Shop Collagen
Get clinically proven results for your hair, skin, nails, joints and gut with collagen. Packed with powerful ingredients and offered in versatile powders, capsules or gummies.
Shop Organic SuperGreens
From clean energy and detox and digestion support to gut health and whole-body balance – our Organic SuperGreens products give you the benefits of juicing without the hassle.
Shop Protein
Discover superfood protein powders with easy-to-digest ingredients, designed to help you support your metabolism, build lean muscle and be greater than your goals.
Shop Gut Health
Put your gut health first. Our powerful probiotics, enzymes and supplements are designed to promote gut health and comfort, healthy digestive function and immune system support.
Shop Vitamins & Minerals
Designed to fill the gaps left by modern diets, our superfood formulas combine ancient techniques like fermentation with clinically proven ingredients for results you can really feel.
Shop Herbals
Explore targeted benefits like building a healthy immune defense, or overall benefits for a healthy life, from history’s most powerful superfood ingredients.
Shop Bundles
Save on intentionally paired supplements to help you achieve your goals. Whether you’re just getting started or well on your wellness journey, there’s a bundle for you.
Holiday
Don’t miss a thing! Find everything holiday in one place from festive deals to helpful gift guides and more.
Our Story
Ancient Nutrition is driven by our mission to bring history’s most powerful superfoods to the world with a steadfast commitment to restoring our farmlands and healing our planet through regenerative farming.
Home/Blog/Best 11 Healthy Habits that Are Easy to Adopt
Best 11 Healthy Habits that Are Easy to Adopt
By Jill Levy
April 24, 2024
Because it can seem overwhelming to overhaul your entire wellness routine all in one shot, many experts who study habit formation believe that it’s better to break bigger goals into smaller, more achievable steps.
By choosing just one or two goals at a time to focus on, this removes some of the initial obstacles standing in your way to a healthier you, such as procrastination or self-doubt. You can also try "habit stacking" — such as linking two habits together as a way to remind yourself to perform a habit/behavior. E.g. because you want to try to stop overworking and also exercise morning, use 5 p.m. as your work cutoff time and also the same time when you go and work out.
Below you’ll find a list of healthy habits (some of which are genuine wellness trends), broken out by category, that when practiced over time can contribute to better physical and mental health.
The key for most people is to begin by focusing on just one to two simple things (such as building one great habit) you can do to get the ball rolling. For example, pick a couple of the healthy habits below that you think will make the biggest impact.
Of course, you should always consult your healthcare professional prior to starting any new diet or lifestyle regimen.
A food journal is a log you keep of all your meals and snacks each day, perhaps along with other info like your mood, energy level, workout, etc. The main purpose is to help you become more mindful of your choices, rather than eating without much thought. It's a great way for how to lose weight or manage a healthy weight.
Benefits:
Boosts self-awareness about dietary choices and patterns
Increases mindfulness about portion sizes
Can help with healthy weight management (or even weight loss in some cases) and making overall healthier choices
Who Should Try It:
Anyone who is struggling to improve their diet despite trying other methods, such as cutting calories.
Another healthy habit worth adopting is intermittent fasting. It involves eating within a certain window of time each day, usually over about 6 to 9 hours, and having nothing but water or coffee for the remainder of the day (including overnight).
Benefits:
Can help support healthy weight management or even weight loss, in some instances
Has appetite-regulating effects
Supports general metabolic health
May help promote a healthy inflammation response
Increases mindfulness about food choices
May improve digestion
Who Should Try It:
Those who feel okay going extended periods of time without eating who are looking for metabolic and digestive support.
Fitness trackers are devices usually worn as bracelets or rings that measure your daily steps and activity, as well as vital signs like your heart rate, respiratory rate and sleep patterns (depending on the kind).
Benefits:
Can motivate you to move more throughout the day
May push you to workout harder and get more active over time in order to beat your own record
Clues you in on important info like your sleep and heart rate patterns
May be helpful for indicating when you need a “rest day”
Who Should Try It:
Those who are looking to be less sedentary, or who benefit from having more personal data about their activity patterns and health metrics.
Exercising outdoors (brisk walking, running, cycling, swimming, etc.) is known to help lift people’s moods while also having calming effects, which means it may be easier to adopt these workouts as a regular part of your routine.
Benefits:
Can help you maintain a positive mindset
Can support healthy vitamin D levels if you're also getting sunshine exposure
Known to help promote restful sleep
Something you can do socially
Offers many of the same benefits as indoor exercise, such as help with healthy weight management, building strength, heart health, etc.
Who Should Try It:
People who prefer to get outdoors in nature (try forest bathing) rather than exercise inside, those who like working out with others, anyone looking to boost their vitamin D or promote a healthy mindset, and people who spend most of their working hours inside. Just make sure to follow summer skin care recommendations.
Collagen is a type of structural protein that helps to form connective tissues throughout the body, including the joints, gut lining, skin, tendons and ligaments. While you can obtain collagen benefits by drinking real bone broth, a highly convenient way to add more to your daily diet is to consume Multi Collagen Protein powder (which can be unflavored and very versatile).
Benefits:
Supports joint health, comfort and mobility
Can help with exercise performance and recovery
Supports gut health by promoting integrity of the gut lining
Aids in skin health, such as by supporting skin elasticity
Who Should Try It:
Whether you’re an athlete or just an aging adult looking for joint/gut/skin support, collagen protein makes a good great addition to your diet since it supplies amino acids that you may be missing out on from other protein sources.
You can also try the new line of Multi Collagen Advanced, with advanced formulas for getting lean, building muscle, hydrating and detoxifying.
When you practice a grounding and energizing morning routine — such as one that involves exercise, meditation, breathing exercises, journaling, reading or affirmations related to self love — your whole day is bound to feel calmer and more organized.
Benefits:
Promotes a positive mindset and mental clarity
Provides stress relief
Helps you schedule your day better, prioritize important tasks, and say no when necessary
Can aid in building confidence, resiliency and purpose
Can help you get in a workout before the day becomes too busy
Who Should Try It:
Those who feel rushed or frazzled during the day, or who struggle to workout regularly or find time for relaxation due to a demanding schedule.
Adaptogens are herbs and botanicals (such as ashwagandha, astragalus, ginseng and functional mushrooms) that help keep the body in balance (aka homeostasis) and promote a healthy stress response, such as supporting healthy levels of “stress hormones” including cortisol.
Benefits:
Helps the body and mind cope with stress
Supports a healthy immune system, due to how the gut and brain are connected (the gut is where the majority of the immune system is located)
Can help promote restful sleep and daytime energy
Supports a positive mindset and outlook
Supports cognitive health and functions including alertness
Who Should Try It:
Anyone who feels stressed, burnt out or fatigued on a regular basis. Even if you’re generally happy and healthy, adding adaptogens into your routine can support a healthy response to stress and promote healthy cognitive function.
Getting adequate sleep is a critical healthy habit. Aim between 7 to 9 hours per night to restore your energy, support a healthy mindset and for things like detoxification and normal tissue repair.
Prior to getting into bed, run through a relaxing night time routine that helps you unwind physically and mentally. For example, rather than scrolling on your phone, try some yoga, taking a walk outside when the weather allows, meditation, reading or journaling.
Benefits:
Supports a healthy immune system
Aids in cognitive functions including concentration, decision making and memory
Helps keep your outlook positive by promoting hormonal balance
Can aid in appetite control and maintenance of a healthy weight
Who Should Try It:
Everyone, adults and children alike, need enough sleep to feel and function at their best. Sleep is particularly important when you're stressed or very active.
While there's more focus on eating enough protein, many forget about getting adequate fiber. It's a top healthy eating tip. Fiber takes up room in your stomach and contributes to feelings of fullness, and at the same time it can’t actually be digested and absorbed, so it’s basically like eating “free calories.”
Additionally, a high-fiber diet tends to include lots of nutrient-rich foods like vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds, plus it’s helpful for fighting occasional constipation.
How much fiber per day is recommended? You want at least 21 grams per day and up to 38 grams.
Benefits:
Can help decrease cravings and hunger
May support a healthy weight or even boost weight loss
Associated with higher intake of healthy, whole foods
Benefits digestion, regular elimination and gut health, by “feeding” probiotic bacteria in the gut
Supports cardiovascular health and healthy cholesterol levels
Who Should Try It:
Those who struggle with occasional constipation, a big appetite, and high cholesterol levels. This approach is also beneficial for people who eat high-protein or low-carb diets, since it assists in digestion and intake of essential nutrients.
Considering how low in calories they are, greens like spinach, kale, swiss chard, etc. are among the most nutrient-dense foods in the world. They’re great sources of antioxidants such as carotenoids and flavonoids that fight free radicals, plus vitamins K, C and A, magnesium, calcium and more.
Benefits:
Contributes to healthy aging, including heart, eye, bone, cognitive and skin health
High in fiber, vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients
Low in calories
Who Should Try It:
Just about everyone can benefit from adding more greens to their daily diet, including those following vegan, Paleo, keto or Mediterranean diets. Since it can be tough to incorporate fresh greens into meals each day, Organic Supergreens Powder (which contains alfalfa and oat grass, algae, and many other greens) makes a great alternative or addition.
Fats in our diets are needed to absorb fat-soluble vitamins (vitamins A, E and K) and for many other functions like cognitive health and maintaining normal cholesterol levels. However, it’s not always easy to consume the ideal kinds of fats — like olive oil, coconut oil, avocados, grass-fed butter, ghee, nuts, seeds and avocado — and to ditch the processed kinds like sunflower, safflower and corn oils.
Benefits:
Helps promote a healthy response to inflammation
Needed for cardiovascular health and brain health
Supports a positive mindset
Helps with satiety and controlling your appetite
Who Should Try It:
Anyone who tends to eat a decent amount of processed foods that are often made with refined vegetable oils. Switching to healthier oils and performance oils when cooking (like olive and coconut oil) and adding in fats like avocado and nuts are easy ways to practice this habit.
Jill Levy has been with the Dr. Axe and Ancient Nutrition team for eight years. She completed her undergraduate degree in Psychology from Fairfield University, followed by a certification as a Holistic Health Coach from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. Jill takes a “non-diet” approach to health and really enjoys teaching others about mindful eating, intuitive eating and the benefits of eating real foods.
Related Articles
November 12, 2024
|health
17 Ways to Boost Gut Health — Increasingly Important as One Ages
In the past decade, the importance of gut health has taken center stage in the health and wellness space. For example, did you know that your gut houses between 70 percent and 80 percent of the cells that make up your immune system?
April 9, 2024
|health
What Does Collagen Do? Benefits and Best Sources
You might recognize it as an ingredient in your favorite body lotion, perhaps noticed supplements in the vitamin aisle that feature it or, most likely, seen much buzz about it on the internet. But what is collagen and what does it do?
May 4, 2023
|health
2023 Food and Supplement Trends to Enjoy
One trend we keep a close eye on here at Ancient Nutrition is what’s happening in the food and supplement space. We want to deliver what the customer wants and remain one step ahead of the competition, while we also seek to be product innovators in our own right.
August 12, 2024
|health
What to Eat After a Workout
If you go through the trouble of exercising regularly, you want to be sure you’re gaining the most benefits from your workouts. Eating well after you exercise, especially by focusing on quality proteins combined with carbohydrates, is the best way to provide your body with the nutrients it needs to come back leaner and stronger.