10 Healthy Habits To Try In Your 20s
I’ve read countless articles about healthy habits, whether it’s physical, emotional, mental, or spiritual healthy habits. And truly, I get it. Being healthy should be our goal because these are our bodies and our priority should be to honor and treat our bodies with respect.
But I’ve always been a bit intimidated to start some of those healthy habits (they’re all good!) because some require an expensive gym membership or a brand new diet plan. And while those healthy habits like going to the gym or finding a healthy balanced diet are great and certainly attainable, I put together a list of healthy habits that aren’t that complicated and ones that you can start incorporating into your routine today. Believe me, I am lazy and I find it hard sometimes to set new habits and routines, so these healthy habits below are very easy for you to start.
I may not feel 1000 percent better after one day of doing these healthy habits, but once I slowly incorporated these into my routine and they became embedded in my routine, I start to feel more happy and healthy, and more importantly, a happier and healthier version of myself.
Get 8 hours of sleep.
Ohmygosh — what a concept. I know that’s what you’re probably saying … like, Olivia, I know to get 8 hours of sleep but there is TikTok and the popular #BookTok book that is completely riveting and I must stay up til 2 a.m. to finish! I used to be that person but let me tell you, TikTok will be there in the morning and your book will be too. You do not need to sacrifice your sleep cycle for a clock app or the book that you say you need to finish. You and your body need to attain at least 7-8 hours of sleep each night.
Drink water.
I told you, these are common healthy habits. A hack (I don’t know whether to call this a hack or not, it’s literally so simple) is to always have water next to you. Am I drinking coffee? I don’t care, I still have water next to it. I don’t measure the amount of water I drink per day, because as I mentioned above, I am a lazy gal. But it’s crucial to have water next to me at all times. And if I don’t, I get up and go get more water. Which leads me to the NEXT healthy habit …
Get up and move!
You do not need to have a full-out, complicated exercise routine. In fact, you don’t even need to donate your kidney for a gym membership (JK, they’re not that expensive). But get up and move! There’s a reason why Nickelodeon used to have those “get outside and play days” where they stopped broadcasting for one day and forced all of us kids to get outside and play. Moving your body is literally life-changing. Go outside and take a hot girl walk or whatever.
Dress comfortably.
In 2020, we all shifted to working from home (or at least most of us who have non-essential jobs) and our work attire became loungewear. I am a big proponent of loungewear, in fact, it’s about 90 percent of my clothes. But as most of us probably went back to an office, and unfortunately, we can’t wear our favorite sweatpants that we wear for 10 days in a row. But that doesn’t mean you need to get back to pencil skirts and slacks and uncomfortable blouses with weird buttons on the sleeves. Find clothes that fit you well and comfortable! If that means sizing up, then do it! You can look professional AND be comfortable at the same time. My favorite stores include Old Navy, Target, and LOFT to shop for comfortable and budget-friendly workwear!
Don’t go on your phone immediately after you wake up.
I’m not going to be the person that says “keep your phone on the opposite side of the room” because that may work well for some people, but I just can’t live like that. If you’re like me, no worries — you can still keep your phone on the night stand (where phones should be) AND still not reach for your phone immediately after you wake up. My recommendation is to invest in an alarm clock! The Amazon Alexa and Google are great for this. But another recommendation I have is to pick up a book instead of your phone. For me, this includes my devotional, my Bible, and my journal. I need this quiet time with the Lord in order to have a good day (and for my spiritual health). But even if you’re not a Christian, then I still recommend journaling or reading in the morning. In fact, I prefer reading in the morning. I always feel 10x better after my morning reading.
Journal anything and everything.
And I do mean everything! I love these “brain dumps” in the morning. Listen — journaling does not need to be your deepest thoughts. It can literally be things you are grateful for (gratitude list) or things that have been on your mind or upcoming decisions you have to make. With that being said, I’ve also learned that journaling any anxiety I have with the current day (tasks, events, reminders, etc.) helps me tremendously because I write down what I’m feeling about it and after writing about it, I realize that I probably was overthinking it. I don’t journal every day BUT I’ve noticed significantly that on the days I don’t journal, I find myself more anxious and overthinking a lot. So, I try and make journaling a habit almost every single day … even if I only write three sentences.
Cook Healthy + Balanced Meals.
My takeout apps on my phone are literally on a different screen (and not on my homepage). I do this because it’s so tempting to order takeout after a long day of work. But the more I cooked, the happier and healthier I became. I do love the occasional takeout order, but when I cook, I have more time to reflect on the previous day. I usually cook a HelloFresh meal or a frozen meal from Trader Joe’s — it depends on what I feel like that day. When I’m cooking, I turn on a YouTube vlog or show I’m currently binge-watching (usually a comfort show) and so that’s a motivator to cook instead of order takeout for the fourth time that week. Something I’ve been doing while cooking recently is reading!
In addition to cooking as a healthy habit, I try to cook more healthy and balanced meals. Not only does this include healthy dinner meals, this includes breakfast and lunch too. I’m the queen of skipping breakfast for my standard cup of coffee before I head to work, but breakfast is the most important meal of the day and is crucial to set you up for a happy and healthy day. This also includes lunch … and for my 9-5 gals, take your lunch break. Take a break from the screen and eat a meal instead of the granola bar you grabbed on your way out the door.
Make Your bed.
I do this EVERY MORNING and I make it a part of my routine. I have to make my bed or my life isn’t together. I’ve been doing this for the longest time that I just can’t have an unmade bed. It literally takes two minutes to do and I love the feeling of pulling back the covers at the end of the day.
Read More, scroll Less.
I love my comfort shows but there’s something about turning off the TV and diving into another world like a good book. I’ve noticed that the same way I fall in love with a TV show is the same way I can fall in love with a good book. Books and TV shows are very similar, and even though they have the obvious differences, you can still fall in love with and get completely hooked on the characters, plot, and overall story. Reading before bed is definitely a healthy habit to incorporate into your night routine, but I’ll take it one step further: reading after work, reading in the morning, reading whenever you get a chance.
Reduce caffeine Intake.
As someone who is addicted to caffeine, this one is hard. My two beverages of choice are coffee and Diet Coke. But drinking too much caffeine (more than one cup a day) isn’t that healthy. Not only does it increase anxiety, but it can also lead to breaking out, weight gain, and feelings of sluggishness. After having too much caffeine in one day, I often feel too tired to do anything. I cut back on caffeine, specifically to one cup of coffee a day (I’ve since upped it to two), and I drink Diet Coke on occasion. (Sometimes, I’ll order a 12 pack, but only sometimes.) If you’re feeling tired all the time, consider cutting back on caffeine. (My advice: don’t quit caffeine cold turkey. This can send you into withdrawal. A moderate amount of caffeine is still healthy, so try cutting back to one cup a day.)
And those are my 10 healthy habits to try in your 20s! Anyone can try these but if you’re in your 20s, it’s important to set these habits now for later on in life.