20 Life-Changing Habits to Adopt for Holistic Health
If you looked at the habits of your life, would they be net positive or net negative? In other words, are your daily activities getting you closer or further away from your goals? I think that question is often thrown around in the “personal growth” community, but have you really taken the time to think about it in your own life? Because compounded over time, those habits really can (and will) change the trajectory of your life (and health).
Everything you do, you get good at.
Spending the day scrolling on social media? You’re getting good at it.
Breaking the promises and goals you set for yourself? You’re getting good at it.
Eating healthy, nourishing foods? You’re getting good at it.
Learning how to manage your stress levels? You’re getting good at it.
So, what are some of the goals that will help you move the needle toward a better life? This post will share 20 habits that will holistically support your health and wellness.
20 Holistically Healthy Habits to Start This Year
Adopting small, intentional habits can create a massive impact on your overall health and well-being. Holistic wellness considers the interconnectedness of physical, mental, and emotional health. These 20 healthy daily habits are things you can start today to move towards a healthier life in every area.
1. Start Your Day with Lemon Water
Hydrating first thing in the morning boosts metabolism, aids digestion, and energizes the body. Adding lemon provides a dose of vitamin C and supports natural detoxification.
2. Practice Gratitude
Spend 2-5 minutes journaling three things you’re grateful for. This simple habit can improve mental health, reduce stress, and foster a positive mindset. Back in 2014 was the first time I regularly started a gratitude practice— and honestly, it was hard at first. I had been gifted a five-minute gratitude journal for Christmas and was so excited to start.
But the first few days it took me an embarrassing amount of time to come up with 5 items that I was grateful for— despite living a blessed and abundant life. It’s because my brain was not trained in gratitude. It was not a habit.
Now, after years of intentionally practicing gratitude, I can list off endless things I am grateful for. That isn’t me tooting my own horn or pretending that my life is perfect, it’s just showing that you can get really good at something that used to be hard.
Related Reads:
3. Prioritize a Balanced Breakfast
Fuel your body with nutrient-dense foods like whole grains, healthy fats, and protein to sustain energy levels and stabilize blood sugar. I used to never eat breakfast— and I strongly believe it is part of what triggered my PCOS symptoms, anxiety, and inflammation. My body was constantly under stress and not getting the micronutrients it needed.
Now, a hearty breakfast and nourishing coffee are some of my favorite parts of my morning routine.
4. Incorporate Movement
Whether it’s yoga, a brisk walk, or strength training, aim for 30 minutes of physical activity daily to improve cardiovascular health and mood.
I think a common misconception is that the harder you workout, the better. But that is not necessarily true. The best workout is the one you can recover well from. All exercise is a stressor on the body— and if you are already reaching your body’s capacity for stress, a hard workout may do more harm than good.
Don’t underestimate the health benefits of a walk in nature or a few body-weight movements.
5. Take Mindful Breaks
Step away from screens throughout the day to rest your eyes and recalibrate your mind. Mindfulness practices like deep breathing can reduce stress and increase productivity.
6. Eat More Whole Foods
Opt for whole, unprocessed foods over packaged items to nourish your body with essential nutrients and antioxidants. A good rule of thumb it to prioritize first, foods that do not come in a package. These are things like fruits, vegetables, meats, and eggs.
After that, eat foods that are packaged with minimal ingredients. I try to aim for 5 or less in the ingredient list.
7. Stay Hydrated
Proper hydration supports your digestion, mental clarity, skin health, and energy. I love incorporating nutrient and mineral-rich fluids in addition to water. This includes things like coconut water, electrolyte drinks, bone broth and smoothies.
8. Limit Added Sugars
Excess sugar can lead to energy crashes and inflammation. Swap sugary and artificially sweetened snacks for naturally sweet options like fruits. This is also an easy place to make any recipe healthier— swap out refined sugars for maple syrup, honey, or agave.
We enjoy sugar in moderation in our diet. That means I try to avoid excess sources and just be intentional about where sugar comes into my diet.
9. Set Intentions
Start each day by identifying your top priorities and setting small, achievable goals. I love using this strategy to have success and wins throughout the day, and keep my momentum high on my way to those bigger goals.
I love setting a “top 3” every single day for things I want to accomplish outside of my daily routine. This is not always work-related. Sometimes I intentionally set “rest” as something I need to prioritize. This practice is all about checking in with what your body and mental health needs.
10. Practice Good Sleep
Sleep is a foundational element to holistic health— and, unfortunately, too often ignored. Establish a bedtime routine that includes winding down with a book, avoiding screens, and keeping your bedroom cool and dark to enhance sleep quality.
11. Use Non-Toxic Personal Care Products
I am never someone to say that all your products should be “clean” and “non-toxic”. But I do think we should be mindful about what is in our products and make healthier choices when we can.
That said, there can be a lot of contradictory information about what ingredients are healthy and which ones are harmful. Here are some of the posts I have sharing some of my favorite brands for healthier products:
12. Spend Time in Nature
Getting outdoors is one of the best free things you can do for your holistic health and wellness. I don’t know anyone who doesn’t feel better after spending time in nature. Nature also comes with other holistic benefits:
exposure to sunlight helps promote quality sleep
grounding helps regulate your nervous systems and mental health
time outside is linked with greater immune health
13. Practice Deep Breathing Exercises
Intentional breathing can help reduce stress and minimize feelings of anxiety. This is another free wellness practice that is often overlooked. Here are some of my favorite ways to practice deep breathing:
box breathing: inhale over 4 seconds, hold breath for 4 seconds, and exhale over 4 seconds. You can gradually increase the time for each phase as you get better control of your breathing
belly breathing: rather than taking quick, shallow breaths in your chest, try to engage your diaphragm and breathe into your belly. You can tell you are doing this correctly by laying on your back and watching to see if your stomach moves when you inhale.
14. Limit Screen Time
Overexposure to screens can cause eye strain, disrupt sleep, and elevate stress. An easy way to implement this is to establish screen-free zones or times. Here are some of the boundaries I have on phone use in my own life:
No being on my phone in my bedroom. This includes both before going to sleep and first thing upon waking.
Not using my phone before completing my morning routine.
Using an app blocker during work time. I have found that this is an added layer to help keep me from aimlessly grabbing my phone to scroll or waste time.
Only scrolling through social media if I am moving my body. This most often happens when I am on a stationary bike or treadmill at the gym. I have found that this is not only a great way to reduce my social media consumption, but also increase my steps. Win Win!!
15. Include Probiotic-Rich Foods
Incorporate foods like yogurt, kefir, and sauerkraut to promote a healthy gut microbiome, which supports immunity and digestion. There are also really cool studies that show the link of a healthy gut to a healthy brain, immune system, and mental health. Make sure to get those good bugs in!
16. Practice Daily Affirmations
Positive self-talk can reframe negative thought patterns and build confidence over time. As a person of strong faith, I regularly think of the Bible verse Philippians 4:8: "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things".
Anytime that I find myself thinking something negative, I try to stop it in its tracks and replace it with something more beneficial.
17. Declutter Your Space
Anytime that I am feeling overwhelmed, I start taking inventory of my environment. I find that oftentimes, my mental health reflects my surroundings. I feel better and am more productive when my space is organized and tidy, and as a busy, working mom, I can manage that better when I have fewer things.
18. Learn Something New
Whether it’s reading a new non-fiction book or learning a new skill, never stop learning something new! Over the last few years, some of my proudest moments have come from learning new skills and always trying to choose the opportunity to learn. Here are some of my favorite ways to learn something new:
Pickup a book from the library
Ask your friends to teach you something they are good at
Watch a Youtube video— 90% of the skills I have learned from building this blog and growing my business are thanks to good ol’ youtube videos
Listen to a podcast
Search for local classes
19. Connect with Loved Ones
We are social creatures by nature, and yet we live in a time where connection is often counterfeit. Messaging someone is not the same as sitting down over coffee and getting to talk while looking in their eyes. Try to prioritize true, intentional connection with those you love.
20. End the Day with Reflection
Take a moment to reflect on your day. Celebrate wins, learn from challenges, and set positive intentions for tomorrow. This is something I have implemented into my bedtime routine over the last year and it has been so great for my mental health. It also allows for me to regularly check-in on how i am showing up throughout the day.
Final Thoughts
Building healthy daily habits doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Start with one or two practices and gradually incorporate more into your routine. With consistency, these habits can transform your holistic health and wellness. Here are some of my favorite strategies to incorporate new habits that you can maintain long-term:
Habit Stacking
Start by listing all of your current habits throughout the day. My list would start something like this: wake up, feed my dog, cook breakfast and make coffee, read the Bible, etc…
Those are all things that are ritual in your day and you don’t have to think to do them.
Then, add in the things that are harder for you to remember but that you want to do. For me, this looks like taking supplements while my coffee is brewing, opening the windows to get fresh air and sunshine while my breakfast is cooking, applying healthy skincare products before I brush my teeth.
You can also use this method to “trick” yourself into limiting your less-favorable habits. Personally, I use this for social media. Instead of scrolling anytime throughout the day, I know that I have a boundary of only scrolling while I am doing cardio and moving my body. So, I’ll hop on the stationary bike we have, or while on the stair master at the gym. I turn a neutral (or sometimes negative habit) into one that is better for my holistic wellness.
5 Second Rule
Do you struggle to actually start something? Or maybe you are a really bad procrastinator? That was me for a long time, and one of the tools that helped break that cycle was reading The 5 Second Rule by Mel Robbins. The idea is simple— once you have the thought that you should be doing something, you have 5 seconds to take action— no allowing for anytime to talk yourself out of it.
Remember your why
Growing, by nature, is uncomfortable. Starting something new feels risky to our brain. So when you are starting something, it is crucial that you stay firmly rooted in your why. I love to write out a page or two in my journal all about my reasoning for a goal— then, anytime I am struggling or lacking motivation, i read my own words.
It helps keep me really focused on my intention and putting my head down and getting to work.
Check in and re-evaluate frequently
Sometimes, we set a great goal but don’t have the best plan in place to execute. That is okay and should not derail your progress, or your odds of achieving that goal. Simply check-in and notice that your current plan is not working, and re-adjust.
I love thinking of the analogy of an airplane pilot. If the pilot is leaving LAX and headed to New York, the smallest 1-degree shift in the wrong direction would land them in a completely different place over the course of the entire flight. The same can be said for our lives. Don’t spend weeks and months and years heading the wrong direction. Adjust your course and redirect it, even just by the smallest degree. That course correction will compound over time and bring you closer and closer to your desired destination.
Ready to get started?
If you read through this entire post and still feel a little uncertain about where to get started or how to implement a new habit, shoot me an email at hello@wellnesswithkaelyn.com - I love chatting with people about how they can optimize their wellness in a sustainable, holistic, and low-stress approach.
Kaelyn