Healthy Habits to start in your 20s

Now that I’ve turned 30, I took the time to reflect on my 20s and how it went by, what I learned and wished I could have done differently. Based on my life experiences, today I would like to share some healthy habits to start in your 20s. 

It was 10 years ago, when I was a young energetic person excited about what I wanted out of life. I was fresh out of college and looking to build a career. I was unsure of the career path I wanted and was very naive about what it takes to be healthy and how finances work. 

Today, 10 years later, I am still somewhat of a young mind figuring things out as I go, but with more thought and wisdom. If you’re someone who’s in your late teen years, early, mid or even late 20s, I hope the following habits will help you become a better, stronger and smarter version of the person you’re meant to become. 

Below are some healthy habits I wished I had learned earlier in my 20s.

Healthy habits to start in your 20s

1. Learn to go to bed early

The 20s can be a time of fun and exploration. Hence a lot of us stay up late during this time in our lives. We meet up with friends and colleagues, go out for parties, etc and spend more time enjoying life. This can lead to the habit of sleeping late. But since youth is on our side, we may be able to have a normal day the next day even if we don’t get enough sleep.

However, when you start getting older you’ll start to realize that going to bed early is essential if you want to have a productive day on the next day. So try to make a habit of sleeping early starting in your 20s to carry this discipline to your 30s when you’ll need it. This doesn’t mean you have to always stay at home at night, but just to do it more mindfully.

2. Become a morning person

Another very important habit to start in your 20s is waking up early. By waking up early and becoming a morning person, you train your mind and body to be in harmony with the universal laws of day and night. 

Waking up early gives you the time required in the morning to work on yourself, plan for the day, and get more done. Waking up early is a habit practiced by most successful people in the world today.

3. Develop a morning routine

Once you make a habit of waking up early, now it’s time to develop a morning routine that works best for you. Depending on your goals and priorities in life, a morning routine may look different to each person. However, the general idea is to incorporate self care, exercise, mindfulness, nutrition and productivity into the morning routine.

A morning routine will help you stay focused, motivated and align your actions to your goals in life.

4. Start meditating

Meditation is finally getting the praise it deserves. It used to be rooted in eastern culture and mysticism in the past and associated with monkhood. However, now science has caught up and the results are amazing. 

Meditation has proven to provide a number of health benefits to practitioners all over the world. It’s been simplified and there are so many different types of amazing meditations that you can learn and practice today. It’s changed my life in the past 9 years of practicing it and I cannot recommend this enough. 

5. Have a cleaning routine

Who doesn’t love a clutter free and clean home? In today’s materialistic world, it’s just too easy to gather clutter and other things that make your home and living spaces messy. Cleaning may not sound like an enjoyable activity and it may never be something you enjoy.

But think about how you feel at home and when it’s clean and well organized. Learning to have a cleaning routine in your 20s can help you make cleaning a habit and ensure your living spaces are always clean and organized. This will help you feel good about your home and elevate your mood.

6. Start grocery shopping

When we are young, we may not see the importance of grocery shopping. Mostly because our parents in most cases take care of the household and everything is done for us. But starting to do your own grocery shopping can help you to understand what it takes to put food on the table, eat a healthy and clean diet, economize, and understand the value of money. 

7. Learn how to cook

It’s easy to just order food. After all, there are just so many restaurants and takeaways in every neighborhood and you don’t have to cook. But if you really want to learn a life skill that everyone should know, make an effort to start cooking some meals at home. Not only will it help you plan your diet and eat healthy but also save money that you can invest for the future. 

If you’re worried because you have zero skill in cooking don’t worry. Today there are tons of recipes online and step-by-step lessons on YouTube about cooking. Try to begin by cooking something simple and work your way up. You might be better than you think.

8. Exercise regularly

When we’re young, we have the energy to pull through bad habits due to our youth. So you may not feel that exercise is that important at this stage. However, if you live a sedentary lifestyle long enough combined with a poor diet and bad habits such as smoking and drinking, your health will start to decline pretty fast.

So why not start early and ensure future health and wellness by making exercise a habit? You don’t have to sign up for an expensive gym membership. Start by going for a jog a few times a week or even going for a walk. You can also do a calisthenic workout at home sometimes or go to play a sport that you enjoy. The most important thing is to stay active and train on a regular basis.

9. Quit smoking and limit drinking

The 20s is an age when we meet new people, develop new friendships, and socialize a lot. It’s usually before we have bigger responsibilities like building a family, finding your own place to live, etc. So we tend to spend a big amount of money on entertainment. If you are already a smoker, try to give up this bad habit. Think about how much money you are wasting and read about all the negative chemicals you’re inhaling. By thinking about all the reasons to quit smoking, I was finally able to give it up at the age of 27 after more than a decade of smoking. 

Taking note of how much money you’re spending on alcohol is another important thing you should do. While it’s totally okay to have a drink with your tribe when you’re out, be mindful and limit the amount of occasions you’re drinking. Make it something special and enjoyable.

10. Become a reader

Reading is one of the best habits you can cultivate in your 20s. There is so much to be learned from the vast amount of amazing books written by some of the best minds this world has seen. Whatever subject you’re interested in, there are so many great books you can read to enrich your knowledge and gain wisdom. 

If you would like to learn more about building this habit, read my posts on the reading habits of successful people and the best books to read for success.

11. Learn your self-worth

When you’re young, you may not be aware of your self-worth. You may settle for less than what you deserve and find yourself unhappy quite often. This can happen in the workplace, in relationships, and even in your family life. By being more aware of who you are and how your contribution helps any situation, you can start to say no to people and things that don’t offer you any value. 

12. Start saving

When we finish our student life and start earning a living, it may be very tempting to buy all the things we couldn’t afford as a student. And buying nice things that you need and can afford is totally okay. But learning how to not spend all your money on things is more important. 

When you start earning, start by saving a portion of whatever is possible before you make your budget. When you get paid each month, deduct all the monthly expenses like utilities and then save a small amount before you decide how much you have to spend on luxuries like eating out, shopping, etc. This will allow you to develop this habit at a young age and understand how money works.

13. Start investing

In today’s world, just saving money is not enough. If you didn’t already know, the best savings accounts in the world do not offer a good enough interest rate for you to grow the money you are saving. Whatever you’re saving needs to work for you and grow.

If you’re new to investing like me, that’s okay. There are a lot of resources online as well as consultants who can help you buy stocks, and eventually invest in real estate as well. You do not need to worry yourself right now if you’re just getting started as a young adult. But take the time to learn about investing and how to grow the money that you work so hard for. 

14. Start planning for your future 

Planning for your future is something that you should start in your 20s and continue to do so throughout your life. This means having a plan by writing it up and understanding that this plan is meant to be changed as your life progresses. 

Start by writing down what you want to do as a career, such as getting your dream job or building your own business, fitness and health goals, family goals, travel goals, etc. Having some sort of a plan even if it may never be complete or definite, will help you stay on track, measure success, stay motivated, and improvise when needed.

So there it is, 14 healthy habits I wish I had learned earlier in my 20s. I am grateful I had eventually learned all of these after realizing how many mistakes I had made. But maybe that’s how you learn sometimes. You don’t have to make all the mistakes that I have made. Be mindful and understand that your 20s structure your life and prepare you for all the big responsibilities later in life. So make the most out of it and be prepared.