The Easiest Lifestyle Changes You Can Make Today for a Healthier Life

Let’s talk about the easiest lifestyle changes for a healthier life.

After reading the book “Good Energy” by Casey Means, I was so inspired to make quick and easy lifestyle changes that would have a huge impact on my overall health. These are not the typical vague lifestyle changes like “eat healthier” or “exercise”. The book was full of very specific and tactical things you could implement, no matter how busy or chaotic your life.

If you’re looking for the deep science behind why these lifestyle changes make such an impact, I highly recommend reading the book. But today, I’m going to share with you the key takeaways for me from Good Energy and what I think are the most achievable changes for anyone, no matter who you are.

Table of Contents

Stop Eating 2 (Or 3?!) Hours Before Bed

Yes, stop eating at least 2 hours before bed, but ideally 3! This is one of the biggest changes you could make for a couple of reasons.

Deeper and better sleep. There is science behind how the less your body is digesting throughout the night, the better you’ll sleep because your body is focused on restorative rest instead of digestion.
Easier to fall asleep. This will depend on what you’re snacking on before bedtime, but if it’s typically a sweet treat, then you may spike your blood sugar, which can release adrenaline and cortisol in your body making it more difficult to fall asleep.
LESS BAD HABIT SNACKING! This is the biggest one for me! I don’t know about you, but when I was snacking at night previously, it was never on the healthy foods like fruits or vegetables. It was on the highly processed foods like chips or ice cream! So the less you can cut out evening snacking, the better you’ll probably do implementing healthier snacking habits.

Get 20 Minutes of Sunshine a Day

It’s unbelievable what 10-30 minutes of sunshine can do in a day for your body. Ideally it’s sun first thing in the morning, but it doesn’t matter if you can’t get morning sun! Get sunshine at any time of day and reap all of these benefits:

Vitamin D production! Vitamin D is one of the most important vitamins our bodies can produce. It’s critical for bone and muscle health, immune function, and regulating blood pressure. And the most natural way to get vitamin D is through exposure to the sun.
Improved mood. The sun actually stimulates production of serotonin in your body giving you a positive mood boost. Have cranky kids? Throw them outside and see what wonders the sun works on them!
Better sleep. Syncing your body with the natural light helps your internal clock know when it should be awake versus asleep.
Boosted immune system! I can’t emphasize this one enough. I know I mentioned this as a side effect of vitamin D production, but I want to reiterate this one again. The reason so many people get sick in the wintertime is because we are going outside less, not because this is when all of the sudden colds just magically come about in the air. It’s because our immune systems don’t have all that support from the sun! So get outside year round if you can!

Move Your Body Throughout the Whole Day

It totally blew my mind when I read this, but did you know the more consistent movement throughout the day can be more effective for long term health than one short burst of intense exercise? Even though short bursts of exercise are still good for improved mood and cardiovascular health, consistent movement has a ton more benefits I’d never realized before!

Reduces inflammation, reducing your risk for many chronic diseases (i.e. cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, certain cancers)
Improves your joint health by reducing stiffness and preventing pain
Improves your circulation and lymphatic flow
Can improve your mental health and sleep

This consistent movement doesn’t have to be intense either. Something as simple as getting up every hour to walk around for 15 minutes is huge. It’s about becoming someone with a more active rather than sedentary lifestyle by implementing small habits throughout your day that gets your body moving. My favorite times to walk include after my lunch and dinner meals and a mid-morning walk before it gets too hot. But ideally I’m moving throughout my whole day.

Use An Air Purifier In Your Home

Another super easy and low-effort tip. Grab an air purifier (I use this one) and put it in a central part of your home. Bonus points if you add one to your bedroom and any other commonly frequented area. Turn it on and switch out the filter every 4-6 months. It’s so simple, I never have to think about this one, but I know all the benefits I’m gaining from it including:

Removes dust, pollen, and pet dander which helps those with allergies and asthma
Minimizes respiratory irritation (less sore throats? yes please!)
Decreases the concentration of airborne viruses and bacteria (less sick days? again… yes please!)
Eliminates odors. This one is REAL! My house used to smell so strongly of dogs since I have two, but since putting in my air purifiers, it’s crazy how I no longer smell it at all!

Cleaner air is also said to lead to better sleep, improved cognition, and reduced fatigue (probably because of that better sleep!). I may be just overthinking it, but I have a four and a two year old and they have each only had one sick day this whole year. There are co-workers’ kids who are out sick almost every other week and mine are never sick. I don’t know if it’s all my air purifier, but I’m telling you… there’s something to it….

No Screens 1 Hour Before Bed

This one should hopefully be easy. Take your bed time (let’s say it’s 11PM) and make a commitment to yourself that you are going to be in bed one hour before it. That means you are laying down at 10PM. Now all you have to do is make sure your phone charger is set up outside of your bedroom and plug it in when you are ready to go into bed at 10PM. Ideally you are reducing screen time in general and if you’re looking for tips to do that, make sure to check out this post. But for the easy lifestyle change you can make, I’m only recommending right now just making sure to put your phone away one hour before bed. Here are a couple of things you can do while you lay in bed instead:

Gratitude journal. When I started doing this, it completely changed my life.
Make a to-do list for the next day on a sheet of paper. It’ll declutter your to do list from your mind helping you sleep easier.
Read a book. Looking for some book recommendations to make you start loving reading again? Check out my top 10 list here!
Do deep breathing exercises. If you want to instantly calm your nervous system, nothing does it look deep breathing.

You’ve already heard how important sleep is, but if you want to really get it reinforced in your mind, read Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker. Life. Changing.

Eat Whole Food Snacks

What I mean by whole food snacks is anything that isn’t ultra-processed. So think anything in its close to raw form like fruits, vegetables, cheese, yogurt (plain whole milk yogurt, no sugar added!), nuts, seeds, etc. If you’re craving something salty, instead of a bag of chips, grab a handful of pistachios. If you’re craving something sweet, ditch the chocolate bar and grab some watermelon. The most beautiful thing about foods that aren’t ultra-processed is that they typically satiate you much more effectively so you don’t need to eat as much of them and you’ll stay longer quicker. Ultra-processed foods are designed to be addicting and trigger additional cravings and hunger a short time later. So if you really need a snack between meals, try using this criteria of something as close to its raw form as possible.

Gratitude Journaling

I mentioned previously how gratitude journaling changed my life. Let me expand on this just a bit.

I bought a cheap notebook at the store and every night before bed, I began to write down three things I was grateful for that day. It could be something super simple like how yummy my coffee was that morning or it could be much deeper like the health of my children. I liked trying to be as specific as possible with it and concentrate on smaller moments unique to that day like something fun I did with my family or an adorable moment with my kids.

This practice led me to completely change the way I wanted to live my life and brought into focus my priorities. I had a job I really enjoyed and thought I was going to do it until retirement. But after realizing that every day, my 3 moments of gratitude never had anything to do with my job but instead revolved around my kids, I had a serious conversation with my husband. I’ll now be quitting my job to dedicate my life to being a stay-at-home mom. So when I tell you this practice changed my life, I’m not exaggerating. It literally changed the course of my entire career. So now.. I can write down that I’m grateful for my gratitude journal. How cool is that?!

I started with just a basic notebook, but if you’re looking for an actual gratitude journal with some prompts, this is a good cheap one.

I hope some of these changes help you moving forward and I’d love to hear of an easy change you made in your life that made a big difference.