You’ve probably read a social media post or blog about healthy habits and how important they are. And they are important for a variety of factors. But what actually are healthy habits? Are they healthy for everyone? How do you make them? How do you keep them?
The answers to these questions all have around the same answer – it depends, and you work hard.
It’s not a fun answer. But it’s the answer all the same.

So what are healthy habits?
When you think healthy habits – you probably already have a pretty good idea of what they might look like. It might include things like:
–> Exercising regularly or daily
–> Drinking water
–> Cooking at home
–> Getting enough sleep
–> Getting your veggies in
These are GREAT habits to have. And you’re probably already doing some of them – it might not be perfect. But that’s okay. Perfect isn’t the point. The point is to TRY and continue building them. You didn’t build the habits you currently have over night. You’re not going to build new ones the same way.
Healthy habits are things that add to both your physical and mental well being. The AND is very important here. You are a WHOLE person – that includes your physical, mental and emotional states. They’re not separate entities. They work together – if one isn’t happy, it usually shows it’s self in the other areas.
This is where the “Are they healthy for everyone?” question comes into play. Just because one person can track their food with no problems doesn’t mean every one can. For some – food tracking can lead to things like obsessing over your choices and on the extreme side, they can lead to eating disorders. So for some people – tracking is the LEAST healthy habit.
Same with exercise. Some people have no problem getting and hour or more gym session in every day. For others, more than 3 workouts a week causes stress because they don’t have the same amount of time to dedicate. That doesn’t mean they’re failing or less than, or even less dedicated. It just means that people have very different lives and not everything is going to work for everyone else.
When it comes to habits around food – for some it’s healthy and realistic to get fresh fruits and veggies in daily. But for some – they simply can’t afford them, or live in food deserts and don’t have the same access to things. So focusing on these habits would be incredibly stressful because they simply can’t.
How do I build healthy habits for me?
Healthy habits are things that ADD to your healthy – hopefully hitting the trifecta of physical, mental and emotional.
–> If you’re someone that wants to build a habit around exercise sit down with a calendar and see what you can realistically commit to each week. And if that changes week by week – that’s fine!
But try to plan it out. Put in the days and times that you can get something in. Maybe it’s a 20 minute walk at noon on Monday, a YouTube workout Wednesday after work and a longer walk on a trail with a friend Saturday. Or maybe it’s a workout class 3-4x a week. Whatever works for you and your schedule and doesn’t cause extra stress – do that.
–> If you’re someone that wants to build a habit around getting more veggies in – look at your finances. Is it more wallet friendly for you to buy fresh or frozen options? What would be the easiest way for you to actually include them into your meals? Would it be air fryer options? Or would it be side salads with fresh lettuce and other veggies. Whatever the path of least resistance is for you – do that.
–> If you’re someone that wants to build a habit around drinking more water – do you hate plain water? That’s okay, get zero sugar flavored waters. Or sparkling water options. And aim to add a little each day. Don’t start guzzling a gallon jug. You’ll do it for 3 days and then be toast. Add 1 cup every 4 -5 days until you’re at the amount you want to be at.
Our habits don’t have to be hated, or cause extra stress. You don’t have to be perfect. You just have to TRY.
And if you want some extra help navigating them – book a No Sweat Intro to find out how we can help you find habits that serve YOU. Not the other way around.
