30 habits for building a healthy lifestyle this year -

Want to make this year healthy and fit for you? These 30 habits for building a healthy lifestyle are all you need!

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Our health is THE MOST important part of our life! Without a healthy body, everything else is worthless.

You can have all the money and success in the world, but not being healthy to truly enjoy those things is truly heartbreaking.

The good thing is it does not take or cost A LOT to be healthy

I truly believe we all can build a healthy lifestyle without being harsh on ourselves!

In this post, I will share 30 habits for building a healthy lifestyle, most of which I have tried and helped start my wellness journey!

Disclaimer: These tips are based on my experience, It is important to consult a professional before making or adding any health-related habits to your life

Table of Contents

30 habits for building a healthy lifestyle

1. Walk 10k steps a day

I remember back in college my aim was to walk 10k steps a day, I would purposely avoid cabs and walk more, which not only helped me begin a healthy lifestyle but save money too.

It may feel tough, but it’s not! Walking is one of the best and easiest ways to move your body every day and build a healthy lifestyle

If you think it might be tough, start with 5k steps in a day

Walking is so beneficial for our bodies!. We spend so much time sitting and working that we hardly move

Some Ways You can complete 10k steps in a day –

Listen to a podcast while walking
Watch a series or movies while you walk at home
While talking on the phone try to walk
Try to avoid taking cabs and public transport where you can walk and reach easily

2. Start your morning with warm water

This has been a morning ritual for me for years! I wake up, and the first thing I do is drink warm or lukewarm water.

Our body gets dehydrated and goes through water loss when we sleep. This is why it is important to drink plenty of water when you wake up.

There are so many benefits of drinking warm water, which is why I prefer drinking 1-2 glasses slowly after waking up

3. Pay attention to Gut health

This year, Learning about gut health was a major change in my health. I have had so many gut issues I did even know until I decided to learn about them!

Our gut health is so important! Our gut not being healthy, is one of the common reasons for bloating, gas, inflammation, or acne.

Ever since I started focusing on my gut health, I have seen so much change in my body! My bloating is gone, and the inflammation has calmed down too.

There is so much more to learn, but it all starts with making the first and paying attention to your health!

Here is How Your Gut Health Affects Your Whole Body

4. Include protein in all your meals

Protein is really important for our immune system and for Building strong body tissue.

Consult your doctor if it suits your body, and then Try to include protein through natural sources in different ways in all your meals!

5. Do daily stretches if your sit on laptop all day

If you sit on a laptop all day, then I found these really great daily stretches to help your body!

6. Get 30 minutes of fresh air every day

Going out for fresh air is not only good for our body but our mind too, we feel lighter and better after getting some fresh air!

It is such a small way to boost your health and feel great

7. Eat more home cooked meals

90% of the food we eat outside, contains unnecessary ingredients that are not good for us. Whether it is packaged food or eating out in a restaurant

We are not aware or in control of the ingredients, that we put in and their quantity. But when we cook at home by ourselves, we have complete control over it!

We can choose what to put and what not and how much. It makes a huge difference in your health.

Even if you are making pizza at home, it will be much healthier than eating from outside. You can avoid certain ingredients, find healthy alternatives to them, and still enjoy them!

8. Eat fruits everyday

Fruits are a good natural source of sugar which helps satisfy my sugar cravings, and are also enriched in nutrients and antioxidants!

And honestly, they are so tasty! Why would no one want to eat it? Just eat them in snacks or smoothies as per your choice but include them in your diet, everyday girl!

9. Read ingredients before buying anything

One of my favorite habits for building a healthy lifestyle that I am so grateful to add to my life since few years is reading ingredients before buying anything.

Ever since I started reading ingredients, I have learned so much about food and how as consumers, we are constantly scammed

I had to go gluten-free for a while, and In the supermarket, I decided to go and buy some oats as an alternative to wheat, or say gluten.

So I picked up one rolled oats packed.

When I read the ingredients, it said, “contains wheat”. If I had not read it, I would have assumed it was pure oats, which are gluten-free.

Another time, I was craving some cookie biscuits and saw a packet of big oats biscuits written

The label said Healthy Oats Biscuits, and I decided to read the ingredients and found that oats were one of the last few ingredients on the list, and the first was all-purpose flour.

Now if you know the ingredients are listed in order of the percentage it contains

So the starting ingredients mean a high quantity or concentration of that ingredient, and slowly decreasing by the end of the list.

Now this product was labeled as a healthy Oats biscuit even though oats were not the main ingredient, the all-purpose flour was

As consumers, we may consume it thinking we are eating healthy, but it is not.

This is why it is so important to read the ingredients before you buy, it will take a few minutes, but you will end up buying something which has better ingredients in it!

I always do!

10. No Phone one hour before going to sleep and after waking up

When we use our phone right before going to sleep, it actually takes a lot of time for our mind to actually fall asleep and for us to go into a deep sleep.

The mind gets a signal that it is still not time to sleep because we are using a screen light.

However, when you use no screen for one hour before going to bed, Your body and brain get naturally into a rested state and you can sleep better.

Sleeping better is very important because Our body goes through a healing process when are, in deep sleep.

It also helps our mind rest for a few hours before we begin the hustle again in the morning.

Similarly, when you wake up, your body and mind need a bit of time to be awake ad in the state of work.

Also, our eyes are rested and sensitive when we wake up, so it’s better to keep the screen away for at least one hour.

11. Get 30 minutes of sun in the morning

Sun is the only natural source of Vitamins, and most importantly sun helps our body in many ways.

If you are a homebody or don’t get morning sun often, Try to go out and get at least 30 mins of the sun (of course, put your sunscreen) as much as possible!

12. Try to eat your dinner before 8pm

Our dinner should be the lightest meal of the day to help in the digestion process and better sleep, and having dinner by 7 is the ideal time as it gives your body enough time to digest and boost metabolism!

I aim to eat latest by 8 pm if 7 pm is not possible some days.

13. Work on your posture

Most of us are always looking down at our phones, hunching our backs. In long term our body gets stiff. It can cause us pain and many more problems

You can read the effects of body posture here

You can do daily healthy posture exercise to improve your posture and stay mindful when during the day.

14. Create a healthy morning routine

It does not matter at what time you wake up, as long as you can start your mornings right most days.

Try to make your morning routine fulfilling for yourself, Whether it getting a few minutes of quiet time, journaling, having no devices around you, or exercising

The choice is yours, but make sure to get a few minutes to yourself as you start your day.

It really helps in making your feel calm and make your day productive, whereas if you have a lazy start to the day.

You also feel lazy and unproductive all the time

15. Include Green vegetables in your meal more

I don’t know who needs to hear this but EAT YOUR GREENS!

So many of us skip our green vegetables and eat everything else. Green vegetables like Spinach, Kale, Bok Choy, Cabbage, etc… Contain a high source of protein, vitamins, and antioxidant properties!

They are so important and magical for our bodies which is why you must include them more often in your meals!

Here are The Best Green Foods To Eat & Why They’re So Good For You

16. Keep your phone on airplane mode before sleeping

I have recently started this habit after learning about the effects of radiation coming from the phone.

Honestly, it is not even tough, you just need to put your phone on airplane mode when you go to sleep.

The radiation that comes from our phone and internet when we sleep is a lot, and when we put our phone on airplane mode, there is a massive decrease, almost negligible amount of radiation left

If you keep your phone with you when you go to sleep, then it is a must you do that, otherwise make sure to keep it away or in a different room when you go to sleep

17. Aim to move your body every day

An important habit for building a healthy lifestyle is to aim to move your body every day.

Especially for those who have a desk job and sit all day to work. We hardly get any movement throughout the day, and we are sitting in one position for hours!

Aim to move your body in a form of exercise, walking, getting up every few hours to move around just to get some daily movements every day

18. Drink lots of water

I know we are tired of hearing this for years, but how many of us still follow it?

I struggle a lot with drinking a good amount of water, and every time I drink less.

I can see the changes in my body, feeling lethargic, having stomach aches, and breakouts.

The only thing that has helped me drink water is keeping a huge water bottle beside me at all times!

This way, I am still able to get a good amount of water intake throughout the day

19. Wear Sunscreen everyday

This is for your skin health! Over the years, I have learned how important sunscreen is for your skin!

You will see the effects of not using sunscreen on your skin long-term when you hit your 30s.

Here is why sunscreen is important

20. Workout 3 times a week

Exercise is an important part of living a healthy lifestyle and having a healthy body! It is not about how your body looks, exercise is a must for your body to function.

A balanced way to start working out is to aim to exercise/workout at least 3 times a week if you can’t do it every day!

This is a great way to start exercising as a beginner too!

Choose any form of exercise you enjoy, and that works for you, and stay consistent!

21. Use stairs instead of the elevator when you can

It’s great with all the development, we can easily reach higher places using elevators or escalators.

It made it quick and convenient for us! However, a great way you can build a healthy lifestyle is by using your old-school stairs instead of elevators.

It can be great and a good workout when you don’t feel like going to the gym

remember, it’s not a MUST but a good option to opt for every now and then when you are not in a rush

22. Get an annual check-up with the doctor

It is recommended to get an annual check-up done to make sure everything is normal in your body.

If you can detect some deficiencies early on before they reach a huge difference, then you can make quick changes to your lifestyle and prevent them from happening!

23. Cut down on Processed sugar

Sugar that we use in our day-to-day life, white artificial sugar is refined and cause many health-related problems when taken too much.

The sad thing is, that this sugar is present in everything! From your bread to all food items you buy from the store

A percentage of sugar is present in them. It is hard to control when it comes to the products we buy to make our meals

like Bread, sauces, butter, etc

But we can make a conscious choice to cut down on the sugar we add to our coffee, tea, and other dishes!

Cutting down or switching to a healthy alternative is great, and looking for packaged products in which this sugar is not added is an even better way!

24. Find Healthy Alternatives/ Substitutes

One of the ways I have been able to slowly build a healthy lifestyle is by finding healthy substitutes or alternatives to my favorite cheat meals.

Yes, it takes extra effort in finding and creating, but you can find a healthy alternative to most things.

For example, if you have a sweet tooth like me and add sugar to all your drinks and desserts

Switching from artificial white sugar to muscovado sugar or coconut sugar is great!

You can still add sweetness to your meals!

– Switching from all-purpose flour to other healthier flours like oat flour buckwheat flower, and so on!

You may not always find the healthiest alternative, but even a better option is one of the good habits for building a healthy lifestyle!

25. Look 20 feet away every 20 minutes when using the screen

This is for your eyes, most of us have a desk job where we use computers and laptops all day, even if we don’t

We still use our phones A LOT

It can be harsh and affect your eyesight in the long run as we are looking at close objects all day long and continuously for hours.

Whenever you are working or using a screen. Try to look away for 20 seconds every 20 minutes to a really far distance- say 20 feet.

Look as far as possible around you for some time, for your eyes to relax!

26. Eat more Freshly cooked food

I know how busy life gets, meal prepping is a great way to eat homecooked food and save time when you are busy.

However, freshly cooked food is the best way to eat and give your body nutrients.

If you are busy, try to include at least one meal of the day that is freshly cooked!

27. Change up your workouts.

Changing up your workouts every few months and challenging yourself can help you build strength and bring results.

If you have been doing the same workout for months, it is good, but with time, it will maintain the present fitness level.

Which is completely fine

However, if you are looking for results or better fitness, like building muscle, strength, or toning

It is great to do something new so your body gets a challenge to try something new and push out of your comfort zone.

It can be as simple as adding two bottles as weight in your regular workout to give your body a little push!

28. Take the right vitamins that your body needs.

As I have been spending so much time learning about health, I have learned it is so much more important to get your body check-up and notice if you are getting enough vitamins

29. Eat less Junk food

I know how challenging it can be at this time when junk food is so easily available to us, and most of all the packaged things we eat contain something or the other which is not healthy.

But it is truly important and must limit our junk food intake for good health. There are long-term effects on our health when we indulge in junk food too much.

I am sure many of you in small ways, can witness the short-term effects of Junk food too.

For example-

Getting acne
Feeling bloated
less energy
Stomach pain

and so many more ways junk food give short-term effects on our day-to-day lifestyle

To balance this out, following the 80/20 rule works wonderfully!

30 Follow the 80/20 rule

Lastly, the 80/20 rule is really great to build a healthy lifestyle that is balanced and not too restricted

You include an 80% healthy diet and the rest 20% whatever you like!

Conclusion

So these were my 30 best habits for building a healthy lifestyle, tips that I try to follow and include in my life.

These are small changes but overtime makes such a huge difference in your overall health!

Which habit are you planning to implement?

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