Last Updated on April 13, 2022
Everyone has their daily habits – some healthy, some not so much. Your habits can make or break your day, affect your productivity levels, and, simply, how you feel mentally and physically.
Here is a list of some of the healthy habits I abide by and others that I am working on.
Write out your own list (or steal some of mine) to start working towards being consistent with your healthy habits.
Write down things that work and cross off things that don’t until you have a better understanding of what makes you feel good each day! Because in the end, that’s all that matters.
Mental Health Habits:
Be mindful of your phone
When my alarm goes off every morning, the first thing I used to do was skim through Instagram, Facebook and emails before I felt ready to get out of bed. That habit needed to be cut.
Doing this started creating a negative start to my day. One where I was more reactive than proactive.
Now, after waking up, I glance at my phone just to make sure there are no important texts or missed calls I need to take care of right away and proceed to getting my day started.
I try to only take short breaks on my phone throughout the day and otherwise try to just keep it out of sight and out of mind.
Write your thoughts down
I like to keep a journal right next to my bed. Sometimes at night I’ll wake up with a thought of something I have to do or an idea.
Writing it down eases my mind so I don’t have to worry about forgetting it.
Same goes for in the morning. If I wake up in a bad mood or with something I have on my mind, I write it down and I leave it there.
Keep a Daily Planner
Being organized is key to mental health.
I like to not only write down my schedule, but also what I did each day so I can look back at it as a reminder if needed, or simply use it as an organized diary.
Have a Tangible To-Do List
Keeping lists on your phone can be super handy, but also distracting when you get a notification while you’re trying to remember what you wanted to get done.
That’s why every night before I go to bed, I write out my to-do list for the next day in a journal where I write out everything I *realistically* want to accomplish the next day.
This list usually only consists of 5-7 items that I know I can get done.
At the beginning of each week on Sunday night, I will write out a master to-do list of things that will be added to my daily lists or that I can turn to if I complete my daily list.
Once you finish a task, it’s an amazing feeling to physically be able to cross off an item!
Workout Your Brain
Next to my bed, I like to keep a Sudoku book. Usually I will do one before going to bed or right when I wake up in the morning to get the wheels turning.
There are also some cool apps out there with fun brain games — I use Lumosity.
Read
I tend to keep a variety of books on my nightstand for some reading before bed each night.
I usually have both some fiction and non-fiction options to choose from based on what mood I’m in.
Right now, on my nightstand, I have “Everything is F*cked” by Mark Manson, “Big Magic” by Elizabeth Gilbert, “Goodbye to All That” (short stories of writers who have loved and left New York), as well as “Primates of Park Avenue” by Wednesday Martin.
(All of my fun “mindless” books always tend to revolve around the theme of New York.)
Find some fun and mindless books on a subject that you really enjoy when you want some light reading that you actually look forward to reading each day, plus some educational-type books that you can apply to your life.
Meditation
I am really working on this. I’m really bad at it though. I have a huge problem with sitting still and not being productive.
I finally downloaded the app, Calm, and have been slowly working my way into the world of meditation.
Sitting still for 10 minutes with your own thoughts can be a torturous task when all I want to do is go, go, go.
What good this will do for me in the long run? I’m not sure yet. But what I do know is that it is a crazy hard mental challenge.
Physical Health Habits:
Morning Tonic
Every morning, the first thing I do after I use the restroom and wash my face is make my morning tonic.
It’s simply a few dashes of cayenne pepper, a pinch of pink Himalayan sea salt, about two tablespoons of lemon juice, and cold water. This concoction wakes me up and gets things moving (if you know what I mean).
Tea Time
Along with my morning tonic, I like to have a cup of tea.
Now and then, I will rotate between tea and coffee depending on what I’m feeling, but tea tends to settle better with me as it is not as acidic.
My favorite is Ronnefeldt Jasmine Gold Tea
Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate!
Along with my morning tonic and tea (or coffee), I fill up my 40 oz Hydroflask water bottle and drink that to rehydrate.
(Yes, I pee about a bijillion times in the morning from all these fluids, but hey, ya gotta hydrate!)
Breakfast – Break[your]fast
Breakfast is the first meal of the day and literally means “breaking your fast” from the night before.
So, when it comes to breakfast, my go-to meal typically is a good balance of healthy fats and carbs, plus packed with protein.
I usually make a smoothie with spinach, a few berries, a scoop of Dymatize ISO 100 Whey Protein Natural
I then put a scoop of non-fat Greek yogurt in a bowl, mix in a little peanut butter, then pour my smoothie over top and sprinkle with some granola for a delicious and filling smoothie bowl.
Days that I’m on the go, I will just do a smoothie with similar ingredients (minus the granola and add some almond milk).
Gym
My gym schedule varies based on how I’m feeling or if I’m teaching or taking a class, but I do make it a point to work out every day.
Before I go, I will write out a plan of what exercises I will complete, plus how many sets and reps to complete of each.
Having this written in front of me holds me accountable to get it done.
Don’t have access to a gym? Check out my post on Workouts You Can Do ANYWHERE without ANYTHING!
During my workouts, I always drink ALLMAX Aminocore Natural BCAAs
I’ll also add in a scoop of Vital Proteins Collagen Peptides
Vitamins and Supplements
I used to take a ton of vitamins and supplements but have reduced those down to only the essentials I think I need to make sure I am getting all of the proper nutrients in my diet.
Every day, I take a multivitamin (I use Opti-Women
I also tend to get a lot of anxiety and have found that mixing a few drops of Herb Pharm’s Anxiety Soother
Some other great oils from Herb Pharm that help with anxiety are Lemon Balm
Nutrition
As for my daily nutrition habits, each person is different.
I don’t personally support all of the fad diets that are out there today, and think that a balanced diet is the healthiest.
I try to lean towards more protein-packed meals that will leave me feeling full, and avoid eating too many carbs or fats, that can actually trigger anxiety for me – especially when it comes to sweets.
Though, I come from a family of sweet tooths’, and I swear it’s genetic, I always need something a little sweet after a meal.
I try to keep it as healthy as possible and will sometimes do a yogurt bowl with non-fat Greek yogurt, sliced almonds, frozen berries, a drizzle of honey, and dark chocolate chips, or I will have a graham cracker with almond or peanut butter and dark chocolate chips.
When it’s a special occasion and I want to go crazy, I will make my famous chocolate chip cookies (sorry, it’s a secret recipe!).
The best thing about making things from scratch is that you know exactly what you are putting in them. I typically use less sugar than what is called for and add in healthier ingredients where I can.
Sleep
Sleep is a huge component for achieving both mental and physical health.
I have found that if I can get between 7 to 7.5 hours of sleep each night, I am feeling good. Any longer or any shorter, I tend to feel pretty groggy the rest of the day.
Before I go to sleep, I like to read to be able to turn off my thoughts from the day and settle down.
Usually, after a few pages I find myself dozing off, which is when I will turn off the light and go to sleep. Once I open my book, I am done looking at my phone for the evening, so I make sure my alarm is set before.
