3 Healthy Micro-Habits to Try

 

Trying to stay healthy can be downright exhausting: Eat more protein! Collagen! Supplements! Meal prep! Get your 10,000 steps in! And all of this can be great, but it can also be completely overwhelming. Enter the micro-habit. The idea is that in order to make big changes happen, you can make tiny little ones that eventually add up to something much bigger. The difference is that the tiny little habits are easier to fit into your established routine, making it seem much more doable.

Here are three micro-habits that I have made and have really helped the way I feel. Nothing too complicated, I promise!

1. Start the day with a glass of water. That's right - just one glass - you choose the size. If you have the time, you can squeeze in a little lemon juice or plop a fresh cucumber slice into it, but that's all. Before coffee or tea, before exercise, before tackling your never ending to-do list, have a glass of water. Why? It helps with hydration, and (especially if you make it infused with something a little fancy), it also feels like a little bit of self care first thing in the morning.

2. Get some early morning light. Now, depending on where you live and what time of year it is this one might be a little more challenging. I am sitting in the middle of springtime in New York, so our mornings are quite lovely at the moment, but that certainly changes in the dead of winter. Even so, whether it's beautifully sunny, or cloudy, or cold, or sunrise is late - go outside for 5 minutes (these are micro-habits, remember?) within 2 hours of sunrise and just breathe. Don't look at your screen, just be outside. That little bit of daylight, even under an umbrella, makes a big difference. I find that it sets the tone for my day and gives me just a minute to breathe. Research suggests that early morning sunlight can help promote healthy sleep cycles, improve mood, and boosts alertness. Not a bad way to start the day!

3. Schedule five minutes of screen-free time before bed. Just five minutes — that's it. Put the phone down, step away from the TV, and give your brain a tiny window to wind down before you try to sleep. I know it sounds almost too small to matter, but if you've ever fallen into a 45-minute doom-scroll when you meant to close your eyes twenty minutes ago, you already know why this one is on the list. Five minutes of quiet — reading, stretching, just lying there — makes a real difference in how quickly you fall asleep and how rested you actually feel. I personally find this one to be the hardest, but the payoff with better sleep quality is well worth the effort. 

None of this is revolutionary. That's kind of the whole point. You don't need a complete lifestyle overhaul — you just need a few small things you can actually stick to. Start with one. See what happens. I think you'll be surprised.