Small Habits That Can Improve Your Health Every Day

If you have set goals in the past but failed, you wouldn’t be alone. Maybe the mere thought of setting goals gives you anxiety or makes you feel hopeless. But don’t give up just yet! Your personal health is extremely important—important enough to try again and again, even after experiencing previous failures. But just like anything, it will be best to start small to increase your chances of sustainable success.

Do Some Light Exercise

If you are feeling overwhelmed with the thought of exercise, start small. Rarely do people succeed going from zero physical activity to running marathons. Furthermore, rarely do people succeed when they choose physical activities that aren’t at least somewhat enjoyable. Therefore, start small with a fifteen minute stroll after breakfast, or some easy stretching before bed. Or, if that isn’t your thing, pick an activity that you genuinely enjoy—like rock climbing, dance, or horseback riding—and find either a class to join or a group of people you can participate in that activity with. You will find exercise to be much more manageable that way.

Go Outside

There are a plethora of benefits to spending time outdoors. First, natural sunlight helps one’s body create vitamin D, a vitamin that plays an essential role in absorbing calcium and protecting one’s bones, muscles, and immune system. Just 15 minutes of sunlight can be enough to absorb Vitamin D, says Maccaro Pediatric Dentistry. Furthermore, fresh air and being out in nature is known to boost your mood, improve sleep, and help you feel happier. Therefore, set a goal to spend at least 15 minutes outside every day.

Practice Mindfulness

You may feel intimidated by the idea of mindfulness. Perhaps when you hear that word, you think of hours meditating or becoming a yoga guru. But while meditating and yoga can be great for your health, they aren’t necessary when adopting mindfulness in your day-to-day life.

A great mindfulness habit that will help you feel more confident, grounded, and happy is to live in the moment, according to Blissful Kids. Remove distractions, like your cell phone, before bed—or actually focus on the taste and texture of your food when eating meals. Take time to really live in the moment when spending quality time with family and friends. Not only is this great for your mental health, but it impacts your physical health as well.

As the adage goes, small decisions can lead to big outcomes. If you are looking to improve your life and your health, don’t try to do everything at once. Rather, do what you can to adopt those small, daily habits without completely overwhelming yourself. Through patience and sustainable goal-setting, you will be surprised by how much you can truly accomplish.

Check out this article on what you should do to stay healthy in a cold environment!