Do you find yourself wanting to live a healthier lifestyle? You can start by making a few simple changes to your day-to-day routine. In fact, implementing small changes can have more of an impact on your overall health than any one diet or workout plan. You'll lose a little weight, feel a little better, and then find it a lot easier to incorporate a few more healthy habits into your routine. Building these habits up slowly over time will help you create a new lifestyle that you will be able to stick with long term.

Are you motivated but unsure of where to start? Start with these five simple changes:

Prioritize sleep.

When we think of good daily habits to develop, sleep is rarely thought of. But developing a good sleep schedule is crucial if you want to level up your life. A good amount of sleep helps us concentrate more, have better focus, process information, maintain a healthy weight, and lower stress. Bonus: it improves our energy levels for the day ahead.

Most people say that eight hours of sleep is ideal, but it is important to test and see what works best for you. Make note of whether you are productive and happy on the days after you get seven hours of sleep. If you aren’t, bump it up to 7.5 hours, and continue doing so until you find that sweet spot and begin to feel energized and healthy throughout your day.

Start a journal.

Mindset is everything. Clearing your mind first thing in the morning and before you go to bed at night can be one of the best habits you can start. Writing your thoughts down every day helps you sort through mental barriers, set goals, remember what you are grateful for, and it gives you great insight and understanding of your life.

Best of all, it’s easy! Start your day by writing one thing you want to accomplish that day, one thing you are grateful for, and one thing you may be struggling with. At the end of the day, revisit your journal and see if you accomplished your task, reflect on where your mind is at, and write down what went well and what you might want to do differently the next day to make it more productive. Once you have developed the habit of writing daily, you can expand on your entries by adding more to your lists.

Drink more water.

Did you know that drinking a glass of water before every meal can help you lose weight, improve your skin, and feel more energized? Water is known to be the best and the most natural hydrating liquid. It promotes cardiovascular health, keeps muscles and joints working, and helps cleanse toxins from your body, and can even help relieve headaches.

Keep your body happy and hydrated but you maybe wondering, how much water should you drink each day? That maybe seem like a simple question, but it is one without an easy answer. Everyone’s need will be different based on your body and activities, but the important thing is to listen to your body and keep it happy. If you find it hard to get in more water, try these tips:

• Add flavor to your water by steeping fresh fruit (grapefruit, strawberries, lemon), veggie slices (cucumber, ginger, celery), and herbs (basil and mint) to give it a little kick!
• Drink a glass of water before every meal. Like mentioned above, this will not only help you increase your water intake but will also help you feel fuller and can even help reduce the amount of calories consumed at a given meal.
• Track your intake. Fill up a larger container with the amount you want to finish by the end of the day, because seeing the water you have left to drink can help motivate you to get it all in! It’s also a great reminder to DRINK up if you look over at an almost full jug. You can even step it up a notch and mark the jug with times that you want to finish that amount by! The more water you drink, the more you will get into the habit of this and can challenge yourself to finish more and more.

Eat more green things.

Food is fuel for your body. Having a healthy diet gives you more energy and increases your productivity and mood. Think about it: if you fill your body with food that it cannot easily process, it will be using most of its energy on that versus giving you that extra pep in your step. We can’t expect our bodies to feel their best when we are not providing them with the best! Once you can wrap your head around how much your diet fuels your day, it’s easier to make the switch to be more mindful of what you eat.

But sometimes, finding the best way to clean up your daily eating habits can by hard. You can start by making some healthy alternative switches in your days, like choosing a green smoothie instead of your normal after-dinner dessert or having a bowl of oats instead of that tempting doughnut. Another great way to help with hunger and to enhance your plate is to pump up your meals with vegetables. They are a great source of vitamins and minerals, and they increase the volume of your meals to keep you feeling full for half the calories.

Be more active by exercising regularly.

Your body is your most important asset, and we only get one, so we better take care of it. One of the best ways to take care of it is to develop the habit of exercising regularly. The best type of exercise is the one you stick with and love to do. This can be going to the gym and getting 30 minutes in on the , taking afternoon walks, or joining a yoga class. Whatever you do, just get up and move!

Exercise not only does the body good physically, but it is also is great for us mentally because it boosts your confidence, is a great stress reliever, and increases energy levels. When you feel good internally, that exudes externally. To make exercise a daily habit, schedule it into your calendar, set reminders, and if possible, always exercise at the same time. This will help you build a routine

Ready to get started? We are challenging you to 30 days of consistency. Don’t wait until tomorrow! Start now and hold yourself accountable. Download our consistency calendar here!