
6 Healthy Habits to Maintain
Healthy living sounds like a simple concept when you think about it. But, forming and maintaining healthy habits requires effort. It’s best to have practical advice to help you make better decisions and take control of your health.
The great news is that you have varying habits to consider, and you can start small and progress throughout the year. Here are six healthy habits that you can learn about which will help you maintain a healthier you.
1. Consider What You Eat
Living in the 21st Century usually means you don’t have enough time to balance your life as much as you want. Unfortunately, that affects a lot of day-to-day things. You likely wake up early every morning to prepare for work, get the kids ready for school and juggle your life around load-shedding schedules. Eating healthy is one of the things that you hardly have time to plan for.
However, your body needs a certain amount and various kinds of nutrients to ensure that it doesn’t let you down when you need it the most. Essentially, what you put in your body does affect your overall health. Being mindful of what you eat is one of the many ways you can ensure that you improve the health of your body.
It’s essential to keep a well-balanced diet. The following five tips should help you consider what you eat.
- Eat more fruits and vegetables.
- Reduce saturated fats and processed sugars.
- Lower your salt intake.
- Eat a healthy breakfast.
- Include high-fibre starchy carbohydrates.

2. Be More Physically Active
The great thing about eating healthy is that it improves your overall functions. You’ll notice an increase in your energy levels and an improvement in your overall appearance. Physical activity is a healthy habit you can maintain alongside your healthy eating.
You’d be surprised to find that research shows that about 40% of South Africans are physically inactive. Physical inactivity is dangerous since it can increase your chances of getting diseases, such as diabetes and obesity. Get up and exercise to avoid being part of these shocking statistics.

If you don’t have time to go to the gym, you can still maintain ideal physical activity levels by doing this:
- Take regular walks.
- Take the stairs instead of the lift at work.
- Join a sport on weekends.
3. Get Enough Rest
The holidays are over, and so is your flexible sleeping schedule. Sleeping enough should be your main priority if you wish to maintain healthy habits this year. All the energy you burn during the day at work needs refilling.
Other processes that need to take place include repairing your cells, muscles, and tissues. The easiest way to think of sleep is to think of it as a charging port for your body. When you don’t charge your phone, the battery dies and you’re unable to use it. It’s essential to get quality sleep every night.
4. Prioritise Your Mental Health
Optimally, your mental health should be your main priority. The thing is, mental health affects your behaviour as much as it affects your emotional health. To maintain the healthy lifestyle changes you’ve planned for the year, you must understand the importance of your mental health.
If you struggled to make your mental health a priority, you must do the following to improve this year:
- Sleep better.
- Try new activities in new environments.
- Spend more time in nature.
- Play as much as you can.
- Spend more time with your loved ones.

5. Get Rid of Bad Habits
Was quitting smoking one of your New Year’s Resolutions? Now that 2023 is here, you’ve likely backtracked on the guilty pleasures you wanted to leave behind last year. Sometimes, we make a lot of promises when in the moment.
It’s time to start thinking of the unhealthy habits you want to cut back on. You must make space for your new lifestyle changes to stay committed. Besides, those guilty pleasures usually impact your health in the long run.
6. Go for Regular Check-ups
Since life gets too busy, it’s easy to forget the most important things, such as doing a regular check-up with your doctor. If you haven’t seen your doctor for a check-up, it’s time to schedule a consultation. Before you change your lifestyle, you must understand potential health risks and how to prevent them.
Speaking to your doctor should also provide support as you start this journey. Moreover, your doctor can assist you with creating habits that are more suitable to your goals.
As you can see, starting something new requires more commitment from you. There are different healthy habits that you can think of to make this year a good one. It’s crucial to remember that everything works together, and once you introduce a new healthy habit, others tend to follow.
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