10 Sustainable Healthy Habits to Focus on this year.
It’s that time of year again. January is riddled with messages on how to lose weight, get healthy, and ultimately better ourselves. But all too often, it comes with unhealthy restrictions and unnecessary pressure that ultimately leaves us feeling over-restricted and often failing at our new goals soon after we get started.
The truth is, many of these diets aren’t healthy, or often even the right choice for our bio-individual selves.
Dieting is often built around unhealthy habits like eating far too little, cutting out entire food groups that our bodies need, and of course, putting a ton of pressure on us to be perfect and follow strict rules (the stress itself can cause us to hold on to the very weight we’re trying to lose!).
This isn’t to say that there is no place for weight loss of any kind along our health journey. Sometimes it can be helpful for things like better sleep, balanced hormones, reduced joint pain, etc. Just be sure that weight loss is on your radar for the right reasons. If you’re looking to lose weight mainly because of the societal pressure to look a certain way or fit into a certain size, just remember that we are so much more than a number on the scale - and there are plenty of other ways to improve our health in a truly feel-good way.
This year, let’s approach health in a more sustainable way that makes you feel your best. Take a peek at these 10 simple, sustainable ways to make healthy shifts in 2024 and beyond.
Start your day with a glass of water.
Give you day’s hydration a jump start by drinking a full glass of water soon after you wake up in the morning, before drinking anything else, like coffee. Most of us aren’t staying anywhere near as hydrated as we should be. And let’s face it - in our busy lives, it can be hard to remember to get those cups in throughout the day.
After sleeping all night, our bodies are ready for some hydration in the morning! Start the daily habit first thing and work on keeping it up throughout the day.
Cook More Meals At Home
Highly processed foods and even foods made at restaurants can contain preservatives, added sugars, saturated fats and excess sodium, all of which can have a negative effect on our health and how we feel.
By making the shift to cook more foods at home, we have the freedom to add more nourishing whole foods to our diets that support our health in so many different ways.
Start by finding a few new recipes that sound good to you, or even by adding a couple of healthy ingredients to the recipes you already love like throwing a veggie alongside your morning scrambled eggs, or adding a dollop of greek yogurt into your boxed mac and cheese.
Looking for a little inspiration? Check out my recipe collections.
Seek Out Nutrients in Place of “Health Food”
Nutrients support our body’s every function. A diet lacking in nutrients often leaves us feeling unsatisfied and looking to fill that void some other way.
In our modern world, it can feel like there’s a new health food product on the market every week. Whether it’s weight loss teas, superfood shakes, or low-fat dairy-free versions of your favorite desserts, there’s always some new product we’re tempted to try in the name of being healthy.
Instead, focus on adding more simple, nutrient dense foods into your diet. Think fresh fruits and veggies (organic, if possible), high quality fats like ghee and olive or avocado oil, grass-fed and pasture-raised meats and wild caught fish.
Eat In-season Produce As often As Possible
Bonus points if you can buy it local from your own town or region.
Produce that’s in season actually has more nutrients than their out-of-season counterparts. In season produce often costs much less (because of their abundance), so it can save you some money, too. Plus, it just tastes so much better, and can add lots of delicious flavor to your meals.
Eat Protein for breakfast
Protein keeps you satisfied and helps balance your blood sugar.
On the other hand, low protein/high sugar foods that we typically like to eat for breakfast can set us up for a blood sugar crash later on. Protein in the morning can help you feel more full and satisfied for longer without needing a snack to get by.
Think scrambled eggs and veggies, chicken sausages and a slice of sourdough toast with grass-fed butter, Greek yogurt with fresh berries and chia seeds, or egg salad on sprouted grain bread.
Swap processed food and refined sugars for whole food alternatives
I know this one sounds scary, so remember 2 things:
This can be a gradual process - you don’t need to toss out everything in your pantry overnight (unless you want to!).
You don’t have to give up all of your favorite foods forever - there is always room for balance and enjoyment.
Just remember why you’re making these shifts in the first place. Highly refined and processed foods lead to inflammation, brain fog, weight gain, hormone imbalances, gut permeability (aka “leaky gut”), cravings and even an increased appetite.
Some swaps to consider making:
Trade sodas for kombucha, Poppi probiotic drinks, or sparkling water.
Swap pancake syrup with colorings, additives and flavorings for pure maple syrup.
Replace your morning bagel for sourdough bread.
Trade jelly for raw honey (local is even better!).
Use grass-fed butter in place of margarine.
Prioritize sleep & rest
Prioritizing moments of rest in our lives can be one of the ultimate forms of self-care. Life is busy, and we often tend to sacrifice sleep and downtime in order to get more done in our days. But skipping out on these much needed breaks has been shown to be harmful for our long-term health.
Getting good sleep promotes tissue healing and growth, immune system function, and detoxification. Conversely, not getting enough sleep has been linked to evidence of immune and hormone dysfunctions, blood sugar dysregulation, obesity, mood disorders, and cardiovascular problems.
Allow yourself time for rest and breaks throughout the day, don’t over commit to too many activities on your calendar, and trade one more episode of Netflix for heading to bed a little earlier.
Make time for movement
Whether it’s a jog around the block, lifting some weights at the gym, following along with your favorite yoga video or a stroll through the park with your pup, movement has huge benefits for our health.
Movement helps keep our brains healthy, helps to keep hormones balanced, increases lymphatic function and bone and joint health, and supports healthy immune and cardiovascular systems.
Even small movements throughout the day will add up and have a positive impact. Parking a little further away, taking the stairs instead of the elevator, going for one more lap around the block. Try adding a short walk (20 minutes is great!) after a meal to aid in digestion and blood sugar balance.
Get outside and get into nature
Reconnecting with nature does wonders for our mental and physical wellbeing, and we should be getting outside daily if we can.
Sunlight gives us much needed vitamin D, and getting some sunlight on our skin helps keep our circadian rhythm in check (especially first thing in the morning).
Walking outside with bare feet and touching the earth (also known as “grounding”) may have a positive effect on everything from inflammation and fatigue to anxiety and depression.
Eat Mindfully
Work towards making mealtimes a distraction-free zone. Put down your phone, turn off the tv, and start to get in tune with your meal and how your body feels. Really focus on chewing your food well, enjoying the smells, flavors and textures, and slowing down just a little bit.
Take some time to tune in to your body’s natural hunger cues. Are you getting full? Do you feel satisfied after eating, or did your meal feel like it was missing something? Are you still hungry even after finishing your meal? Does the food you’re eating make you feel a certain way (bloated, gassy, heartburn, etc)? These are all important signals from our body. And when we are distracted while eating a meal, we can easily miss these important cues.
There you have it! 10 simple, sustainable, healthy habits to start implementing this year, and beyond. If you need a little support in making some of these changes and figuring out how to make them fit into your unique lifestyle, check out my 1:1 health coaching services here.
This article is for informational purposes only. It is not, nor is it intended to be, a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment and we recommend that you always consult with your healthcare provider.
