The new year is upon us! And with it, the idea that we need to set resolutions and goals to become closer to the people we hope to be in 2023. These healthy habits can be started at any time of the year, and have long-lasting health benefits!
Try dedicating yourself to starting a couple of these healthy habits and see what sort of a difference they can make in your health this year!
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Please note that this is by no means an exhaustive list, and there are lots of tips that I’m leaving out.
These are just my choices of good habits for daily life, habits that I’ve seen change my life and I’m convinced can help you! No matter where you are in your health journey, these are all good habits to start as soon as possible. And they’re pretty easy to start doing- with some of them, you might wonder why you’ve never tried it before!
Healthy habits, little by little, can change your life.
Tracking and planning healthy habits
First, to better plan out your goals and accomplishments this year, I’d highly recommend getting a quality planner like this one. (Or, for you zero-wasters, this one is erasable and reusable year after year!)
And at the bottom of this post, you’ll also find a free printable checklist of healthy habits. You can also use it to create your own list of new year’s resolutions to help make this your healthiest year yet!
So without further ado, here are my top healthy new year tips for starting healthy habits this year.
1. Start smudging
If you’ve never tried smudging, now is a great time to start the habit! Smudging simply means lighting the end of a dried roll of herbs and allowing the smoke to cleanse your house and yourself. Smudging is a great way to remove old, stagnant energy and make way for new health and inspiration. The new year is a perfect time for that!
It’s also beneficial to smudge after sickness or an argument, or just any time there has been negative or unhealthy energy in your living space.
You can find sage smudge sticks or lavender smudge sticks online, just make sure that they’re ethically sourced and sustainably harvested!
Related: How to smudge yourself and your house
2. Dry brush
Dry brushing is a fantastic habit to bring into your daily routine.
Before you shower, take 10 minutes to get a dry brush and going over your whole body, from hands and feet to torso. (This dry brush includes a travel pouch, hook, and it has an attachable handle so you can reach everywhere easily!) Dry brushing helps to drain your lymph glands, increase circulation, get rid of dry skin, and improve skin texture. You can do it quickly to help you wake up, or slowly to support relaxation before bed.
It’s like a free daily massage!
Try out dry brushing as a rejuvenating, healthy habit to start this year.
Here’s my guide on everything you need to know about how to dry brush.
3. Eat healthier
Your food habits have a huge impact on your wellness, so this is a multi-step tip.
Everything that you eat goes into making who you are– what you put in your mouth matters! This year, try to remember to honor your body by only giving it foods that will nourish and support it, instead of foods that taste good for a moment, but then hold you back from full health and happiness in the long run.
Eating well is a very important healthy habit if you want to lose weight. And I’m not just talking about reducing the amount your eating- many people lose weight simply by switching over to an all-organic diet!
Still, I’m not going to recommend one diet over another, since we’re all so different and what works great for one person might not work at all for someone else.
That being said, I can wholeheartedly recommend that everyone should eat more whole foods and more fruits and veggies, and fewer processed foods and sugar! There have never been studies proving that chemical-laden foods or refined sugars have any benefits, but plenty of studies suggest that sugar, artificial oils, and processed foods are increasing our risk of disease and cancer. (source)
If you need a place to start with healthy recipes for the new year, check out my recipe posts or my healthy foods board on Pinterest!
Or check out some of these healthy recipes:
- Sugar-free applesauce recipe
- How to make almond milk at home
- Butter pecan ice cream
- Fluffy gluten-free biscuits
- 25 recipes with hidden veggies
You won’t regret creating healthy eating habits this year!
Make your own food
If you’re going to start the habit of eating more healthfully, making your own food at home is a must. Eating out is expensive, and even more so if it’s healthier food!
You can save money and know exactly what you’re putting into your body by making homemade meals. This is important because, even in restaurants that look all-natural or label themselves healthy, they’re still trying to save as much money as possible on their food costs. And that usually means cutting corners– for example, they’ll use vegetable oils instead of coconut oil. By making your own food, you can take complete control and make sure that every ingredient you use is something that will nourish and support your body.
And luckily, there are tons of healthy recipes that don’t even take that long to prepare- especially if you do food prep in bulk and freeze meals for later!
Homemade food is also usually healthier than what you can buy in the store- for example, even almond milk from the store that looks “all-natural” and healthy still has gut-disrupting fillers and preservatives! Plus it’s super expensive. You can save money and have a healthier, easy dairy-free option by making your own almond milk.
Or you can whip up some sugar-free applesauce in no time. And if you want a healthy dessert that you can use to treat yourself guilt-free, you can’t miss out on my butter pecan ice cream recipe!
I also love the health benefits of gardening. It’s a great way to have healthy, organic, local, nutritious food available! If you want a headstart on becoming a green thumb, make sure to check out my post on why you should use a garden planner, and the best vegetable garden planner to use!
Start intermittent fasting
Intermittent fasting has been gaining popularity recently- and for good reason!
Although it might sound intimidating, intermittent fasting is an easy habit to start, and it can help with cravings, weight loss, better energy, and more! Fasting has been a part of human history since its inception, and only recently have we stopped doing regular fasting. If fasting isn’t a part of your life, you’re missing out!
It’s a great healthy habit to lose weight (and keep it off!) and feel better and more energized. You can try it for as short or as long a time as you want, and it’s easy to tweak your intermittent fasting schedule to meet your needs!
You can find out more in my post on what to expect when you start intermittent fasting.
4. Exercise more
On the topic of more healthy habits to lose weight- I’m sure you saw this one coming, but I can’t go without mentioning exercise! However, I’m not going to recommend you do something you don’t enjoy. Forcing yourself to exercise makes it much more likely that you won’t stick with your resolution to work out more.
So find something you love that involves moving!
For me, that means a combination of short HIIT (high-intensity interval training) workouts, stretching, hiking, and sometimes Ultimate Frisbee (although there’s not nearly enough of that in my life at the moment!) But for you, that might mean running, weight lifting, boxing, swimming, dancing, or any number of activities!
Being active won’t make you tired- it will actually give you more energy, and it can boost your mood and stamina too!
Related: 10+ natural ways to have more energy
And when combined with the next habit, regular exercise is a huge part of having a healthier and happier lifestyle in the new year.
5. Get outside
I can’t overstate the importance of getting regular time in the great outdoors!
The fresh air, natural surroundings, and sunlight are all crucial to a healthy natural lifestyle.
And going outside doesn’t have to be an all-day thing that requires tons of planning. When’s the last time you went for a walk around the block or even just stood outside for some deep breathing? Just 10 minutes of direct sunlight can give you the Vitamin D you need for the day.
And if you go outside and make direct contact with the ground, you also get the added bonus of grounding, or earthing. Grounding is good for reducing anxiety, boosting your mood, balancing hormones, and much more! Read more about the life-changing benefits of grounding to learn more. (And yes, it is possible to ground inside and in the winter too!)
Related: 10+ natural remedies for anxiety
6. Prioritize self-care
By self-care, I’m not talking about binging on Netflix or donuts. I’m talking about doing things that are good for your mind, body, and soul, and allow you to unplug from the stresses of the world for a little while as you recharge and refresh yourself.
I believe that you can’t care for others well unless you care for yourself first, and checking into how you’re doing by intentionally using self-care is a great way to do that!
If you want some easy tips to start making self-care a habit, check out my post on how to use self-care to have a better day in 30 seconds.
7. Reduce waste
Next- let’s talk about reducing your trash. That might just sound like something that’s good for the environment- but it’s also good for your health and happiness! This is because plastics are everywhere, and they’re getting into our bodies and affecting our health, mood, and memory. (source)
Try making a habit of bringing your reusable bags to the grocery store, and bring your reusable mug to coffee shops. You might be surprised at how easy it is to create habits that are sustainable and good for you!
If you’re just starting out, make sure to check out my post on the best zero waste products to begin reducing your waste. (Hint: there are zero waste items you should not buy if you’re just starting out!) And if you want to take it a step further, you can read about creative ways to use less plastic.
If you’re a woman, creating a zero waste period is a fantastic way to have a healthier, chemical-free cycle with fewer cramps!
And if you’d like to start the habit of shopping at more bulk or zero waste stores, you can read my tips on zero waste shopping and bulk buying.
8. Get better sleep
Sleep is huge for your health! If you aren’t getting enough sleep, or quality sleep, you could be more susceptible to auto-immune disease and memory or mood issues. If you’re looking for healthy new year’s resolutions, getting more quality sleep should be at the top of your list.
One of the most important parts of getting good sleep is to try to wake up around the same time each day. That might be hard if you have work early on weekdays, or even impossible for some people if you have a graveyard shift. But if it’s at all possible, waking up around the same time each day is a great healthy habit to help you to sleep better.
It’s also important to avoid looking at your phone or watching TV right before bed. This disrupts your circadian rhythm and can give you an unwanted burst of energy.
For even more sleep tips, check out my mega-post on how to get better sleep and wake up feeling rested.
9. Remove toxins
You’re too valuable to be covering yourself with and breathing in toxins every day. Find small ways to remove toxins from your everyday life– artificial fragrances are a great place to start. Fragrances, scented candles, and air fresheners aren’t required to report their ingredients. And that one word “fragrance” on an ingredient list could include hundreds of carcinogenic chemicals. You don’t need that!
I’ll promise you something: If you remove all air fresheners and artificial fragrances from your life for just two weeks, and then start using them again, you’ll realize how nasty and overpowering they really are!
If you want healthy alternatives, just use beeswax candles and an essential oil diffuser instead. (I enjoy using these essential oils with my diffuser!)
Another easy swap is to trade out dryer sheets for wool dryer balls. Dryer sheets are incredibly toxic, they pollute your indoor air and can cause respiratory problems. Just toss a couple of wool dryer balls into the dryer instead! (And guess what… wool dryer balls also soften your clothes, reduce wrinkles, and shorten drying time!)
If you want some more easy ideas for how to get harmful toxins out of your life, you can check out my free guide on how to reduce toxins!
And if you’ve been exposed to too many toxins already, you might have a chemical sensitivity. If that’s the case then you’ll want to check out my post that’s all about chemical sensitivities and how to detox!
10. Pray more
There have been triple-blind, randomized studies that support the idea that prayer is beneficial. (source) When you pray, you get every health benefit that comes along with meditation. This includes a reduced heart rate, elevated immune system function, better moods, and less stress.
Prayer isn’t just impactful for yourself, though. No matter what you believe in, prayer can be powerful, and it’s worth it to pray more!
Other studies also suggest that having a spiritual belief system is a safeguard against depression. (source) Praying and taking place in regular worship services together with friends and family is something you should strive for this year if you want to add to your healthy habits!
Related: Why Christians should be the healthiest people on the planet
Conclusion
I hope this list helps you feel equipped for starting new and healthy habits this year!
If you’d like a simple way to keep track of your goals and accomplishments, make sure you download my free Healthy Habits Checklist! These are good habits for daily life and you can start them any time, not just for the new year! Just put in your email below to get started.
2023 could be the year you start taking control of your health and making steps towards becoming the healthiest you possible.
What are you waiting for?
