5 Micro Habits for a Healthy & Balanced Lifestyle
It’s common to think that the only way to make long-lasting changes is to completely reinvent yourself, switch up your daily routine, and make bold moves. With this post, I want to show you that improving your life starts with micro habits that you can include in your day-to-day to create a more balanced lifestyle.
Whatever your goal is – whether that’s:
- Running a 5k
- Writing a book
- Waking up early
- Launching your blog
- Socialising more
You have two options:
- You can go in sprints – letting temporary bursts of motivation push you to work toward your goals;
- You can go slow and steady – making progress through micro habits that will ultimately allow you to reach your end goal
In this post, you’ll discover the 5 daily habits you should stick to for living a healthy and balanced lifestyle.
So are you ready to improve your life, one micro habit at a time? Then, let’s get started!
DISCLAIMER: I will receive a small commission – which won’t affect your final price – on the mentioned products. I am only promoting products that I consider valuable and beneficial. If you decide to make any purchase, well…thank you for buying me a cup of coffee today! Xx
Why Micro Habits Are Effective?
There are many advantages linked to adopting micro habits, such as:
- It’s easier to stick to healthy habits in the long term if you break them down into manageable chunks
- You can benefit from habit stacking, which is the hack of pairing the new habit you want to form with an action you already do automatically
- It allows you to celebrate the small wins as you reach new milestones
- You feel less overwhelmed in your day-to-day life
- They help you build and maintain momentum, as you don’t rely on motivation
- You slowly start shifting your self-identity as you prove yourself, over and over, that you’re a consistent person
Small habits have the power to change your life without you even realizing it!
Continue reading to discover the 5 daily habits I swear by – since they’ve totally improved my life over the last few years!
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The 5 Micro Habits That Will Change Your Life
Journaling
Journaling is the habit that most changed my life.
That’s because I use the act of journaling as a tool to better understand myself, my emotions, and gain a better perspective on my thoughts.
The act of writing down what I’m feeling, fearing, thinking, or worrying about is therapeutic.
In an instant, I get out of my own head and see things from a more objective standpoint.
“Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom”
– Aristotle
I believe that self-growth starts with a self-discovery journey.
And, it’s consequential that you cannot know your truest self if you’ve never asked the right questions.
To understand who you really are, you must be willing to get uncomfortable by facing those tough questions that we mostly want to run away from.
Some important questions that can help you get to know yourself on a deeper level are:
- What does ‘success’ mean to me?
- Why am I doing what I’m doing?
- What feelings do I tend to avoid in my life? Why?
- What would I do if money wasn’t an issue?
- Is there a passion or dream I have put “on hold”?
PS. If you’re looking for the right questions to ask, grab your FREE “50 Journaling Prompts for Self-Discovery” and…start writing! 😉
Meditating for 10 minutes
Meditating is one of the micro habits that took a long time to sink in but, once it did, I knew it was going to be forever!
Now, one of the moments I look most forward to is the morning time – as it’s where most of my good habits, like meditating, occur.
The truth with meditating is that you’ll keep saying that you don’t have time unless you make time for it.
You’ll feel no different at first until you experience the positive benefits all at once.
You’ll believe that it’s not working and that you aren’t doing it right until you realize that there’s no right or wrong way of meditating.
Here’s what you can do if you’re still skeptical about this practice: why don’t you set a 30-day challenge to meditate for 10 minutes for the next month?
It’s just 10 minutes of your day. You can do anything for only 10 minutes.
No matter how busy you are – or say you are -, you can always find 10 minutes to dedicate to your well-being.
Here are some tips to make meditating a daily habit if you’re just starting:
- Define a specific timeframe for your meditation practice (for me, it’s in the morning after brushing my teeth and before journaling)
- Follow a guided meditation on YouTube to help you stay focused on your breathing
- Set a small goal, such as meditating for only 10 minutes before increasing the length of your practice
- Every day, notice how you feel before and right after your meditation practice. Are you able to see the immediate benefits of it?
- Download and print a habit tracker – like mine – to motivate you to build consistency with the practice
- Don’t give up immediately!
Drinking at least 1,5L of water
This is a simple yet one of the healthiest micro habits you should consider including in your daily routine.
If you aren’t used to drinking enough water in the day, here are some tips to help you increase your water intake:
- Drink one glass of water right after waking up
- Drink some water before every meal
- Carry a water bottle everywhere you go
- Prepare some flavored-infused water
- Set physical or digital reminders to help you not forget to drink
- Track your water intake on a habit tracker (like the one I created for you 😉 )
- Drink one glass of water right before falling asleep
If your body is well-hydrated, you’ll experience a lot of positive benefits. To name a few, you’ll:
- Be more focused (and for longer)
- Have a clearer skin
- Feel less tired during the day
- Sleep better at night
- Feel more energetic throughout the day
Drinking water is a simple habit – but you can make it even simpler and easier thanks to my tips! 😉
Stretching for 5 minutes
Whether you’re able to stick to a consistent workout schedule or have been struggling to make your way to the gym, here’s the deal – stretching, even for just 5 minutes a day, is a real game-changer!
There are so many options on the Internet:
- You can find a yoga flow for the back and shoulders if you’re dealing with back pain
- If you’ve been sitting for too long at your desk you can try a quick 5-minute standing workout to get your blood flow
- You can find a gentle flow to release stress and tension that has built up throughout the day
Once you get used to regularly stretching and moving your body during the day, you won’t be able to do otherwise!
Find a routine that works for you and start from there.
Remember – we call them micro habits because they’re done in just a few minutes! 😉
Expressing your gratitude
Gratitude is the secret to living a happier and more fulfilling life.
When you make an effort to find the good things in your life, slowly but shortly you’ll start finding more and more things that make you happy.
Whether you like keeping a gratitude journal, writing down 3 things you’re grateful for each night before going to sleep, or simply saying a mental “Thank you” to whatever or whoever made you smile – being grateful is one of the micro habits that will change your life for good!
The truth is that, every day, there will always be good and bad things happening.
But it’s also true that, every day, you’re given the choice of deciding if you want to focus on the first or the latter.
So, what do you want to focus on? Where do you want to spend your time and energy? Embracing and being grateful for the good, or feeling bad and sorry?
It’s your choice. It’s up to you. So…choose wisely.
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Conclusion
That’s all for me today!
I hope this post served as a reminder that you can improve your life and…it doesn’t have to be hard!
With the 5 practices mentioned above, you can make some real progress and positively change your whole life – one micro habit at a time 😉
Q: “What are the micro habits that have positively changed your life?” – Let me know in a comment! 🙂
Until next time,
