50 Microhabits You Might Be Overlooking
50 tiny, low-effort shifts that actually move the needle (plus the mindset trap keeping you from them)
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I've had a complicated relationship with expectations my entire life.
I realize how many I've quietly placed on things and then relabeled to goals, standards, or even desires. But underneath, they're truly expectations. I know this because of what happens in my body and life when things don’t go as “expected.”
I don’t believe all expectations are bad. But in my life, the added expectation has led to a lot of disappointment. Even worse, they've made me miss a lot of good because I was too busy focusing on what didn't happen to notice what did.
This has traditionally been my summer move. Set high expectations, create a big bucket list, expect sweeping changes, and plan for more experiences. I want all of the things. And every year it ends the same way. With pressured days, over-planned weeks, and honestly, missing the present because I’m too busy reaching for the next big thing.
I miss the simple power of the everyday mundane, chasing bigger things. Which, ironically, is where most of the magic actually happens.
Focusing on too much leads to doing too little. As I shared in my June goals, I think it’s because macro changes close the door to the infinite possibilities. They limit your options.
Here’s the line I keep coming back to: “The difference between making a decision and sticking with it, versus making a decision and just talking about it, is the willingness to stay open to options.”
Which is exactly why I want to remind you. Your expectations might be the thing blocking you from seeing your options. And you have a lot of options. Don’t get so lost in bigger, better, more, or macro that you miss the millions of micro shifts that actually move the needle.
Don’t get me wrong. I love a good macro shift. This summer, I challenged myself to walk 1.5 million steps. That’s a big goal for me. But I’m not pretending it happens in one heroic effort. Honestly, it only happens in the microshifts of my daily life.
It happens in things as small as walking to the library instead of driving. But even more, it happens because I’m nourishing myself and charging my body’s battery enough to actually have the energy for the macro stuff.
Here’s what I love about microshifts: they come with almost zero resistance. They’re low-effort but high-reward, which is exactly what makes them so powerful.
Below is a list of 50 micro-options. But I need to remind you that this list isn’t the ceiling. There are infinite microshifts attached to health. Health has a million possibilities. But let me remind you, it’s only health if you actually do it. Not just talk about it.
50 Microhabits You Might Be Overlooking
Eat a nutrient-dense meal
Move your body daily
Laugh often
Hug someone you love
Nourish your soul
Pay attention to your body and acknowledge your emotions
Stop holding onto things that are hurting you (let things go)
Take deeper breaths
Focus on hydration over fluid consumption
Foster healthy relationships
Start a hobby
Incorporate more rest
Read more books
Stop grazing
Speak kindly to yourself
Walk after meals instead of sitting
Stretch for five minutes before bed
Drink water before your morning coffee
Cook one more meal at home this week
Put your phone away during meals
Take the stairs when you can
Spend ten minutes outside, no agenda
Journal one sentence a day
Say no to one thing that drains you
Batch your errands instead of scattering them
Add a vegetable to a meal that didn’t have one
Take a real lunch break, away from your desk
Swap one scroll session for a short walk
Do one task fully before starting another
Reach out to one friend you’ve been missing
Sit in silence for a few minutes
Stand up and move every hour
Refrain from drama
Pack a healthy snack before you leave the house
Spend time with your hands (cooking, gardening, building)
Smile more
Celebrate a small win out loud
Unfollow accounts that don’t serve you
Ask for help
Tidy your space
Again, there are truly endless ways to create health and live healthy. The question is, are you so focused on what you expected it to look like that you’re missing all the places it could already be showing up?
Pay attention in your daily life to the small shifts you could test out. Open up to it. You’d be amazed how many of these have probably been sitting right in front of you the whole time, just waiting for you to actually engage with them.
Your action step:
Pick one microhabit from this list and do it today. Not next week, not “when things settle down.” Do it today. Let it be small and easy. That’s the whole point. Health isn’t supposed to be hard.
If you want more, here are 15 Ways to Have Your Healthiest Summer Yet.
P.S. Don’t forget to snag your Living Well Walking Club tee! My kids' friends kept asking where to get one, and I figured if they wanted in, you probably did too. Grab yours before they're gone.