8 Healthy Habits You'll Actually Enjoy

We all know the ways in which we could stand to be a bit healthier. It would come as no surprise to anyone to hear that we're in a culture where "passive leisure" and luxury are valued above all else. Simply: we see our ideal lifestyles as being ones in which we, well, don't have to do much at all. Add to the mix a crippling need to overwork, a lack of need to do any real physical labor, and an emotional health crisis in which we fix symptoms, not problems — well, it's no wonder we're not all functioning at our optimal wellness.

Health, of course, is more than just what may initially come to mind: it's not just how you eat or how much you move. It's largely to do with how you think, how good you feel about yourself, what your daily routine looks like, who you associate with, and so on. These are the components that drive people to the things that create their lack of health (or vice versa). So when it comes to choosing habits that are both not completely miserable and that support you in a more holistic way, what you'll find is that the root of moving enough or associating with people who lift you is often how you feel about yourself. Here, a few healthy habits that are as reasonable as they are holistic — easy enough for anyone to be able to manage.

Drink A Glass Of Water First Thing Every Morning

We all know how good water is for us, and how little of it we probably get. So start each day with something to rehydrate and cleanse you. Once it becomes a routine you'll start to crave it.

Stretch At Night

While you're watching your precious 30 Rock reruns, lift your leg up and hold it in a stretch that opens your muscles but doesn't strain them. Go through even the smallest parts of your body: hands, feet, elbows, and move and position your body in ways that it wouldn't normally throughout the day. This is how you maintain agility, and generally speaking, more flow.

Do Emotional Housekeeping

Ask yourself: "How have I been feeling over these past few days?" If the answer is not great, don't fret yet — that's normal. But if it's been a longer period of time or the stress has been severe/chronic, begin to evaluate what you need to change before it's too late (or before you're in too deep).

Be Honest

Tell people the truth as long as it is your truth and completely your truth and is not a truth out of a place of anger, jealousy, resentment or a desire for revenge. (That's generally how you differentiate "being honest" and "just being an asshole.") Tell them your truth and don't care what they think about you, or what their opinion becomes. You never had control over it anyway.

Sleep More

"Sleep > everything" should be the mantra of every single person alive, and it's not because I think we fear that if we just let ourselves sleep as much as we wanted, we'd never get up. That's not true, though! If we finally got the sleep we really needed, we would be much more energized to get through the day.

Buy Organic, Natural Foods As Much As Possible

If you absolutely refuse to give up your chip or cookie habit, at least try to buy a brand of cookies that's a little bit better for you (if not in calories, then in processing, chemicals, etc.)

Plan Your Weekend Activities Around Walking

Go to the farmers market or check out a neighboring city for the day or even just roam around your own and find shoppes of interest. Go hiking, walk to a friends' house... the more you move without being conscious that you're moving (you're not focusing on walking while you're checking out an art museum, you're focusing on what you're doing) the more you're going to actually do it.

Find Exercise That You Sincerely Find Fun

Do not do anything that you dislike. Not only will it not last, but you're not doing much for your health by punishing yourself with over-exertion. When you're doing something you love, it won't feel like "work." Try swimming, or aerial yoga, or skiing, even. These are all "workouts" — just ones you can find joy in.

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