5 Daily Habits for Lasting Wellness

Big change is really a bunch of little changes

Through my wellness journey, I’ve learned that sustainable health is a product of many small lifestyle changes over time. Most people resort to crash diets or advertised fitness routines, using X to achieve Y when trying to improve their health. However, our health is multi-dimensional, as we are complex beings. If you want to get healthy and stay healthy, you must strive for wellness. Wellness is health which lasts.

Wellness is the overall, accumulated quality of each aspect of ourselves.

So think — you can be healthy in certain regards, but how’s your overall well-being? You may attend the gym 5 times a week, but how clean is your diet? You may have put in 20 hours towards your passion project this week, but did you make time to meditate or check in with your mental health? We live in a global culture that glorifies the grind. Where we sacrifice everything, even our health, in order to become successful. We’ve been brought up to prioritize economic gain — neglecting even our basic human needs — compromising our health and well-being in the process.

You begin to manifest real abundance in your life as soon as you begin prioritizing your wellness. This is because our greatest power is ourselves. Our energy and our health are our greatest resources. If you wish to get the most out of what this beautiful life can offer, you must initiate a total analysis of your health and lifestyle. First determine what you’re trying to change about yourself or your life and why are you wanting to make these changes? Your why must be rooted beneath the surface. You cannot make lasting change if your motivations are external and not from within. Our intentions determine our results.

What we choose to do every single day has an impact, on ourselves and others. Total wellness can seem challenging to achieve, especially at first. But a healthy lifestyle can start simply with a handful of small, daily habits that to enhance your well-being entirely. Below I list the lifestyle changes I’ve made in the last 5 years. These are habits I do every day which have contributed to my overall health and well-being.

1. INCREASING WATER INTAKE
   This is an obvious health recommendation and how much water you should drink daily will vary on your diet, weight, exercise, and other lifestyle habits. Overall — just be conscious of your water intake! Most people are dehydrated and don’t know it. Drinking more water improves your skin, immune system, energy levels, ability to digest food, and can even lead to weight loss. Drinking water fills your stomach and curves your appetite. You may be dehydrated if your head hurts, your skin is dry, you’re unusually hungry, your muscles cramp, or if your pee is a darker yellow. Celebrate that clear pee friend!
2. YOGA/STRETCHING
   I’ve been practicing yoga for 5 years and for me personally, it’s been one of the most crucial disciplines of my wellness journey. For now, start stretching for 5–10 minutes a day. The benefits of stretching which lead to greater overall health are: increased flexibility/range of motion, improved circulation, relieves stress (meaning better sleep, improved immune system), better posture, and healing for back pain. My daily yoga practice has relieved years of severe lower & upper back pain from sports injuries.
3. TIME IN NATURE
   Some people may argue that nature just isn’t “for” them. However, there are many proven health benefits of spending time in nature. To name a few: relieves stress and anxiety, increases Vitamin D (the sun is literally a vitamin), enhances mood, reduces blood pressure, sharpens the mind, aids in healing trauma, and strengthens your spiritual sense/connection.
4. MEDITATION
   I’m sure you’ve heard and seen this many times before… because meditation is unmistakably crucial in improving your well-being. The psychological, physiological, and spiritual benefits of meditation are absolutely profound. New studies are emerging from health organizations across the globe, revealing a growing array of benefits from mediation. Personally, meditation has changed my life. I have suffered from extreme anxiety my entire life. At first I couldn’t even quiet my mind for a single minute. Now that I think of it, committing to meditation the last 2 and a half years has single handedly improved my overall state of mind, being, and health.
5. SOCIALIZE
   No matter who you are, you’re a human being. You are wired for connection. Daily social interaction is important for everyone’s well-being. Our loved ones fill our lives with meaning, they give purpose to the forward march of every day. Make time to call a friend, see your mom, do work at a coffee shop for a couple hours. Greet a stranger at the grocery store. Even if it may make you uncomfortable at first, most people are pleasantly surprised to engage in conversation, stranger or not. Take the initiative to nurture your relationships daily, and leave room in your life for new people to come in. That’s how we grow!

I’ve found it’s not necessarily changing our habits that is difficult, it’s the commitment to changing which prevents most people from staying healthy. You cannot give up your efforts if you’re not seeing immediate results. No change is a frivolous one. Lasting change takes time. It’s built from trying and failing and trying and so on. If you stay committed to the change you wish to make, no matter how long it takes to get there — you will get there.

Wellness, like life, is a journey. Remember to take each day at a time, focusing on the small things you have control over in your day to day. How can you alter your routines and habits to strive for a healthier lifestyle? My 5 daily wellness habits are a good place to start :)

Wishing you wellness & peace.