13 Daily Habits to Improve Your Life
“Each day is an opportunity to craft your best life. Each day brings a chance to choose your greatness.”
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Introduction
I’m not a huge fan of New Year’s resolutions.
Studies show that approximately 80 percent of people give up or fail within the first 30 days of setting New Year’s resolutions. This is because people often set New Year’s resolutions without intention.
People often don’t have a plan for how they will stick to their resolution in the long term. They also don’t consider the best way to execute their resolution.
That’s why we tend to have the same New Year’s resolution year after year with no change. You don’t have to be a statistic!
Years ago, I would make several New Year’s resolutions each year, but one of them was always weight loss.
That’s a great goal, but I never had a plan for the daily habits I would do each day to reach my goal.
Will I walk 30 mins each day? Replace my nightly dessert with fruit? I usually would say, “I’ll go to the gym and eat better,” but those are vague.
I never planned out when I would go to the gym and for how long. I never sat down and thought about what exactly I needed to do to eat better.
Now, a New Year’s resolution is really just a goal.
The key to success in any goal is to have a plan in place on how you will reach that goal. And that plan is starting and adding habits into your day to help you reach your goals.
Let’s look at how the SMART framework for goal setting can help you do just that.
SMART Framework
It helps to follow the SMART framework for goal setting to reach your goals.
SMART stands for specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound.
This framework will help you get really specific about the habits you need to start in order to reach your goals.
Let’s break down the SMART framework:
Specific– Be as clear, specific, and narrow as possible with what the goal is.
Measurable– How will you know you are making progress toward your goal?
Achievable– Can the goal be accomplished within a specific timeframe? Making a goal achievable can help with focus and motivation.
Relevant– Each goal you set should help you achieve your vision for your life or a more significant, long-term goal. Ask yourself why the goal is important and how it will help you reach your long-term goals and vision for your life.
Time-bound– Determine a specific end date for you to reach the goal. This can help you determine which goals are most important and help with motivation.
Let’s look at how you can turn a vague goal of getting in shape into specific habits that it will take to get there.
SMART Goal Example
Vague Goal:
I’m going to get in shape (we need to get more specific on how this will be accomplished)
SMART Goal Example:
Specific: I’m going to run three times a week and train for a half marathon.
Measurable: I will follow a running program until the half marathon date, so I can run the half marathon and not stop.
Achievable: I'm healthy, I used to run in college, and I have four months until the half marathon, so I know I can do this.
Relevant: I want to be healthier and get stronger.
Time-bound: I signed up for a local half marathon on November 30th, four months from now.
So, in this example, rather than just saying, “I want to get in shape,” you now have a specific habit you need to do to get in shape. This habit is to run three times a week and train for a half marathon.
The SMART framework is an excellent exercise to go through for any goal. The first step is to think about what your BIG goal is. Then think of the specific things you need to do to reach that goal.
This formula helps illustrate how your habits relate to your goals.
Habit + Habit + Habit = BIG GOAL
An example of this is :
Walking daily + Eating veggies at each meal + Meditating daily = Losing 10 pounds in 2 months
Your daily habits will make or break your goal.
What is a Habit?
Now you know that using the SMART framework for goal setting will help you determine what habits you need to implement to reach your goals. So now, let’s look more at what habits are.
Habits help form who we are as people. Habits are usually in response to something specific.
Any action or behavior you perform regularly is a habit. A habit is a pattern of behavior that is developed through frequent repetition.
Habits can be good or bad. A good habit is eating fruit and veggies daily, which can help improve your health.
An example of a bad habit is eating sugary foods when stressed. This habit can have a negative impact on your health.
After some time, our habits become second nature and a part of our lifestyles.
If you work on adopting good habits and getting rid of the bad ones, you’ll see a transformation in your life. It’s never too late to create healthier habits!
How Can Healthy Habits Transform Your Body and Mind?
Doing something repeatedly makes you more likely to stick with it. This is because repeated behaviors become effortless and automatic over time.
Performing these repeated habits over months and years will lead to a transformation in your body and mind.
When you start to see the benefits of a healthy habit in your life, you’re more motivated to stick with that behavior and make it a part of your lifestyle.
Developing a new habit causes you to realize that you have the power to transform your life and reach your goals.
How to Start New Healthy Habits
1.Climb Hills, not Mountains
If you want to climb a mountain, it helps first to climb a hill. Let’s say, for example, that you want to lose 20 pounds. Looking at losing 20 pounds can feel like climbing a mountain. So, climb a hill first.
That hill can be developing a habit of walking a mile every day. Sticking to this habit of walking will help you feel motivated and bring you closer to losing 20 pounds.
2. association
It’s helpful to associate a new habit with an existing one so that you can remember it until it becomes automatic.
Let's say you want to get in the habit of saying daily affirmations each morning. You could put a note on your bathroom mirror to remind you to say the affirmations when you brush your teeth.
You will soon reach the point where you won’t need the note to remind you.
3. Be Patient
Studies show that it takes 66 days on average to form a habit, but it can take anywhere between 18 and 254 days.
So, make sure to practice patience and self-compassion when developing new habits.
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Helpful Tips to Form Healthy Habits
Here are some tips that will help you reinforce new habits:
Track your habits. This will help with accountability.
Perform your habit at the same time each day.
Make your habit realistic.
Make performing your habit convenient.
Benefits of Starting Healthy Habits
There are many benefits of starting good habits. These benefits include:
Increased self-esteem
Reduced stress and anxiety
Adding predictability and structure to your life
Increased productivity
13 Daily HaBITS TO improve YOUR LIFE
Now that you know why habits are so important in reaching your goals, let’s look at 13 habits you can add to your routine that will transform your mind and body.
1. Eat More Fruits and Veggies
Eating more fruits and veggies will help you lose weight and improve your health, especially when eaten in favor of highly processed foods. If you don’t eat many fruits and veggies now, you could start by adding a fruit or veggie to at least one meal a day.
2. Drink More Water
Drinking adequate water helps with increased energy, weight loss, and improving your overall health. The recommendation is to drink between half an ounce and an ounce of water for each pound you weigh.
For example, if you weigh 150 pounds, you would drink between 75 and 150 ounces of water daily. You can start this habit by drinking a glass of water right when you wake up.
Try carrying around a big water bottle with you to ensure you always have water when you need it!
3. Create a Nighttime Routine
Creating a nighttime routine will help you improve your sleep. Getting at least 7 hours of quality sleep each night is recommended. For example, you could make it a habit to read for 10 minutes each night before bed to wind down.
Using a fitness tracker can help you track your sleep, as well as your stress and daily activity!
4. Get Enough Protein
Adequate protein is a must for building muscle. Having more muscle will help you burn more fat, which will help with weight loss.
Getting .8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight is recommended. For someone who is 150 pounds, that is 54 grams of protein. You can start a habit of eating at least one protein at each meal.
Related: 13 High-Protein Vegan Foods to Build Muscle and Lose Weight
5. Strength Training
Strength training helps build muscle. Muscle helps you burn more fat. Strength training can also help boost your brain.
It’s recommended to strength train 2-3 times a week. And that doesn’t have to mean lifting heavy weights! For example, you can start with a goal to do ten push-ups a day.
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6. Walking
Walking is excellent for mental and physical health. It’s also a free and easy exercise you can do! You could start with walking 10 minutes a day, for example, and work your way up from there.
7. Yoga
Yoga can help with stress management, quality sleep, mindfulness, and weight loss. There are lots of free yoga channels on YouTube. You could aim to do yoga for 10 minutes a day, three days a week to start with, for example.
8. Meditation
Meditation is a helpful stress management technique. You can start with as little as 10 minutes daily to see the benefits!
I really like Circle & Bloom Guided Meditations. They have meditations for everything from trying to conceive to PCOS health!
9. Deep Breathing
Deep breathing helps to lower stress and increase energy. Try the 4-7-8 breathing method. I set a reminder on my phone to do deep breathing at least twice daily.
10. Practice Gratitude
Practicing gratitude is associated with many mental and physical benefits. Studies show that feeling grateful can improve feelings of stress and anxiety.
It can also improve sleep and immunity. You can start by writing down one thing you are thankful for daily. You can do this on your phone or in a notebook.
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11. Read More
Reading more can help you feel less stressed and more relaxed. It can also improve your concentration, memory, imagination, and creativity.
Finding the time to read a whole book can seem impossible when you’re busy. Start with a goal to read a page a day, for example.
12. Limit Social Media
Scrolling on social media too much can negatively impact your mental health by leading to feelings of dissatisfaction in your life. It can also lead to more distractions, disrupted sleep, and self-image issues.
If you don’t want to eliminate social media, try making it a habit of not scrolling at night before bed. Or, set a limit for yourself to using social media no more than an hour a day, for example.
13. Learn to Have Fun!
Having fun can help you feel less stressed and anxious. It can also improve your relationships, both at home and at work. It can create an opportunity to bond and connect with others.
Finding something you love to do can also increase feelings of happiness and hope. Try making a list of things you used to love doing or would love to do now.
Make it a habit to do at least one fun thing off that list each week to start with. Your list may include things like dancing, singing, art, or learning to play an instrument!
Conclusion
Try one or two of these healthy habits to start. Once you get the hang of those, you can add other habits to your routine.
Remember to be patient with yourself, and don’t give up! The most critical parts of implementing new habits are learning to be patient and consistent.
When looking at habits, think small. By starting small, you can achieve significant results.
Remember to celebrate your wins along the way, no matter how small they may seem.
Learning to feel good about your successes (big or small) changes how you think about yourself and your goals. This is what leads to a transformation.
Getting support when it comes to developing new habits is valuable. Seeking the help of a health coach allows you to get more personalized guidance, accountability, and support.
Forming new, healthy habits is the best way to transform your life.
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