8 Healthy Habits: How to Build Them to Achieve Your Goals

Building healthy habits is all about getting informed, figuring out what you want to change, setting goals to put those ideas into action, and being consistent. It’s simple enough, but as with everything in life, well…easier said than done.

If you’ve found yourself here, you probably want to start implementing healthier habits. Or you’re at least considering it!

In any case, looking into what that entails is an essential first step to living a healthier life. That curiosity, in and of itself, is a healthy habit, so good on you.

Ahead, eight healthy habits you can start this week and how to build them.

Here are eight good habits to build to help you improve your overall health:

• Eat a balanced, nutritious diet

• Exercise or move daily

• Increase mental stimulation

• Get enough sleep

• Stay hydrated

• Be more social

• Get outside (and away from screens)

• Practice mindfulness

Keep scrolling for details and tips.

1. Eat a Balanced, Nutritious Diet 

Perhaps unsurprisingly, healthy eating habits are instrumental. Those who eat healthier ingredients and quantities are often healthier overall. 

As per the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Health and Human Services (HHS), diets that lead to positive health outcomes include more:

• Vegetables

• Fruits

• Legumes

• Whole grains

• Low- or nonfat dairy 

• Lean meats and poultry

• Seafood

• Nuts

• Unsaturated vegetable oil

• Omega-3 fatty acids

People who eat less red and processed meats and fewer sugary foods, sweetened beverages, and refined grains also tend to be healthier. Each of those foods has been linked to things like:

• High cholesterol

• High blood pressure (hypertension)

• Type 2 diabetes

• Other chronic diseases  

One review points out that diet-related weight management depends on how much food you eat (portion control can go a long way), what type of food you eat, and the timing of your meals.

Generally, there’s no single best strategy for weight management. But the consensus is that weight loss is largely ruled by burning more calories than you consume (known as a calorie deficit). The review noted that most guidelines advise people with obesity to aim to burn about 500 to 750 calories more than they eat per day to see weight loss results.

Some ways to incorporate a healthier diet include:

• Having healthy foods available at home so it’s easier to prep healthy meals and snacks

• Eating a nutritious breakfast

• Increasing vegetable and fruit intake to get more fiber 

• Increasing protein intake to feel fuller and retain muscle 

• Limiting sugary and fatty foods (especially processed ones, which can lead to obesity, according to research)

Bonus healthy habit: Try sticking to nutritious food choices on the weekends. One study suggests that maintaining weight loss is easier when people have the same healthy eating habits on weekends as they do on weekdays.

2. Exercise or Move Daily 

Like a healthy diet, regular exercise and general movement can help you maintain a healthy weight and a better quality of life. They can also help prevent certain conditions, like heart disease and heart attack.

As per the USDA and HHS guidelines, adults should get at least:

• Two and a half to five hours of moderate-intensity exercise a week

• Or an hour and 15 minutes to two hours and 30 minutes of vigorous-intensity physical activity a week

• Or some combination of the two, plus strength-training exercises

Make it a habit to schedule workouts each week, and think about movement outside of structured exercise, like walking, stretching, and doing physical chores (vacuuming, washing the car, etc.).

As a rule of thumb, anything that gets your heart rate up is considered physical activity.

Our guide to how to start working out has more advice.

If you’re looking to lose weight, diet and exercise can help, but some people benefit from additional support. In some cases, a healthcare provider can prescribe weight loss medications to help boost your efforts.

3. Increase Mental Stimulation 

Some research has explored the impact of things like mental stimulation and education level on risk of age-related cognitive decline.

While more research needs to be done to know exactly what kind of mental activity might lead to improved cognition later in life (and how), make it a habit to enjoy activities like:

• Puzzles

• Reading

• Playing games that require strategizing

• Learning a new language

4. Get Enough Sleep

High-quality sleep is essential to both physical and mental wellness. As a 2023 medical review outlines, sleep can directly impact:

• Heart health

• Weight gain

• Mental well-being

• Cognitive function

• The immune system

• Reproductive health

• Hormone regulation

One review also explains that poor sleep habits and obesity are correlated — possibly because a lack of shut-eye can lead to an increase in appetite, food cravings, and less energy to exercise.

If you’re struggling to get a good night’s sleep, try implementing new sleep habits like:

• Keeping a regular sleep schedule

• Avoiding screens in the run-up to bedtime

• Only using your bed for sleep and sex

Though sleep needs tend to vary significantly with age, the sweet spot is somewhere between seven to nine hours of sleep a night.

5. Stay Hydrated 

As the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) explains, getting enough water is essential to pretty much all bodily functions. Staying hydrated helps with: 

• Regulating body temperature 

• Keeping joints nice and lubricated 

• Getting rid of toxins and waste through urine, stool, and sweat 

What’s more, according to a 2016 review, staying hydrated might help with weight loss by boosting metabolism. Drinking water can also help you feel fuller. So, if weight loss is one of your goals, it’s a good idea to prioritize drinking more water.

6. Be More Social

Here’s a healthy habit you might not expect to see.

Human beings are social creatures, and we thrive on connection. As the CDC reports, having community, friendships, and family systems in place can improve mental health and even extend your lifespan.

If you feel like you haven’t been social enough lately or just moved to a new city, try: 

• Reaching out to old friends and scheduling a catch-up call or an in-person hang-out

• Joining a local sports league, book club, or volunteer organization 

• Choosing a day of the week to dedicate to social interaction so you remember to make a priority more consistently

Plus, spending time with loved ones is just fun, and having fun can be healthy, too.

7. Get Outside (and Away From Screens)

Stepping outside and breathing in fresh air is valuable, and if you can do so while surrounded by some greenery, even better. Research finds that spending at least two hours a week in nature shows major health benefits. 

Spending time in nature is harder when you have a hectic schedule, especially one that requires you to be inside and behind a desk. But accomplishing this goal could be as simple as going for a quick jaunt around the block between meetings on a busy work day or going on weekend hikes every so often — or even just a park stroll!

Limiting your social media and screen time and swapping it without outdoor fun can also be beneficial.

8. Practice Mindfulness

Whether in the form of breathing exercises, yoga, or meditation, mindfulness practices can help minimize anxiety, manage levels of stress, and help you stay present.

If you’ve never tried any of these self-care practices, experiment with a few to find out which is most relaxing for you. From there, you can decide which ones to form habits around.

The two most critical elements of creating healthy habits — and making those new habits stick — are consistency and goal setting. Here are the details. 

Consistency

A 2019 study found that people who exercised at the same time every day worked out more frequently and for longer durations. So they were more likely to get the recommended amount of regular physical activity required for a healthy lifestyle.

Early morning exercisers had a slight leg up, though any consistent time was still better than sporadic ones.

Repeating a behavior at the same time or place helps form habits. This is because certain cues will trigger your body when you’re in that context. (The same is true for bad habits — just one reason they can be so hard to break!) 

So, once you decide on a healthy habit to build, decide when you’ll do it.

For example, you could:

• Go for a walk every day before work at 7 a.m.

• Prepare healthy meals for the upcoming week every Sunday afternoon   

• Refill your water bottle after every meeting  

According to another study, it takes a little over eight weeks for a habit to feel automatic. So keep at it until your habits feel like part of your daily routine.

Goal Setting 

To start doing something consistently, it helps to set goals. According to one 2014 study, goal setting is crucial in implementing healthy exercise and dietary modifications.

Goals can get you inspired to achieve new things and provide the structure needed to initiate and maintain healthy habits over time.

Make your goals achievable but still challenging enough to excite you. If you’re looking into healthy habits to lose weight, our guide to setting weight loss goals can help.

Need some extra motivation to kickstart your healthy habits? Think about how much benefit they’ll bring to your life.

Adding healthy habits to your routine can lead to: 

• Higher energy levels

• More focus and better cognitive function 

• Improved physical health 

• More emotional balance and less stress 

• More social connection and fulfillment 

• Weight loss and weight management 

After a long day, why would you want to spend even more energy on a workout class or preparing a healthy dinner? It might seem like the easier option is opening the food-delivery app or skipping the gym, but once you get used to doing a new, healthier behavior, it becomes second nature.

As one scientific review explains, it’s easier to stay healthy once you incorporate better habits because you start reaping the health benefits and feeling better overall.

Plus, those habits will start to require less energy over time. We’re all creatures of habit, to a certain extent, and once something becomes routine, you’re basically doing it on autopilot.

Taking gradual steps and making small changes to build healthy habits will ultimately make a big difference and lead to a healthier lifestyle.

Here’s what to keep in mind when creating healthy habits:

• What you do daily has a bigger impact on your health and well-being than things you do once in a while. You don’t need to check every box every single day, but doing healthy things most days can have an immense effect after a while.

• Consistency is the key to success. Try to keep up with your new healthy habits for at least a couple of months. This should give you enough time for them to start feeling like second nature.

• Set goals for yourself about what you’d like to achieve or change. That way, you can track your progress and focus on something concrete rather than a vague plan to “be healthier,” for instance.

• To avoid feeling overwhelmed or burning out, consider starting with one or two new healthy habits and adding more once you’ve mastered those.

If you’re looking into healthy living because you want to lose weight, a personalized treatment plan with weight loss medication could help you build those new habits and reach your goals.

Take our free online weight loss assessment to discover your options.

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. The information contained herein is not a substitute for and should never be relied upon for professional medical advice. Always talk to your doctor about the risks and benefits of any treatment. Learn more about our editorial standards here.