What if there was some kind of secret lifestyle formula that all these so called ‘successful’ or ‘effective’ people follow. Sadly I have not come across any such magic formula!
However, from my experience helping professionals to meet their various health goals, I have discovered there seems to be a few habits or priorities that certain people all seem to adopt. All of them seem to be aiding them be the best version of themselves. Here we share our top health habits for successful living.
These are not necessarily innate characteristics, but they may also not be so consciously practised. To some extent, it appears they seem to all be adopted fairly naturally by those who appear in control of their physical, mental and emotional health.
7 Top Health Habits For Success Revealed
Here I am going to break down these 7 ‘practices’ that all seem to positively impact an individuals’ tendency towards achievement and thriving in their lives, whatever their situation may be.
#1 Prioritise Plants Over Pills
These highly effective people seem to be very aware and conscious of the impact food has on their body. When they can, they choose nourishing, whole foods over processed, fake foods.
There is a tendency to opt for more plant-based foods and meeting their ‘5 a day’ is rarely in question. Many of these high energy individuals will be eating a rainbow of fruit and veg each day. For example, whatever breakfast looks like, if on the go, at home or in the office, it will often consist of ‘real’ foods, even if it is just an apple and a handful of nuts.
I generally discover that these people who prioritise what goes into their body, generally do find the time to prepare more healthy foods compared to those on the same schedule who don’t place such a priority on it. It may be doing some meal prep on a Sunday night or preparing some overnight oats to-go the night before. This habit sets them up for success as when things inevitably get busy and overwhelming, they are in a position where they have some nourishing options to hand, preventing the all too easy coffee shop snacking or Deliveroo.
This same ethos often means these people are not those that pop pills at the first sign of a headache for example. Instead, they instinctively listen to their body, and it may in fact be their blood sugar is low, they are getting dehydrated or simply need a break.
Our 'Make Your Immune System Smile' webinar shares practical and tasty ways to use the power of food to boost your immunity and ward of bugs and other health niggles to keep you in the game!
#2 They Tend To Be Pretty N.E.A.T!
By neat I am not referring to them ironing their socks each morning. N.E.A.T stands for non-exercise activity thermogenesis – it basically means all the movement and activity you do during the day that isn’t formal exercise. This includes things such as walking to work, taking the stairs or playing with your children. These highly effective people tend to naturally have high levels of N.E.A.T during the week.
Generally, they are not sitting down for long periods of time, even when they are working. They may instead use a standing desk, walk around when they are on the phone or frequently get up to fetch something, talk to a colleague or take a breather.
Sitting for prolonged periods of time has been linked with a whole host of adverse health conditions from musculoskeletal problems to metabolic issues such as cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes so you can understand why increasing N.E.A.T is such a healthy habit to adopt.
Linked with this is the tendency to have more outdoor time. Generally speaking, these effective people tend to spend more time outside than your average. This may involve choosing to walk places over taking the car, getting some fresh air breaks during the day and adopting more physical hobbies that involve being outside. Being in nature has consistently shown to offer so many health benefits, particularly around mental health such as improved mood, reduced anxiety and even greater creativity.
Often linked with this is the tendency to engage in more frequent stretching. This is not necessarily engaging in a full yoga practice (though this is great), it may just be stretching your arms above your head or twisting your torso sat at your desk. Regular stretching in this way is so important in keeping your fascia healthy, ensuring good circulation and posture.
See if you notice certain people in your workplace and if they are unconsciously stretching their body throughout the day.
#3 They Treat Their Rest as Serious Business
You’ve heard it time and time again, self-care is not selfish. That’s all very well but where are you meant to find the time to find a quiet corner with a lavender foot bath and do absolutely nothing. Although this may seem like an impossibility most days, highly effective people seem to naturally fit ‘down time’ into their routine.
It appears they realise the need to stop and recharge is as important as need to power on with challenges. Finding small opportunities throughout the day to switch-off and give their mind a break seems to come quite naturally to these individuals. It may be choosing to listen to a relaxing podcast on the way to work instead of checking emails, or getting outside for a few minutes between meetings.
As stress and burnout are such big barriers to achievement, implementing these on-going periods of rest and a break from the bustle seem to be a winning habit to adopt.
We've created an empowering webinar 'When there is too much on your plate' sharing how you can prevent burnout in your colleagues.
Choosing to have breaks throughout the day seems to enable them to gain more awareness and insight and actually perform better than if they’d have ploughed on with their to-do list.
Often these individuals have one or 2 hobbies that they engage with on a regular basis. This may be being part of the local tennis club, book club or art group. This gives their brain and body a change from the on-going demands of the week, and they often find they are able to achieve a state of flow, contributing to stress-reduction, increased happiness and better emotional regulation.
#4 They Have An Attitude of Gratitude
The energy you bring to each day has a huge impact on how you experience your life. Individuals who seem most resilient, positive, and successful often have a mindset of gratitude, acceptance and compassion.
“Gratitude will shift you to a higher frequency, and you will attract much better things.” – Rhonda Byrne
When people are feeling grateful for what they currently have and thankful for the people and situations in their lives, they often cultivate an energy of abundance which actually manifests as ‘success’ in it’s many guises. On the other side are those individuals who are constantly striving and wanting ‘more’ – exuding feelings and energy of lack and absence.
The way these effective people may cultivate these feelings of gratitude often look different for each person. For some people it may tie into their religious practices or for others it may be a regular mindfulness practice or keeping a gratitude journal. For others it may simply be counting on their fingers all the things they are grateful for before they go to sleep each night.
Having this time for reflection is also vital to maintain a level of awareness, to reflect on what is working and what areas need attention. This type of practice seems to be paramount for those individuals who appear able to stay in alignment most of the time,
However it is practised, having this awareness and appreciation can have profound effects on our mental health, helping with issues such as depression, self-esteem and stress.
#5 They Rock Their Routine
Something many of us have lost touch with is our circadian rhythm. We may wake at different times, eat different amounts at different times and fall asleep at sporadic times. Something I have found these highly effective people seem to have in common is that on the whole, they have quite a predictable rhythm to their day.
They generally wake at the same time, even on weekends, eat around the same time and fall asleep at the same time. Despite what may be quite an erratic and hectic schedule, these people will often follow a very similar routine each day. Often they won’t even need to set an alarm as their body naturally comes out of sleep at the same time each day.
This daily rhythm seems to follow quite a natural flow which means they aren’t pushing their body too far in any one direction e.g staying up late past tiredness cues or not eating for very long periods throughout the day.
Sleep is such an important part of this and those of us who struggle with our sleep (hello parents!) will know what an adverse impact it can have on each part of our day. Nailing your sleep routine with things such as avoiding electronics, alcohol and caffeine before bed, seems to be a health habit practised by many of these effective people.
Staying true to their body’s circadian rhythm often means they have more energy throughout the day so it is no surprise these individuals seem to be able to achieve more and remain focused and motivated. Giving your body a predictable routine can actually save you energy as your body often automatically senses what is expected of it at any given time.
Having this general routine appears to be really beneficial to these individuals when it comes to habit stacking. It is thought that in order to successfully implement a new habit, it is best to ‘stack’ it on to an existing habit. For example, if you would like to start a 10 min deep breathing practice each morning, adding it on to your teeth brushing routine is more likely to work than simply planning to do it ‘before work’. Having an already set routine seems to make things easier when it comes to adding in additional beneficial habits or activities.
#6 They Are Sun Seekers
I strongly believe that the sun is like our natural battery charger. Successful individuals seem to see themselves as not separate from nature but part of it. This is something we can lose sight of so easily as we all tend to be confined to our little ‘boxes’ each day, whether this be at home, in the car or in the office.
Getting some beautiful sunlight on our skin is such a simple yet so often neglected way to reconnect with ourselves and nature. Those who get some sunshine on their faces, particularly in the morning, have been shown to have higher levels of energy throughout the day.
This is not surprising give the sun’s powerful ability to regulate our circadian rhythm (see point #4) as well as other systems in our body such as immunity through the production of vitamin D.
I often find these effective people have a regular morning routine which may include going for a walk outside or doing some stretching or mediation in the garden. All these activities will be exposing their skin to the morning sun, radiating them with the benefits throughout the rest of their day.
Next time you are feeling a bit groggy, instead of reaching for a shot of caffeine, reach outside for a shot of sunshine!
In our 'Unstoppable You' webinar, our corporate nutritionist can share evidence-based health hacks to naturally boost the energy of your team.
#7 They Follow The 80/20 Principle
From reading the above, you may be getting an impression of these ‘effective’ individuals as somewhat robotic slaves to their perfect health habits.
For the well balanced individuals, this is not the case. They are not rigid about any of the above and they are not seen as strict rules to stick to, simply guiding principles to live their best lives. In terms of the 80/20 principle, they generally keep up their healthy habits 80% of the time whilst allowing 20% for flexibility when their lives don’t allow for it.
I love the saying “Everything in moderation, even moderation” as it think it is important to recognise that, feeling you have to abide by certain lifestyle rules and having certain things as ‘off-limit’ is not at all helpful in achieving a balanced state.
It is equally important to retain that element of spontaneity, fun and joy as without this what’s the point of having this ‘success’ if you’re not fully enjoying it. These individuals don’t get hung up if some days revolve around long lunches and several bottles of wine, they simply embrace this ‘20%’ and the freedom and balance it brings.
As long as their natural, embedded habits offer them the general self-care that their body and mind needs for success, these blips don’t appear to negatively impact their zest for life!
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