Daily Health Habits for 2024

What are daily health habits?

They're just small, simple habits that you consistently do to care for yourself.

If you felt like you hit the wall physically, mentally, and emotionally at the end of 2023, you were not alone. But we can build back better. If you want to finish 2024 feeling happier and healthier, these simple habits will help you achieve this. If we keep doing the same things, we will get the same results. So, let's switch up our daily routine and reap the benefits.

Six areas of our lives will benefit from some simple habits - selfcare, stress management, good sleep, movement, good fuel, and time without tech. If we can incrementally improve those areas over the year, we are going to feel so much better. So, let's unpack them one at a time.

Selfcare routines to start the day.

We generally think of these as the care rituals we have at the beginning and end of the day. The routines that help us get ready to face the day and the routines that help us unwind ready for sleep.

For example, every morning we're going to be doing our daily habits - drink something, eat something, brush our teeth, wash, moisturise our body, put on deodorant, get dressed, and groom. These things set us up for success, and we can treat each one as ordinary and rush through them, or we can do little things to make each of them special.

When we take the time to make them special, we tend to feel more cared for and more loved. We also tend to slow down and enjoy the moments so much more.

💞 Instead of starting the day with a plain glass of water or a coffee, start the day with a warm glass of water with a squeeze of lemon.
💞 Search out some pretty breakfast bowls and fill them with overnight Bircher with fresh fruit on top.
💞 Find some pretty facecloths or an exfoliating glove to make the shower feel more luxurious.
💞 Choose skincare, body moisturisers, and deodorants that make you feel good when you use them.

The goal is to make your mornings feel beautiful. Then keep that glow going all day!

Stress Management

While we're all different and different things cause us stress, but making room for fun seems to help us all. Sing in the shower, dance while you're dressing, play music that makes you feel happy, and spend time with people that make you laugh. Laughter is one of the great stress relievers, so lean into it and choose to make life fun.

Making other people happy, also makes us happy. Joy is one of those gifts that multiplies the more you give. Just like the saying, "If you want a friend, be a friend." If you want to be happy, make others feel happy.

Sleep Hygiene

Good sleep is the foundation of good health. If you're not getting good sleep, here 7 tips that help - move your body for at least 30 minutes every day, keep coffees as morning drinks, make your bedroom restful (cool, dark and quiet), keep to a sleep schedule that provides for at least 7 hours of sleep, create a relaxing night time routine and avoid stressful conversations before bed, and have at least 30-minutes without devices on before lights go out, journalling can be a great way to clear your mind before you turn the lights off.

Fitness Routines

Movement is super important for good health, but it doesn't have to be huge - quietly start increasing your activity by adding opportunities to walk. Take the steps instead of the lift, walk in your lunch break, have a walk after dinner, or go exploring on Saturday.

While the goal is to become someone who moves every day for at least 30 minutes, start with an activity that you can consistently manage and build up from there. Progress not perfection is key!

Nutritional Wellness

When we overhaul our diet, we usually fall off the wagon and go back to our old habits, to avoid this start with small steps—simple things like adding a big salad to the evening meal.

Think ADD rather than remove, and the better nutrition you add, the more your body will thrive, and the less you'll crave the stuff that doesn't make you feel so good.

If chocolate is your go-to, then work with that and make it more nutritious. Have you tried making dark chocolate bark with dates, nuts, nut butter, and Whittaker's 72% Ghana chocolate? Comment below if you'd like the recipe.

Tech-free time for digital wellbeing

Finally, carve out some time to be tech-free. In this switched-on world, it can feel like we can never leave our devices at home - we can and we must! Whether it is not checking your phone until after breakfast or turning it off over lunch ... find something that works for you and give yourself a break. Our bodies work better when they have time unplugged, and we feel so much better when we can focus on being present in the moment. Even little habits like, my phone is never in my hand when I'm in nature, can make a world of difference. You do you, but find something that gives you a digital break.

Life is too short to spend it feeling weary. Let's be intentional and make 2024 the year that leaves us feeling amazing.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on healthy habits! leave a comment below. Until next time, take care, my friend. xx