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12 Small Ways to Help Boost Your Health

By Ethan Boldt

January 27, 2025

When you have a goal to get fitter, lose weight or boost your heart health, for example, we often think of major steps that are required to achieve these goals. Such steps can be starting a new diet or joining a gym, for example.

The obstacle for many people is that these steps are not always realistic, or they’re just not ready to commit to such a major change.

Instead, what are some smaller ways to boost your health? Rather than signing up to run a marathon, you can simply try to walk 8,000 steps a day, for instance.

With that in mind, here are 12 daily activities that can be game-changers for your health in general. If some of these practices become daily habits, then over time they can contribute to significant goals like fat loss, more energy, less stress and better overall health.

In addition, you can increase your chances of achieving healthy longevity: aka, a long life that remains healthy and relatively vigorous until the end.

As always, you should consult your healthcare professional prior to beginning any new dietary of lifestyle regimen.

1. Have a glass of water when you wake up

Rather than going right for the coffee first thing in the day, have a glass of water soon after you wake up. We lose water as we sleep, so hydrating is important for electrolyte balance and helping to maintain normal functioning of our cardiovascular and healthy immune systems.

Water also “keeps things moving” and helps you stay regular. You’ll also feel less hungry.

You should also be drinking water every 30 minutes at least. How much water? Overall, try to drink up to 50 percent of your body weight in ounces of water per day.

2. Have a balanced macronutrient breakfast

You often hear: Have a big breakfast! Have one with tons of protein! Make sure you have fruit for breakfast!

Well, sure, but most important is making sure you have adequate amounts of the three macronutrients: carbohydrates, fat and protein. A balanced blend of "macros" means more prolonged energy for the day, fewer blood sugar spikes (helping to keep your blood sugar levels in the healthy, normal range), along with other benefits.

The average breakfast doesn’t deliver balanced macros. Instead, a cereal-based breakfast is typically high in carbohydrates but low in both protein and fat. Many smoothies tend to be high in carbs, moderate in protein and absent of fats, for example.

Instead, try to get at least 20 to 30 percent of your meal with each macronutrient. Check out our balanced macronutrient protein shakes or these high-protein breakfasts that also feature health-minded fats and good carbs.

3. Take your supplements with your breakfast

Hopefully you take a multivitamin, a probiotic and perhaps some other supplements as well. (See our articles about best supplements for women and men.)

Of course, in order to derive the full benefits from a supplement, it’s recommended that you take it every day. In order for you to hit that goal, take it in the morning.

Your probiotic? The best time to take it is before breakfast and soon after you wake up. Your multi? Have with your multivitamin in the morning with breakfast, which helps support absorption and is often easier on the stomach

4. Get in a morning workout

Maybe it’s before breakfast or afterwards. Either way, some studies show that morning exercise may work better than evening workouts because they’re missed less often, get your metabolism firing early in the day, assist with healthy blood sugar levels already in the normal range and set up your mindset for positivity for the rest of the day.

Take your spin or yoga class, go for a bike ride or run, do your strength training, etc. Your brain and body will be better for it, and it’ll be checked off your list.

5. Lower the amount of caffeine

While coffee and energy drinks may have their place, they’re overemphasized these days. The body (and brain) doesn’t require such high levels of caffeine per day to perform.

In fact, too much caffeine (generally over 400 mg is considered excessive) can negatively impact sleep, nervousness, the stomach and even hydration.

You may be interested in Ancient Nutrition’s Clean Energy supplement that contains 74 milligrams of caffeine per serving — less than a typical cup of coffee — and comes in two delicious flavors: cherry limeade and strawberry kiwi. It’s powered by an Ancient Superfood Energy Blend of coconut water, organic beet root, Ancient Mineral Complex, organic coffeeberry and apple extract.

Clean Energy is designed to promote alertness, focus and cognitive health, plus physical performance and endurance. It even promotes lean muscle and strength for a healthy body composition. Simply mix a scoop with 8 ounces of cold water.

6. Meditate for 2 minutes

In order to help lower stress, we’re often told to meditate. But many people don’t know what that means or think it requires too much of a commitment.

Instead, simply focus on your breathing for two minutes. Sit still in a relatively quiet place, close your eyes and concentrate only on your natural inhaling and exhaling of breath. That’s it.

7. Choose whole foods over processed ones

Rather than making it overcomplicated, simply start choosing more whole foods over processed ones.

Whole foods simply means vegetables, fruits, whole grains (like oats and quinoa), nuts, seeds, healthy fats, legumes, dairy, eggs, poultry, red meat and fish. They don’t have an ingredients list and, yes, they usually require a little cooking!

Processed ones are typically those in a package. These foods undergo some form of processing to make them suitable for consumption or to extend shelf life. Ultra-processed foods are the worst examples of them, as they go through extensive industrial processing, often involving the use of industrial ingredients and additives. They contain little to no whole foods and often have added sugars, unhealthy fats and high levels of salt.

Examples include fast food, sugary drinks, pre-packaged snacks and ready-to-eat meals with long ingredient lists.

8. Avoid added sugar

Excess sugar consumption is a problem. The average American has about four times more than what the American Heart Association recommends (six teaspoons of added sugar per day).

Excessive sugar can negatively affect many areas of the body and its function, including blood sugar, energy level, body weight, hormones, heart, liver, cognitive function, outlook and the body’s response to inflammation.

Throughout your day, opt for low-sugar replacements to anything high in the white stuff. For example, overnight oats instead of breakfast cereal; no-flour whole grain bread over white bread; whole fruit over fruit yogurt.

9. Incorporate the key three nutrients — protein, fiber and fats — that keep you full

High-protein foods and supplements help build and maintain healthy muscle mass (in addition to regular muscle-building exercise) and also can provide support for tendons and ligaments. They also increase satiety to a greater extent than carbohydrates, so your daily calorie intake can also decrease.

Protein is especially important after exercise, when there's a time window to help repair the muscle tissues along with tendons and joints. Protein also functions to increase satiety to a greater extent than carbohydrates or fats. You're much more likely to overeat carbohydrates, especially if they’re refined or sweetened, than protein foods.

While there's more focus these days on eating enough protein, many forget about getting adequate fiber. 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.”

Also, protein and fiber help promote healthy blood sugar (already in the normal range). Eating foods with protein and fiber can help slow down the absorption of sugar during a meal. Protein foods also help create satiety, so your daily calorie intake can also decrease.

Additionally, healthy fats or performance fats — like olive oil, coconut oil, avocados, grass-fed butter, ghee, nuts, seeds and avocado — also help keep you full and balance blood sugar levels (already in the normal range).

At each meal time, make sure you’re getting enough protein, fiber and healthy fats.

10. Go for a walk

Even if you got that workout in during the morning, it’s a good idea to get up and move around every hour at least. Even better is taking a walk in the afternoon or early evening.

If you can go outside for that walk, benefits can include supporting your heart and bone health, alleviating some stress, and giving you a chance to socialize with a colleague, friend or family member on the walk. No one around to stroll with? Give them a phone call.

11. Give a good friend or family member a call

Whether you do it on the walk or in your home, connecting with a friend is the classic example of a small gesture that can go a long way. Don’t text or email. Call! Maybe even a video call.

When you establish a meaningful interaction with a dear friend or family member, you engage your brain in the best of ways. You can boost your mood, lower any sense of isolation and likely do the same for your friend.

Don’t always make it the same person, either. Talking to different people will help facilitate new connections in your brain rather than just strengthening existing ones.

12. Get to bed before 10 p.m.

Not getting enough sleep routinely can sabotage not just your next day energy-wise but set you up for problems down the line. While more studies need to be conducted, one study found that people who slept less than seven or more than nine hours per night had one to three years fewer healthy years compared to those who got seven to nine hours daily.

Going to bed on the early side also helps regulate your hunger hormones, assists the metabolism and helps you avoid the temptation of late-night snacks.

Remember to avoid electronics an hour or so before bed, as the blue light can affect your sleep cycle. Read a book, take a bath or do some journaling.