Massive improvement in your life doesn’t have to come from a complete overhaul of your lifestyle. If fact, for many of my clients…probably most of my clients…the opposite is true. It is when we implement simple yet effective daily practices consistently, and they then turn into habits, that we see change and change that is sustainable.
I’ve created a list below of 15 of the top healthy habits that have positively influenced my own wellbeing, as well as ones that I work on with my clients. Tackling this entire list is too much to bite off in my opinion, but starting with one to dedicate the next 30-days to achieving, then building from there, is a great way to start.
Select the top 3-5 that speak to you the most — maybe they are ones that you’ve been contemplating for a while, or a friend or co-worker is already incorporating it into their day too so you have an accountability buddy. Next, pick the one that you feel would be the easiest to start and you feel most confident you could accomplish it every day.
By doing this, you’re setting yourself up for success. And let me tell you, like any other to-do list item — checking off your list, whether literally or figuratively, when you complete this action item for the day will do wonders for your ego and motivation. Within even the first few days you’ll start a ripple effect of positive reinforcement. Don’t get me wrong, there will still be hiccups and challenges, but you should start to get a feel for relatively how simple it can be to implement and the impact it has on your overall life.
- Write down 5 things you’re thankful for that happened in the last 24 hours.
- Move your body enough to break a sweat, for 25-30 minutes.
- Get outside every day for at least 20 minutes.
- Go to bed by 10pm (really, ideally by 9pm).
- Get 10,000 steps.
- Keep your car clean and organized.
- Allow 45-60 minutes to yourself first thing in the morning.
- Get 7-8 hours of sleep. Yes, even those of you who swear you only need 4.
- Include vegetables at every meal — as the entree, and not just a barely-existent side item.
- Follow a workout plan.
- Read the Bible.
- Take a pharmaceutical grade multivitamin.
- Meditate for at least 10 minutes.
- Drink at least half of your body weight in ounces of water (200 pound person would aim to drink 100 ounces of water).
- Avoid back-lit/blue light devices an hour before bed (I.e. cell phone, TV, computer, iPad).
You may be wondering about how some of these may actually positively impact your health and overall life — I plan to do a bit more of a deep dive in upcoming blog posts about many of them to provide more insight and detail. For now, write these down or print off the list, and try for yourself how even just one of the 15 items will start to create a more positive tone in your day. Which one are you going to tackle first?!
