When we think of healthy habits, we tend to think of the times we

tried going to the gym every day or completely overhauled our diets

for a few weeks just to end up going back to pizza and junk food.

While exercising more and eating better are crucial habits to develop,

they involve a big commitment and are best achieved slowly through

gradual changes.

However, that doesn’t mean there aren’t easier, simpler habits you

can pick up to improve your health. The following habits are all great

head-to-toe health boosters, improving both mental and physical

health, but they are also easily achievable. What more could you ask

for?

Drink About Two Liters of Water Every Day

You have definitely heard this one before, but that doesn’t change

the fact that staying hydrated is one of the easiest ways to keep your

body healthy on a daily basis. Water is one of the most fundamental

needs of your body and is essential to many of its basic functions.

There is no real medical consensus on how much water you need to

drink every day, but the two-liter rule is often used as an easy goal. If

you struggle to drink that much, try some tricks from SELF.com

for bumping up your water intake regularly during the day.

Declutter Every Few Months

Decluttering may not seem like a healthy habit, but it definitely is one.

According to House Logic , researchers at UCLA have shown a link

between clutter and heightened levels of stress. This makes sense

intuitively: messy, cluttered homes are not pleasant environments

and can be both a symptom and a cause of mental illness.

Since clutter has a tendency to re-accumulate over time (and since

our attachment to objects may change over time), you should aim to

declutter your house every few months. It’s also a good idea to pair

each decluttering “session” with a proper deep clean of the house. If

that sounds like your worst nightmare, treat yourself to a professional

cleaning service.

See Some Nature as Often as Possible

There is plenty of scientific evidence for the health benefits of

spending time outdoors. Seeing natural scenes has a measurable

impact on our mental health, which, in turn, affects our bodies by

reducing the physical strain of stress. Regular exposure to nature can

thus help us lead longer and happier lives. Get out and see nature as

often as you can. If you’re lucky enough to live in a city with good

green spaces , take advantage of them. Go for a walk in the park at

lunchtime; even a quick walk can boost your concentration . Or if you

have a scooter , opt to take it to work, as you can often get around

much quicker during rush hour. If you have a yard, sit there for a

while every morning. Go on weekend trips to local nature spots — all

you need is a good pair of hiking shoes. On days when you can’t

manage any time with nature, just take a minute to look at some

pictures of it; studies show this can have the same mood-boosting

effect.

As you can see, not all healthy habits are things you do daily, or even

weekly. They can be as simple as having an extra glass of water

before your meals or taking a moment to look up healthcare plans. A

healthy lifestyle is the accumulation of all many smaller habits, and

it’s important to acknowledge just how much the smallest ones can

do for you.

Guest article by Jennifer McGregor