Key steps for health: Incorporate mindfulness, improve sleep quality, eat wholesome foods, stay physically active, and protect yourself from harmful substances to enhance overall well-being and long-term happiness.
Key steps for health start by navigating the overwhelming advice on wellness shared across digital platforms today. Social media, news, and even friends can make it hard to decide what benefits our health. It’s normal to feel lost when faced with endless wellness trends. Dr. Sarah Bennett, a primary care doctor working with Valley Health Partners in San Francisco, which is linked to Stanford, has outlined five simple healthy lifestyle habits to boost overall health and happiness.
Simple health habits to practice every day
Trendy diets and quick fixes often fail to stick and sometimes even harm your health. You can see real changes by adding healthy habits to your routine. When parents model these habits, they can shape how their kids think about health and well-being.
Practice mindfulness every day
Studies highlight the benefits of mindfulness and meditationas a steps for health. These practices lower stress, improve sleep quality, and boost concentration. Dr. Bennett says, “In my clinical practice, I see many patients dealing with anxiety and stress.” Thinking too much about the past or worrying about the future does no good. Stress responses that stay active for too long can harm our heart’s function, impact thinking, and disrupt sleep. This can lead to more serious health issues.
Adding mindfulness to your daily life can help you stay aware of the present. You could try taking walks outside, noticing plants and animals nearby, or using apps like Insight Timer or Ten Per cent Happier for mindfulness training. These habits might help you feel less anxious, think more clearly, and feel happier. If you try mindful eating, it might help with managing weight by making you eat more slowly and pay more attention while eating.
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Meditation connects your body and mind by focusing on practices such as breathing, visualising images, or repeating certain phrases. One method that works well for adults and kids is square breathing. This breathing technique can calm the body’s nervous system. It can lower feelings of anxiety and stress while also helping to bring down heart rate and blood pressure. It might also help you focus better. Another effective technique is body scan meditation, which involves being mindful of each part of your body in turn.
Focus on sleep improvement
Bad sleep can lead to feeling grumpy, trouble thinking, and doing worse. It might even harm health over time. On the other hand, improving sleep quality not only boosts the immune system and helps maintain a healthy weight but also improves both body and mind. It enhances memory, enables smarter decision-making, and improves cognitive thinking skills. Studies show it could even help people live longer.
What counts as the right amount of sleep? This depends on factors such as age and personal needs. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says adults need at least seven hours of sleep each night. But just hitting seven hours might not matter as much as the quality of the sleep. Quality sleep means feeling rested and sleeping without many interruptions. Studies have also shown that sleeping too much, nine hours or more, is linked to higher chances of dying earlier, as confirmed by multiple studies.
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It is important to know that the patterns of sleep and the body’s natural clocks, which manage when we sleep and wake up, change as we age. Taking steps to improve sleep quality can make a big difference in how well you rest. Simple things can help you sleep better, such as sticking to an active lifestyle, maintaining a consistent sleep-wake schedule, avoiding caffeine later in the day, not eating heavy meals or drinking alcohol close to bedtime, and turning off screens at least 30 minutes before going to bed.
If you struggle with falling asleep, wake up frequently at night, or feel tired throughout the day, consider discussing sleep improvement strategies with your doctor. Sometimes, underlying conditions such as sleep apnea—which increases the risk of other health problems—or similar sleep issues, could be stopping you from getting the rest you need.
Eat natural, wholesome food
Strong evidence from science indicates that consuming a variety of vegetables, fruits, beans, and lentils, alongside moderate consumption of processed foods, contributes to longer life and better health. Diets focusing on plants or those that provide better health results compared to others. Researchers often link such eating habits with lower rates of heart disease, some cancers, and long-term issues like obesity and diabetes. These food choices also play a role in protecting the environment.
Processing food removes nutrients and reduces health benefits by altering ingredients. Dr. Armand says food factories often use too much salt, sugar, fake sweeteners, dyes, and chemicals that harm health or mess with the brain to make cravings harder to control.
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Get up and move with regular physical activity
Life today often makes it hard to stay active. Instead of wondering, “What gets done fastest?” try asking yourself, “What helps me move better and keep my body working well?” Doing 30 minutes of exercise each day is beneficial, but incorporating movement into your routine whenever possible may offer even greater health benefits.
“Don’t just focus on being efficient. Find fun and unique ways to keep moving,” says Dr. Armand. Try blending exercise with work or hanging out with friends. Swap online meetings for chats while walking. After grabbing coffee, go for a walk instead of sitting around.
Many people struggle with moving as they get older, deal with health issues, or recover from injuries. Try to find activities that suit your abilities or push yourself to try new things, like adaptive sports.
Keep your body safe from harmful substances
It is hard to avoid things like air pollution, tiny plastics, and man-made chemicals such as PFAS in today’s world. Breathing in small particles called particulate matter (PM10, PM2.5, PM0.1) or swallowing microplastics and toxic chemicals can harm your health in many ways.
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Dr. Armand says tiny pollution particles and smoke from wildfires can go deep into the lungs and might even reach the blood, spreading through the body. This kind of exposure raises the chances of heart problems, breathing issues, strokes, and other health troubles. Everyday appliances like gas stoves also affect indoor air, releasing nitrogen dioxide and PM2.5 particles that can irritate the lungs and raise the odds of children getting asthma. Scientists have also found microplastics inside the human body, in things like food, water, and personal care items. They are still studying how these impact health, but early findings suggest possible links to cancer, gut inflammation, and problems with the heart and lungs.
Use these tips to lower harmful exposure at home:
- Set up a water filter to cut down on PFAS, microplastics, and other toxins in your water.
- Swap out plastic storage in the kitchen with glass options like mason jars, glass containers, or stainless steel cups, and use dining tools marked as lead-free.
- Use an air purifier that fits your space and has a MERV 13 or higher filter when air quality gets bad from pollution or wildfire smoke. Check air quality updates to identify risky conditions that could affect kids, elderly people, those with breathing issues, or anyone working outside.
Keep air flowing well when using gas stoves by opening windows to let fresh air in. Consider switching to electric or induction cooktops if possible.
Incorporating these healthy lifestyle habits into your daily routine can significantly improve your overall well-being. By practicing mindfulness, focusing on sleep improvement, eating wholesome foods, engaging in regular physical activity, and protecting yourself from harmful substances, you’re taking important steps towards a healthier life. Remember, being mindful of these habits and developing good time management skills can help you maintain them consistently, leading to long-term health benefits.
Source:
Francesca Coltrera (September 24, 2025). 5 timeless habits for better health. Harvard Health Publishing. https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/5-timeless-habits-for-better-health-202509243106
Disclaimer The content on this website is meant to support, not replace, medical treatment and advice. Please seek professional advice if you believe you may have a condition. No content on this site should ever be construed as a substitute for medical advice from your doctor or other healthcare professional.
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