7 Habits to Change Your Life

Looking back over the last year, I can see seven habits that have changed my life for the better. Today, around my table, I’m sharing those habits with you. I’m happy they changed my life. What 7 Habits can you start?

Small Changes

You may need a new habit, but don’t neglect to make small changes each day. Try some of these habits and see if they make a difference in your life.  Start your habit list.  Start with one habit and work on it.  It takes over 40 days to make a habit permanent.  Some difficult habits take even longer than 40 days to form. Morning habits are easier to keep than evening habits. Easy habits are also easier to maintain because they may at some point, go on auto-pilot. You do it without thinking.

 When you’ve got that habit covered, start another, and eventually, you will have 7 new habits.  Sometimes, you can work on two habits at the same time if you do them in the same order or timeframe.   This is called habit stacking.

These are things that make a difference, so I started a habit.  Some of these are backed by science, and some are not, so note that this is not medical advice.

Habit One

Every morning after I get out of bed, I drink lemon water. I drink two cups or one pint of lemon water.  Why? It wakes up my kidneys/liver and brain, and I feel better.  I also know that I am officially rehydrated out of bed.   I have allergies and this makes dealing with my allergies easier when I am hydrated. 

To make sure I am doing this habit. It all starts at night.  Every night, I grab a pint jar with a cover of water from the refrigerator.  I grab a frozen sliced lemon from my freezer and add it to my jar with a cover. The jar is placed on my bathroom counter, and it’s ready for the morning.  If you are worried about the acid on your teeth, drink it with a straw or do habit six right after.

My husband was getting some heart palpitations in the morning, and since he started drinking a pint of lemon water, he has not had any problems. Get hydrated every morning. Your brain, kidney, liver, and heart will all be happy to start the day.

Habit Two

I eat a whole or half of a kiwi every day, depending on availability. This is a habit my husband and I do each day.  If I don’t have a kiwi, I eat a pear or an apple.  Kiwi has soluble and insoluble fiber, and your gut loves this stuff, so much that you most likely won’t be constipated with kiwis.  They also have ample amounts of Vitamin C in them. A great way to get Vitamin C.  See my blog on Let’s Talk Kiwis for more information.  

Habit Three

I eat two prunes every morning.  The prunes are also in addition to the kiwis to get my gut moving.  When you move to menopause pre- or post, the lack of estrogen can slow down your colon. You may have more constipation if you are not actively choosing high-fiber foods that work for your colon or exercising.  Eat many fresh fruits and veggies that are high in fiber and water.

Habit Four

I drink stinging nettles/ holy basil tea each morning. This may not be the tea for you, but find a tea to drink each day for health benefits. No calories either.   I drink the nettles because this helps with allergies. Holy basil is a cortisol-lowering herb that gives you a sense of calmness.   Both are great, so I buy loose leaves and mix them to drink them every morning. 

Some other choices I’d recommend would be a dandelion or milk thistle tea to help detox your liver each day.  Hibiscus tea is good for opening your blood vessels, so if you have high blood pressure, this would be a good option.  Teas with slippery elm, called Throat Coat, are also good for your gut. Of course, green tea is good for your body in multiple ways as an antioxidant.  I usually drink another cup of tea, like peppermint, chamomile, calendula, or other herbal teas after dinner.

Habit Five

Lymphatic massage. Again because of allergies, I do a facial sinus lymphatic massage, then a body lymphatic massage each morning before I step in the shower. If I had a rebounder, I would jump up and down on it daily to move the lymph in my body. The older you get, and also with a lack of hormones, your body does not move its lymph like it should and needs assistance each day. You will be moving out the toxins in your lymph and body. Here is an article on Lymphatic massage.

Habit Six

Coconut oil pulling. Every day in the morning I swish coconut oil around in my mouth while I am in the shower or getting dressed. This takes me 5-7 minutes.   I started doing this for two reasons: It makes your teeth whiter and cleans out all the bacteria from your mouth. I have heard it can even affect your sinuses positively.  Since I have been doing this, I have fewer sinus issues. It is worth a try to make it a habit if it works for you. Oil pulling article.

Habit Seven

Bible Recap/Bible reading is something I have always done 5-6 times a week but not every single day.  I started Bible Recap this year. You can find it on the Bible Recap website, YouTube, and podcast, or I use the Youversion plans. I read 2-4 chapters of the Bible a day chronologically and then watch the videos as the readings are summarized.  I don’t want to miss a day after many days of doing this. 

Other Habits I Want to Start Daily

Other habits I want to be doing daily include grounding barefoot outside, looking at or near the sun each morning to set my circadian cycle of awake and sleep, reading a chapter of a book each night, and walking every day- I do this 5x now. I’d also add writing or journaling every day. Not that I don’t do these things, but I don’t do them every single day like I do the above.

As mentioned before try habit stacking when you can accomplish two things at once.  Read and drink tea.   Walk and pray. You get it.

Also, think about an order of things- plan out what you will do, and your brain will go into autopilot to get ready for the day.

Make a List and Start Your 7 Habits

What are the habits you do every day or want to start daily?   Habits you know you have to do and will change your health and life.  Make a list of the habits that will change you for the best.  Work on one at a time until you do it every single day! Then, add the next habit until you have reached 7 Habits.

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