Significantly improve your life with these 5 good habits. Start them today and see results in no time! Life is too short to just be getting by; embrace what you are given and start living your life – no matter where you are, what you have, or who you have by your side. Just 5 good habits performed daily and made a priority can take your life from the mundane to the fulfilled in just a couple of weeks. Get ready to get happy!
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Good Habit #1 - Drink the Damn Water
I know that we all get sick of hearing that we need to drink more water. But have you ever wondered why it’s so important? Why it literally fixes everything from constipation to skin blemishes? Why drinking water is the cure for so many of life’s ailments? Well, let’s get intrigued and excited about drinking water, and maybe we’ll actually start getting enough!
Studies say that we as humans, need water to function, right? Adult humans are made of roughly 60% water. Our organs, even our bones, are mostly water. So, to keep our bodies working at top notch we need to consume on average 2.7 L of water for women and 3.7 L for men each day – more if you are sweating. Water works to regulate your body temperature, lubricate your joints, digest your foods, transport nutrients and hormones, flush toxins from your system, hydrate your skin, and regulate your brain chemistry. That’s ALOT of work for a FREE and virtually tasteless drink to do for us.
So, drink more water. Encourage your body and mind to be their best by just drinking the damn water! It’s one of the absolute easiest and best things you can do for yourself. Just try drinking only water for a couple of weeks. You will no doubt feel better in so many aspects – your bowels will be moving, your skin will be glowing, you’ll have more energy and mental clarity. Plus, you may lose a few pounds by replacing your go-to sodas and sugary drinks with – 0 calorie water.
Good Habit #2 - Get Some Fresh Air
Getting outside each day can do wonders for your mental health. Go outside – do something or do nothing. Being in nature can reduce anxiety almost immediately, taking you away from your stressors and giving you some Vitamin D. Practice mindfulness and take some deep breaths. Be active or just sit and listen to the birds and the neighborhood kids getting off the bus, investigate the new buds growing in the yard and all of the glorious colors surrounding you. Feel how your skin reacts. Is it cold? Or are you sweating? Is there a breeze? What does it smell like? What do you see when you really look? Be in the moment.
Spending 30 minutes a day outside can do wonders for your physical health too. Natural sun exposure helps you sleep better, and outdoor activity can be invigorating. Have a picnic with a friend, read a good book down by the lake, or take an after-dinner walk. Swing on the swings at the playground and feel the wind in your hair. Be a kid again!
Adding in a 30-minute walk per day strengthens your heart, improves memory and focus, burns calories, and just makes you feel good! You will quickly begin to look forward to your outing each day and find new things to do to enjoy your time outdoors. Get a fitness tracker to see how many steps you can get in 30 minutes and try to beat your steps each day.
Good Habit #3 - Try Something You Don't Like
Try a new healthy habit that you’ve never really given a chance because you “hate it”. Try it for a minimum of 2 weeks. Hate running in the cold? Start. You may surprise yourself and enjoy it. Hate lifting weights? Why? Find a new workout video and commit to doing it 3 times a week. You’ll feel the burn – and may love it! Hate Tofu? Have you actually tried it? There are so many good recipes for tofu! Push yourself out of your comfort zone and do something new and positive for your body and mind. If nothing else, you will have a new experience and possibly a new healthy habit.
Don’t do yourself a disservice by not giving yourself access to all the good things in the world. Try them, for at least 2 weeks and see what new habits you can form – and what old habits they may break. There are so many things that we think we don’t like because we never put in a real effort, someone else didn’t like it, or we just had a negative outlook. Try new things now! It’s time. Share your enthusiasm for your newfound healthy habits, and other people may just tag along. Be the positive in a negative world!
Hate running but want to give it a try this Spring? Check out this post on How to Become a Runner – we will show you where to start, what you need, and how to stay consistent. It’s worth it – you get one chance at this thing called life, you may as well make it the best you can and start forming good habits NOW!
Habits are not a finish line to be crossed, they are a lifestyle to be lived.
- James Clear
Good Habit #4 - Read More Books
Read more. Read every morning and every night. Read on your break at work. Put your phone down and read an actual, physical book. Take notes. Highlight important lines you don’t want to forget. Listen to an audiobook while you walk, run, or clean the house. Just read. Get your mind working and learn something new. Read – even if it’s just a chapter a day. Commit to it and make it a non-negotiable part of your day.
Reading is literally an exercise for your brain! It can lower stress levels and stimulate your mind. Books can take you to another place, make you actually feel something, and teach you something. Stick to lighthearted romantic comedies or autobiographies before bed and inspirational or self-help books to get your day started in a positive way. Atomic Habits by James Clear and the You Are a Badass Series by Jen Sincero are my top picks that I always refer back to.
Try to make it a habit to read 2 books per month – you can do it and you will enjoy it, I swear! Books offer a plethora of genres and interests – join a book club through your library to explore new books if you’re not sure what you like, or just start reading what you already have around the house. Or, make it fun by reading at a local coffee shop, in a hammock outside, or snuggled up in your bed with tea.
Good Habit #5 - Appreciate What You Have
The simplest way to live better is to appreciate all that you have in your life. It’s as easy as that. Sure, you may not have everything you’ve wished for. But you know what? There is someone out there wishing they had what you have right now. Take a look around your life. Really look at it. Start writing down things that you’re grateful for each night. It can be something simple from your day, like a small accomplishment or a text from a friend. The fact that you can afford groceries this week and are working towards your goals are things to be thankful for in your life. Don’t undervalue what you have.
Take some time to put things in perspective. Write down what’s bothering you, then turn it around to be a positive.
Problem Thought: Omg, I’m getting gray hairs and wrinkles.
Appreciate: I’ve made it this far. Not everyone can say that. Many people don’t make it to 30, 40, or 50 years old. I am so glad that I’m still here!
Problem Thought: I hate my job.
Appreciate: I’ve made some great friends and contacts at this job – plus, it’s given me the experience to put on a résumé for my dream job!
Problem Thought: I’m overweight, and I have too many unhealthy habits.
Appreciate: My husband still loves my body; it’s me that’s uncomfortable in it…and I have the power and time to change my habits!
Problem Thought: I’m a bad parent.
Appreciate: I’m trying my best and I’m doing just fine. Kids all have different personalities and I should try to embrace that. These beautiful kids are all mine and I will always be their mom. **And pay attention when someone compliments you on your kid! That’s proof that you are doing a great job if they are being good out in the world.
Problem Thought: My boobs are too small…
Appreciate: I can run without getting backaches!
You get the idea. The point is, there’s a silver lining everywhere if you look hard enough. Even just going outside and appreciating the sunshine, petting a dog, smelling coffee in the morning, or hearing a baby laugh can help you to start appreciating the good things in your life – and in the world.
Start Making Good Habits Now
Creating a good habit takes a bit of time and commitment, but you can get there. Once you repeat a behavior enough times, it will become automatic. Soon you will be sipping your water while reading your book outside, in the cold, while appreciating the frost on the tip of you nose. Maybe?
As New York Times Best-Selling Author James Clear says in Atomic Habits, “The Four Laws of Behavior Change are a simple set of rules we can use to build better habits. They are: 1.) Make it obvious, 2.) Make it attractive, 3.) Make it easy, and 4.) Make it satisfying.”
Beginning a new habit requires all 4 of these steps. Let’s see how it works:
Drink more water:
- Make it obvious – I need to drink more water for the exceptional use of my body
- Make it attractive – More water will clear my skin, give me more energy, improve my organ function, and flush toxins out of my system – yay!
- Make it easy – I’ll refill my 30oz Stanley 3 times a day – first thing in the morning, again around 11:00, and again around 4:00. That will get me to 90 oz of water, or 2.66 liters which is my daily goal!
- Make it satisfying – I can add some lemon to my water to mix it up, and I won’t be drinking soda with lunch anymore, so I’ll lose weight by saving those calories each day!
