing down helps to clear the mind.
21. Deep breathing exercises: We often breathe too shallow. It is better to take deep breaths from the belly. Take a few minutes each day to practice it. You can also practice it while you have one or two minutes on your break or when you are getting a cup of water/tea.
22. Practice good posture: Having a good posture is not only very important to avoid back pain, but it also makes you look more confident. Every time you notice, your posture isn’t great, fix it.
    
    Photo by Patrick Malleret on Unsplash