50 Healthy Habits Every Girl Should Have

Health

While it’s a given that most women are aren’t realistically going to cook organic meals every night, hit the gym every morning at 7 a.m., or save every penny without every splurging, there are ways to cultivate healthy habits that don’t require you to be quite as disciplined.
Whether you start to adopt a few at a time, or vow to make them all a part of your life right now, here are 50 healthy habits every woman should have.

1. Start fresh every single day.

It might sound a little corny, but every day could—and should—be considered a fresh start. Had a fight with your mom/boyfriend/landlord yesterday and didn’t resolve it? Had an awful day at work that you went to bed thinking about? Not thrilled with the way your friends treated you while you were out last night? Today’s a new day, and you should use it to approach the problem with fresh eyes and commit to either resolving the issue if it’s important, or move on completely if it’s something small or petty. You’d be surprised how insignificant problems might look once you put a few hours of distance between you.

2. Understand that exercise doesn’t have to be a big time commitment.

We don’t have to tell you that the biggest healthy habit every girl should have is exercising regularly, although so many of us claim we simply don’t have time. We hate to break it you, but that’s not really an excuse, as there’s mounting evidence that short but frequent bouts of exercise can yield some major health benefits.
For example, a study published by the American Journal of Sports Medicine in 2006 showed that short walks after dinner were more effective than long exercise sessions in reducing the amount of fat and triglyceride levels in the bloodstream after a hearty meal, according to WebMD.

3. Check your credit card statements, bank statements, and pay stubs regularly.

This one’s definitely a mental health habit that we all should be extremely diligent about. With security breaches happening left and right, it’s key to take ownership of your own finances by always knowing exactly where your money went, when it’s coming in, and any inconsistencies that arise.

4. Adopt a “meatless Monday” mentality.

Did you know that cutting out meat—even if it’s merely once a week—can drastically decrease your risk of heart disease by up to 19%, according to a Harvard University study? Eating a diet heavy on red and other processed meats have been shown to increase the risk of diabetes, obesity, and other health problems. Cutting back on meat can also impact the environment by reducing the amount of fossil fuel and water that’s used to raise livestock. Do yourself a favor and dedicate one day to fresh vegetables, fruits, legumes, grains, and nuts.

5. Drink a glass of lukewarm water with lemon (and cayenne pepper, if you dare) first thing every morning.

This morning drink gets your organs going, and fresh lemon juice and cayenne pepper both have major anti-fungal, immune boosting, and detoxification properties. Plus, Lemon juice is nature’s best tool for aiding in digestion and regularity, destroying bacteria and cleansing the system.

6. Cut back on evil sugar.

If you cut anything from your diet today, make it sugar. In and of itself, sugar has no nutrients, no protein, no healthy fats, and no enzymes, making it empty calories that have disastrous effects on our health.

7. Don’t try to keep up with the Jonses.

Never try to keep up with that one friend who always has the new “It” item—it’s a dangerous game to play, one that not only can harm your wallet, but can also wreak havoc on your self-worth, if you let it.

8. Use a retinol if you’re starting to get wrinkles.

Instead of continuously wasting money on the latest anti-aging creams, ask your dermatologist to prescribe you a good retinol product—it’s the only thing that really works, anyway.

9. Check in with HR.

Ask your office Human Resources department to remind you of benefits you’re probably not using, such as flex spending accounts for prescriptions, transit cards, or classes.

10. Count to 10 when you’re pissed off.

This healthy habit is one we all should adopt: Before reacting, take a beat. You’d be surprised at how much perspective you can gain in 10 seconds, as opposed to irrationally firing off an email, or confronting someone out of sheer anger before collecting your thoughts.

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