11 Healthy Habits That'll Put Your Wellbeing First (Without Too Much Effort)

Striving to live a so-called healthy life can feel like a full-time job. There’s lots of wellness advice out there, and sifting through the infinite tips, tricks, and things you’re “supposed” to do can feel overwhelming. So if you’re hoping to improve your overall health but don’t have the slightest idea where to begin, you’re in luck: We asked experts to share the (simple!) healthy habits they recommend to create a routine that supports your overall wellbeing. Below, their best tips (that aren’t just “drink more water”).

What Are Healthy Habits?

Anything that becomes a natural part of your routine and supports your overall wellbeing, like a type of exercise or nutritional choices, can be a healthy habit.

“Health behaviors generally focus on what we intentionally do, such as physical activity or nutrition,” says Christopher Stanley, PhD, Secretary-Treasurer of the Association for Applied Sport Psychology (AASP). Once you’re completing a behavior without giving it much thought, it’s become a habit.

The “best” healthy habits vary from person to person, and have a lot to do with your lifestyle, preferences, and personal health. (For example, maybe you’re a big runner or you love experimenting with different recipes for in-season produce.) But no matter the healthy habit in question, a commitment to making any kind of positive change to your overall wellbeing is a worthy goal.

The more you stick to a new habit, the more likely that it will become second nature—and the bigger health benefits you may reap as a result. In recent research from Vitality and the London School of Economics, for example, people who changed their behaviors to make exercise a new healthy habit reduced their mortality risk by 27 percent.

11 Healthy Habits to Try

Here are an assortment of simple, expert-loved healthy habits to consider weaving into your routine:

1. Make Sure Breakfast Includes Some Protein

Many of us want to bump up our daily protein intake, and one of the best ways to do that is by keeping protein in mind first thing in the morning. 

“A protein-rich breakfast starts your day off chipping away at your protein goals while also supporting healthy blood sugar and energy levels throughout the morning,” says Kelly Jones, RD, a sports dietitian to professional athletes and active families. 

Plus, protein promotes satiety, which means you’ll be preventing mid-morning hanger. A few foolproof protein breakfasts, according to Jones: Leftover veggies tossed with scrambled eggs, oatmeal with a protein topper like nut butter, or egg muffins prepared the night before.

2. Don’t Sleep on Stretching

All too often, we complete a workout and think we’re ready to hop in the shower or move right to the next activity. And so it’s easy to forget that stretching is more than just an optional cooldown after exercise—it’s a non-negotiable part of a fitness routine. 

“I think a general healthy habit that gets overlooked is stretching,” says James Bicos, MD, a sports medicine orthopedic surgeon with Corewell Health in Bingham Farms, Michigan. Not only does stretching keep our joints mobile and prevent them from stiffening up, he explains, but taking time to give our muscles a little TLC promotes better movement and stability. 

Stretch it out on the Peloton App with guided classes from instructors, whether you have five minutes and need to work your arms and chest or you want to give your whole body some love with a 30-minute session.

3. Make Space for “Movement Snacks”

Dedicating a bigger chunk of time (say, 30 or 60 minutes) to a workout can sometimes feel overwhelming or impossible if your schedule is chock-full. If that’s the case, Chicago-based physical therapist Lori Diamos recommends incorporating quick “movement snacks” throughout your day. 

“These are short bursts of activity, one to five minutes, that fit into your schedule and add up over time,” she says. If you only have a few minutes, for example, you might stop and do a few squats with an overhead reach to work your legs, core, and upper body all at once. Or, on the Peloton App, use the filter to search for workouts between five and 10 minutes, whether you opt for a five-minute core strength class or a 10-minute full body session.

4. Commit to Trying Some New Foods—Especially from Plants

“Variety is king,” says Anthea Levi, RD, a registered dietitian and founder of ALIVE+WELL Nutrition in New York City. “The gut microbiome thrives when we vary the types of plant foods in our diet.” 

An excellent goal, she says, would be to focus on including at least three different plant-based foods in every meal. That might look like chia seeds, raspberries, and walnuts for breakfast; kale, farro, and pumpkin seeds for lunch; and sweet potato, collard greens, and tofu for dinner. Over the course of the day, you’ll have consumed nine (!) different forms of plants. 

5. Move In 3D

A simple way to boost your overall mobility is to be more mindful about three-dimensional (3D) movements when you’re exercising, Diamos says. “Our joints and muscles don’t work in just one direction, they move in 3D—forward/backward, side-to-side, and rotationally.” Incorporating these different planes of motion into your workouts (when it’s safe to do so) can help improve strength, mobility, and balance, she explains. 

So if, say, your workout calls for a lunge, consider adding a lateral or rotational reach to make the movement a multi-directional one. (You could also take an Intervals & Arms Ride on the Peloton App to combine cardio with dynamic weight segments.)

6. Do at Least One Form of Weight-Bearing Movement Every Day 

Weight-bearing exercise—which refers to any activity that loads the joints while you stay upright, such as hiking, walking, jogging, or tennis—is absolutely critical to your bone health. “Bones respond to stress by making more bone,” Dr. Bicos explains. “So much like stretching, anything that puts stress on the bones is a great thing.” 

These kinds of movements benefit your heart, stress levels, and balance too. But that doesn’t mean you need to commit to a full-on hike daily. “It can be simple, like walking or doing chores around the house,” Dr. Bicos says. Climbing stairs even counts!

7. Include a Fruit or Veggie at Every Meal

Every time you eat, there should be some color on your plate, says Gabbi Berkow, RD, a sports dietitian and exercise physiologist in New York City. 

Fruits and veggies are rich sources of essential vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, and they’re also packed with fiber, so they support healthy digestion. But your plate may be missing enough fruits and vegetables—just 10 percent of American adults eat enough veggies each day, while only about 12 percent get enough fruit, according to research published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). 

“My rule of thumb is to have fruit with breakfast and snacks, and green veggies with lunch and dinner,” Berkow says. For example, that could look like adding blueberries to your morning yogurt parfait, including spinach and arugula on your lunchtime sandwich, and pairing a leafy side salad with your evening meal.

8. Aim for 150 Minutes of Exercise a Week, But Be Flexible

You might be familiar with the official Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, which recommend adults perform at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise a week, plus at least two days of muscle-strengthening activities such as strength training. Though it might not always be possible to exercise this often when you’re juggling, well, life, it’s a good goal to work towards, says Yoshua Quinones, MD, a board-certified internist with Medical Offices of Manhattan. 

“Maintaining exercise will improve your quality of life, decrease the risk of cardiovascular conditions, and boost your energy levels,” he says. If you can’t carve out 30–60 minutes a day, do your best to fit movement wherever you can, whether that’s walking, jogging, or dancing around your house. (And FYI: The “movement snacks” mentioned above can count towards your weekly exercise goal too.) 

The Peloton App’s Personalized Plans tool can also be helpful by taking some of the guesswork out of your weekly workout routine with a customized training schedule.

9. Remember: Protein + Healthy Carb + Healthy Fat

Protein is important, and gets a lot of buzz (as it should!). But for a complete muscle-building plate, Berkow recommends combining protein (aim for about 20–30 grams, she says) with a carb (think whole-grain bread or sweet potatoes) and a healthy source of fats (like avocado, olive oil, or peanut butter) every time you eat. 

“This ensures your blood sugar stays stable so that you stay full and energized, don’t have cravings, and can continuously make healthy choices,” Berkow says. “It also provides enough protein to your muscles to keep muscle building ‘on’ all day.”

10. Move up Your Bedtime by 30 Minutes

You know sleep is essential: “It’s very important for your mental health and overall wellbeing,” Dr. Quinones says. Having a consistent sleep routine can reduce stress too.

While getting the recommended seven hours of Zzzs isn’t always possible every night (work commitments, parenting, and health challenges can make uninterrupted sleep a dream for some), make it a goal to gradually inch your bedtime forward by at least 30 minutes if you can—and try not to scroll on your phone during that time. 

11. Don’t Forget About Wakeful Rest

Consider this permission to give your brain a vacation: “We know about the benefits of sleep in terms of recovery and general health, but rest involves sleep and wakeful rest,” Dr. Stanley says. Resting your mind while you’re awake gives you the sense of feeling truly refreshed and replenishes both your physical and mental resources, he adds. 

Of course, most of us don’t have the luxury of simply not thinking about the important stuff for hours at a time. But even a few minutes of mental rest count, Dr. Stanley says. That might look like spending some time in a “quiet zone” where you’re free of distractions or taking a meditation or breathwork class on the Peloton App, for example.

Tips for Creating (and Sticking to) Your Healthy Habits

If you’ve decided to make some changes, these strategies may help new good-for-you activities become long-term healthy lifestyle habits:

The Takeaway

When it comes to incorporating more healthy habits into your routine, small tweaks can make a big difference to your overall wellbeing. That might look like finding creative ways to fit in movement throughout the week, prioritizing certain healthy foods (more protein and produce, for example), and making time for both mental and physical rest.