There are countless healthy habits that improve our lives. But I have found that when I practice just three effectively, most of the others take care of themselves.
I consider them the three most important habits in my life.
Now, if we were to sit down and create a list of habits we think essential for success in life, there’s no doubt we could create a lengthy list without much thought:
- Healthy Diet
- Reading
- Exercising
- Planning
- Budgeting
- Meditating
- Arriving on Time
- Setting goals
- Evaluating the Day
As a matter of fact, the longer we think about healthy habits, the more we’d add. Our list would grow and grow:
- Avoiding addiction
- Sleeping well
- Valuing relationships
- Smiling
- Avoiding distractions
- Quitting smoking
- Saying “I love you”
And each of those habits are, indeed, healthy. I would never discourage anyone from pursuing any of them.
But I have found, surprisingly enough, that when I intentionally practice just three from the list above, other habits begin to fall into place—almost naturally.
Conversely, when I let any of these three drop in importance, everything else suffers.
That’s why I call them essential.
The three most essential habits in my life for living well:
1. Exercise.
Our physical bodies are the instruments through which we make a difference in the world. And taking care of them lays the foundation for all other pursuits in life.
When I make a commitment to exercise regularly (4 or more times/week), I feel better about myself, I experience more energy and motivation in my day, and I feel a sense of control over my life that spills into other areas.
There is not one specific practice of exercise that must be practiced by all. I have friends who get their exercise by hiking regularly, running often, playing tennis, attending a fitness class, or lifting weights at the gym. I also have older friends who simply make a commitment to walk 30 minutes each day.
But each of them, to the extent they are able, practice regular physical exercise.
Personally, I spend one hour each weekday morning lifting weights.
And when I’m doing that consistently, the second essential habit comes easier:
2. Healthy Diet.
If our physical bodies are the instruments through which we make a difference in the world, our diet is the fuel for them.
It has been said that 46% of Americans have a poor-quality diet—which means that almost half of us are not properly fueling ourselves for our best lives.
But the research gets even worse. Not only are we not properly preparing ourselves for optimal living, our diet may actually be cutting our lives short. According to the same study, “suboptimal diet is among the leading causes of poor health, particularly obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and diet-related cancers.”
Bringing greater intentionality to the food we eat is a habit that pays off immediately in the short-term (more energy) and in the long-term (better health).
I’m not a nutritionist and each of us are unique, so I’m not here to offer prescriptive steps on this habit.
But for me personally, I have found the following steps to be most helpful in creating a more healthy diet: Remove processed sugar*, limit carbohydrates, eliminate alcohol, and increase my daily intake of vegetables.
There is a lot of wiggle-room in that diet for me to practice it effectively, but those are the four guardrails I’ve found most helpful.
*Eliminating processed sugar is by far the hardest for me to follow and when I begin to fall into bad habits around diet, this is always the first place I slip up. I have learned that I do best eliminating it entirely—rather than limiting consumption.
3. Solitude/Meditation/Prayer.
Each of the first two essential habits in my life deal with the physical body, but life is more than skin and bones.
A healthy life also concerns itself with matters of the heart and soul. In order for me to be living my best, I must make time for solitude, meditation, and/or prayer.
Our world is noisy and constantly clamoring for our attention. Not because it is out for our good—sometimes it is just trying to bend our will toward the cultural pursuit of the day or direct our passion towards whatever it is hoping to sell us.
The only way to listen to our heart and center ourselves around more important pursuits is to withdraw from the world in stillness, solitude, or meditation.
I believe that Blaise Pascal was right when he said, “All of humanity’s problems stem from man’s inability to sit quietly in a room alone.”
We can embrace every positive habit change in the world, but if our heart and soul is not centered on worthy pursuits, we will end up wasting the one life we’ve been given effectively chasing all the wrong things.
The practice of meditation and/or solitude is practiced by people of every faith and nonfaith background, so it is not difficult to find different ways to embrace this habit in your life. I’m not necessarily here to prescribe that for you.
But personally, I spend 30 minutes every day in quietness, contemplation, faith-based reading (Bible), and prayer. Without it, I too quickly lose my way.
There are other healthy habits that I am intentional about pursuing in my life, my marriage, my family, and my work.
But when I am doing well with these three habits, all the others become easier and easier.
Niki says
Thank you Joshua! As always very practical advice. Sugar is my nemeses, and then usually after all the sugar I crave carbs and salty! Ugh!! I’m still not anywhere I want to be as far as getting to a more minimalist life. Too much stuff get in the way- just as you said. I’m working on it though.
Sandra Teter says
Becoming-Minimalist JB thank you
for showing me how to create space
in my home & life and to find the peace God has had for me all along!
🙏 Love your books & news letters!
Joyce Simpson says
I love and agree with your three healthy habits that are vital. If we aren’t physically feeling good it is hard to have a lot of the other habits in life. Thank you for all your encouraging words.
Susan Ryan says
These are probably the 3 main habits I try to practise with getting my meditation practise regular requiring the most discipline right now. Regarding the diet the tweak I would make is to minimize processed foods and white flour because whole grains (complex carbohydrates) are a mainstay in my diet. I like to say I focus on whole foods plant based and try to keep animal products below 10%. I aim for vegan but giving the wiggle room here makes it easier psychologically while still pretty darn healthy. Lots of fruits and veggies can be high in carbohydrate but supply needed antioxidants as well.
Elisheva says
Thanks for this super simple yet super practical post! These are exactly the 3 things that I am working on now!
Jessalynn Jones says
Great post Joshua! Reminds me of the three things I do every day. I try to make sure I do something active, something creative, and something spiritual every day. It keeps me healthy happy and calm to do these things so I prioritize them.
Moses says
This is so beautiful, Joshua.
Joy says
I love how you share personally about your top 3 habits!
I also love how at the end you snuck in another 3 for successful living!
I agree with ALL 6!!! 😊♥️
Tina Dequin says
I have started downsizing, preparing to move up-north and buy a small home on the lake. I can’t believe how much stuff I have, it feels good to let go, I have my memories of all the things I had. This is a 2 year plan. Feb.2023 have my home almost ready to be sold, Feb. 2024 sell home and hopefully find a small home In West Branch, MI.
Joyce Simpson says
Sounds so exciting! It feels good to let go and have a fresh start! I am practicing that minus the move😂
Enjoy your new lake living!
Donna Nowicki says
I love this!! Now yo put it into practice :) Thank you
Betsy says
Sugar is my downfall. I love to bake, it gives me such pleasure but I try not to do it. I’m even tempted to give my baking pans away so I won’t bake. The thought makes me sad but it might be the answer.
Hilda says
Hi Betsy, Giving away should not be a sad occasion. So maybe a compromise: select your favorite pans & utensils to keep with a promise to yourself to bake 1/2 to 3/4 of the times you do now. With perhaps a little less sugar. Happy baking!
Betsy says
Giving away makes me happy. Less is more but my thought is that if I don’t have the pans I won’t bake. Out of sight out of mind.
Richard says
There are so many “ketogenic” recipes that are not filled with sugar and you would love to bake. Look them up and you will find more good uses for those baking pans. Good luck.
Karen E says
Betsy, I can relate! We could bake and then give the food to others (family, friends, neighbors, co-workers). Or donate to charity bake sales (if that is still a thing). This way we get both the joy of baking AND joy of giving! :-)
Betsy says
Thanks for the comment Karen. I thought I was so smart in the beginning of Covid. My husband loves cake and asked me to please bake. I came up with the idea of making cake in really small loaf pans, one for my husband and the rest dropped at several neighbors doors. That backfired big time. Everyday it seemed like someone was reciprocating! I really tried hard not to look at it but it was a battle. I even donated to food banks.