Small steps, big results: Easy healthy habits to start today

Since moving to a quieter place, I’ve found more mental space to appreciate life’s little joys. These simple moments add up, making most days - good days.

So, what does joy have to do with health and healthy habits? A lot, it turns out! Research shows that joy correlates with better physical health. Those who experience daily joy have lower blood pressure, reduced inflammation, and lower cortisol levels (our stress hormone).(1) This is a great reason to incorporate more micro-joys into your life and enjoy their positive effects on your mood and health.

What’s even more fascinating is that positive emotions can counteract the effects of stress, making us more resilient to future stressful situations. Joy, hope, and awe can lead to lasting changes in brain structure and function.(2) The broaden-and-build theory by Barbara Fredrickson explains how positive feelings expand our thought-action skills, fostering creativity and building resources like mindfulness, resilience, social connections, and physical health. This demonstrates that positive emotions, though fleeting, have lasting impacts on personal growth and social connectedness.(3)

Here are 10 joyful healthy habits you can start today.:

1. Savour your cup of coffee/matcha/tea/chai latte. When you are drinking your hot beverage have a little pause and think how good that tastes and how it will give you a little energy boost, which will result in a feeling of joy. Good-quality coffee (made from beans, not instant) is rich in polyphenols, particularly chlorogenic acids. These compounds offer numerous health benefits, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, anti-diabetic, and antihypertensive effects.(4)

2. Rejoice in someone else’s happiness. The University of California's BIG JOY project (https://ggia.berkeley.edu/bigjoy?) invites everyone to practice joy through daily activities for 7 minutes over 7 days. One activity involves asking someone to share something fun, wonderful, or inspiring they’ve experienced recently. I love this idea! Lately, I've felt so inspired when friends share their successes, like landing a new client, making a breakthrough in therapy, or cooking all their meals at home. It genuinely brings me joy. 🙂

3. Start your day outside. Our circadian rhythm, the body's internal 24-hour clock, directs our cells on when to be active and when to prepare for sleep, and it's guided by sunlight, even on cloudy days. A morning walk or enjoying your coffee in the garden helps keep your body clock in balance, improving sleep and mood.(5) Exposure to daylight suppresses melatonin, the sleep hormone, during the day, leading to its earlier release at night and preparing your body for a restful sleep.(6)

4. Read for 15 minutes in bed before sleep. This helps you get off screens sooner, fall asleep faster, and quiet your mind. Studies show that reading before bed improves sleep quality compared to not reading.(7) Personally, I've found joy in going to bed earlier, not checking my phone, and reading on my Kindle. My heart rate lowers, and I notice the difference when I don’t read. This habit, along with starting your day outside, focuses on sleep improvements, making us feel capable and joyful throughout the day.

5. Visit a new brunch spot (or lunch, coffee, or dinner place). Trying new places instead of your usual haunts exposes your brain to fresh sights and smells, stimulating creativity by breaking out of autopilot mode. Even if the coffee or shakshuka isn't great, you've had a new experience and learned something new.

6. Book a yoga class this weekend. Yoga offers numerous benefits, including enhanced muscular strength, improved flexibility, better respiratory and cardiovascular function, and support for addiction recovery. It reduces stress, anxiety, depression, and chronic pain, and promotes better sleep and overall well-being, all backed by research.(8) Beyond the calmness and grounding, I love the community vibe in smaller studios. Since moving to Aberdeen, attending Breathing Space has made me feel part of a community, bringing even more joy along with the health benefits.

7. Call or invite a friend for a walk. The longest study on happiness found that good relationships are key to a healthy and happy life.(9) Nurturing connections with family, friends, and community positively impacts your physical health and happiness.(9) So, invite your friend or parent for a morning walk, try a new brunch place, or simply call a friend instead of scrolling on Instagram. It’ll bring joy to your day.

8. Snack smarter. Snacking often gives short-lived joy but can leave you feeling tired or hungrier later. Opt for smarter snack combos instead of your afternoon biscuit: dark chocolate with nuts, date with your favourite nut butter, apple with nuts, yoghurt with berries, carrots and hummus, or seed crackers with hummus. These snacks provide protein and healthy fats, not just sugar and carbs, supporting your nutritional intake without affecting your appetite and weight.(10)

9. Take yourself on an artist date, inspired by Julia Cameron's book "The Artist's Way." Think of what brought you joy as a child and do that now. It could be going for ice cream, watching an animated movie, visiting a trampoline park, or building with Lego. It's about reconnecting with your inner child and finding joy without worrying about what others think. Nourish that pure inner joy and let it surface.

10. Cook a healthy meal for yourself. There's immense satisfaction in preparing a nice meal. Cooking keeps your mind focused, whether you're chopping, following recipes, or listening to music. Food always tastes better when you cook it yourself. Plus, the sight and smell of food better prepare your digestive system to break down the food and absorb its nutrients. Studies show that people who cook more than five home-cooked meals a week consume more fruits and vegetables and are less likely to be overweight  - how amazing is that!(11) For easy, healthy ideas, check out my recipes section.

Which joyful habit will you try first? Let me know in the comments. If you’d like to incorporate more joy into your health goals, book a free call, and I can help you build joyful, healthy habits into your everyday life.

• References

  1.Steptoe A, Dockray S, Wardle J. Positive Affect and Psychobiological Processes Relevant to Health. Journal of Personality. 2009 Dec;77(6):1747–76.

  2.Garland E, Howard MO. Neuroplasticity, Psychosocial Genomics, and the Biopsychosocial Paradigm in the 21st Century. Health & social work. 2009 Aug 1 ;34(3):191–9. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2933650

  3.Garland EL, Fredrickson B, Kring AM, Johnson DP, Meyer PS, Penn DL. Upward spirals of positive emotions counter downward spirals of negativity: Insights from the broaden-and-build theory and affective neuroscience on the treatment of emotion dysfunctions and deficits in psychopathology. Clinical Psychology Review. 2010 Nov;30(7):849–64. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2908186/

  4.Yamagata K. Do Coffee Polyphenols Have a Preventive Action on Metabolic Syndrome Associated Endothelial Dysfunctions? An Assessment of the Current Evidence. Antioxidants. 2018 Feb 4;7(2):26. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5836016/

  5.Blume C, Garbazza C, Spitschan M. Effects of light on human circadian rhythms, sleep and mood. Somnologie : Schlafforschung und Schlafmedizin = Somnology : sleep research and sleep medicine. 2019 Sep 1;23(3):147–56. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6751071/

  6.Mead MN. Benefits of Sunlight: A Bright Spot for Human Health. Environmental Health Perspectives. 2008 Apr;116(4). Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2290997/

  7.Finucane E, O’Brien A, Treweek S, Newell J, Das K, Chapman S, et al. Does reading a book in bed make a difference to sleep in comparison to not reading a book in bed? The People’s Trial—an online, pragmatic, randomised trial. Trials. 2021 Dec;22(1).

  8.Woodyard C. Exploring the therapeutic effects of yoga and its ability to increase quality of life. International Journal of Yoga. 2011 Dec;4(2):49–54. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3193654/

  9.Waldinger R, Schulz M. What the Longest Study on Human Happiness Found Is the Key to a Good Life. The Atlantic. 2023. Available from: https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2023/01/harvard-happiness-study-relationships/672753/

  10.Tello M. The Science of Snacking. The Nutrition Source. 2021 Available from: https://nutritionsource.hsph.harvard.edu/snacking/

  11.Mills S, Brown H, Wrieden W, White M, Adams J. Frequency of eating home cooked meals and potential benefits for diet and health: cross-sectional analysis of a population-based cohort study. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity. 2017 Aug 17;14(1). Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5561571/