10 Simple Steps to Holistic Health: Your Complete Guide

Start here for your guide to success.

More vegetables. More exercise. More sleep.

We all know we should aim to live a healthier lifestyle, but finding the time isn’t always easy. Holistic health is simple when we apply the principles—but it can be easier said than done.

I once thought I was too busy to make health a priority. Between raising a large family, running a business, and all the day-to-day demands, prioritizing a healthier lifestyle felt like a luxury I couldn’t afford.

It wasn't until I began experiencing weight gain, frequent migraines, and feeling stressed more often than not I knew I needed to make a change.

Holistic Living

I knew nutrition was important, but I soon found there was more to health than food. The truth is that holistic health isn't about grand gestures; it's about small, consistent steps.

In our day-to-day lives, it's often challenging to make time for nourishing foods, exercise, and quality sleep. Yet, these are the building blocks of holistic health, affecting every area of our lives.

It's about recognizing that taking care of ourselves isn't a luxury; it's a fundamental need that affects every area of our lives. It's a shift in our mindset—a realization that prioritizing our well-being isn't selfish; it's self-care.

My own journey toward holistic health started with these realizations. Gradually, I began making small, consistent changes that eventually led me to become a holistic health coach and a yoga instructor.

Holistic health is a journey of self-discovery, self-love, and self-improvement—and one I'm passionate about sharing with you.

---

---

Small Intentional Changes

I began by making little changes throughout the day to ensure I was paying enough attention to my health. When we gently incorporate healthier choices, the wins add up without much effort.

We naturally feel to do more of what we’re doing without much thought.

Whether you’re trying to lose weight, become healthier, or overcome an obstacle, incorporating small, consistent positive habits are tools that move you forward and make lasting changes.

Here are the ten steps I incorporated into my everyday life, why it matters, and where to begin. I’ve also included easy action steps in each section to help you create your own blueprint for success.

10 Simple Steps to Holistic Health: Your Complete Guide

1. Nutrition

Why it matters: How we eat affects our weight, how we age, emotional balance, disease, and longevity.

Steps: Start small — add in healthier choices each day. An extra fruit or vegetable with your meal is an easy place to begin.

• Eat more whole foods.

• Find a diet that feels sustainable to you. We’re all different; there isn’t a one-size-fits-all diet. Listen to your body. When do you feel your best? What are you naturally drawn to?

• Make a meal plan at the beginning of the week. Fewer decisions make for easier days.

Action step: Start a food journal and commit to 4 weeks. Write down everything you eat. At the end of each day, note how you feel after eating each food. Are you feeling tired, bloated, energetic, etc.? You’ll soon find what works best for you.

2. Hydration

Why it matters: Staying hydrated effects all functions of our body.

We all know how important it is to drink water. But did you realize that dehydration affects our skin, weight, kidneys, digestion, mental performance, and joints?

In addition, according to The National Headache Foundation:

Many types of headaches (such as migraine) can be triggered by dehydration.

Our body’s performance and appearance are highly dependent on our water intake.

Steps: Calculate how much water your body needs daily.

• Drink a glass of water before each meal (easy habit and routine).

• Start mornings with a large glass of water. Rehydrating and replenishing is a simple way to start your day with a positive habit.

• Try infusing fruit in your water if you don’t enjoy the taste. Try lemon, lime, oranges, strawberries, etc.

Action step: Invest in a good water bottle. Take it with you wherever you go; it becomes a natural part of our day when we make it easy. If it helps, track your water intake daily, it’s a motivating way to build a habit.

3. Movement

Why it matters: Small steps towards movement add up fast. It builds our momentum and pushes us towards living a healthy, active lifestyle.

Steps: Commit to 10 minutes. You can always increase the amount once you’ve built the habit.

• Choose an activity you enjoy. Yoga, pilates, body weights, walking, or Tai Chi, to name a few.

• Commit to including 10 minutes daily for the next 30 days.

• Track your progress each day in your journal or on an app. It’s satisfying to see our progress.

Action step: Don’t pay too much attention to the numbers on the scale — weight fluctuates. There’s also the consideration of body fat, muscle, body type, gender, etc. Health is more than a number.

4. Sleep

Why it matters: Sleep affects all areas of our life. Our happiness, health, stress tolerance, appetite — even our immunity. Take the time to set up your environment for a restful sleep.

Steps: 10 ways to set yourself up for success, naturally.

1. Turn off all technology at least an hour, preferably two hours before bedtime.

2. Spend time outdoors and exercise during the day.

3. Our bodies love routine. Set up your bedtime schedule and wake-up time around the same time each day.

4. Don’t eat right before bedtime; digestion is disruptive to sleep.

5. Don’t use this as a time to worry, plan, think, or ruminate.

6. Try deep breathing exercises geared towards relaxation.

7. Use essential oils in the diffuser, such as lavender oil.

8. Don’t drink caffeine after 2:00 pm. Or try eliminating it if you’re sensitive.

9. Keep your room cooler at night

10. A warm bath and a cup of chamomile tea before bed are perfect ways to relax.

Action step: If you struggle with sleep, start a sleep diary. This will help you see patterns or disruptions to determine what works best for you.

5. Stress Management

Why it matters: Stress affects our overall level of happiness, relationships, health, and longevity. Managing stress is one of the best gifts you can give yourself.

Steps: Much like sleep, setting up our environment and having a plan will make stress management easier.

• Be mindful of the situation causing stress. Is there anything you can do to change it? Remove yourself from it? Are you better off letting it go?

• Meditation/Journaling/Yoga has a way of calming our minds. Choose one that’s appealing to you.

• Don’t beat yourself up. Life is a series of ups and downs. We all make mistakes. It’s how we learn and move on. Try to find the lesson and offer yourself the same compassion you’d show others.

Action step: Live by your values. We all know our rights and wrongs, and staying true to our beliefs makes all the difference in how we feel about ourselves.

6. Gratitude for a Healthier Life

Why it matters: Gratitude changes our life. It improves our health, sleep, happiness, connections, and self-esteem. When we appreciate what we have, joy becomes much easier to find.

“Acknowledging the good that you already have in your life is the foundation for all abundance.”
—Eckhart Tolle

Steps: Make a daily practice of expressing gratitude and saying thank you. What we focus on becomes a habit.

• End each evening with five things you were grateful for today. Dedicate a place in your journal.

• Try to find the good in every situation — there’s always something.

• Give your time and focus to others in need. It makes us realize just how blessed we are.

Action step: The simple things in life are free for our taking: our favorite music, a walk in nature, a summer evening, flowers, a meaningful conversation. There’s much to discover and appreciate.

7. Connection

Why it matters: Connecting with others lifts our mental health by reducing stress, improving our immune system, and boosting our overall mood. Having people in our life makes us feel a part of something bigger than ourselves.

Steps: Commit time in your schedule for old and new connections. Life becomes more beautiful when we share it with others.

Easy ways to meet and connect with new people:

• Gym programs or challenges, dancing, book clubs, library/community classes

• Join a group and set up a weekly dinner/game/trivia nights

• Visit the elderly, volunteer, mentor, pursue a hobby, hiking, country, professional or sports clubs

Action step: Block out time in your calendar each week. Make an intentional effort to plan an outing with your significant other/friends. Celebrate the little things — it brings more joy.

8. Mindset

Why it matters: Our mindset is powerful. Whether we see hope or not influences our outcome and future. When we develop a more positive attitude, it contributes to our health, both physically and emotionally.

Steps: Commit to forming a more positive outlook and an open mind. When we’re willing to learn and be open, we create more opportunities, adventures, and possibilities in our life.

Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed no hope at all. — Dale Carnegie

• Start each morning with words of inspiration. Commit to 10 minutes of reading words that bring joy, energy, and inspiration. It’s an easy way to start our day feeling motivated.

• Negativity is contagious. Surround yourself with people who have a positive attitude and outlook.

• Work towards your growth. Stay open to learning and take it step-by-step. Consistent effort pays off.

Action step: Each day, check in with your mindset. Are you looking for the good or finding the bad? If your mindset is not where you want it to be, don’t get discouraged, readjust.

9. Purpose

Why it matters: Having a sense of purpose gives us our reason for moving forward in the day-to-day. When we have our reason, our mental and physical health is boosted.

Steps: If you’re unsure what your sense of purpose is, explore the question. Your answer is there. What matters most to you? Who? What brings you the most joy?

• Once you know your purpose, clarify what exactly it looks like to you.

• Create a vision of what you’re ideal life looks like. Explore the possibilities.

• Make a plan to start working towards it, little by little, each day.

Action step: Block out time each day. It doesn’t have to be long, even 30 minutes, to work towards your purpose within your life vision.

10. Goals

Why it matters: We need to know where we’re going and why we want to go there. Without a clear plan and routine, it’s hard to envision where we’ll end up. People aren’t successful by mistake. Taking time to map out your strategy pays off in multitudes.

Steps: Dedicate an area for goal planning in your journal. Keeping track of goals and revisiting them daily is an excellent tool for staying focused.

• What do you want? When we know what we’re aiming for, it’s easier to hit the target.

• What is your timeline?

• Why does it matter to you?

Action step: Talk about your goals; it’s an easy way to build momentum. Make a vision board either digitally or hang one up on the wall. Seeing our goals each day keeps us focused.

Your Next Steps

Even though life is busy, health can be a priority — not a luxury, especially when we’re intentional with our choices.

When I decided to make a change, I understood the importance of a plan that could seamlessly fit into my routine. These 10 small, positive, and consistent steps were the tools I needed to transform my life and health.

Regardless of your reasons for change, embracing these 10 steps will help you create a holistic blueprint for success.

Whether your goal is weight loss, overcoming challenges, or simply adopting a healthier lifestyle, following these principles will guide you toward a more balanced life emotionally, physically, socially, and spiritually.

I invite you to share your journey with me. Let me know how these steps work for you, and if you have any questions or need further guidance, don't hesitate to reach out.

---

→ Mornings are the foundation of our day. It matters how we start them. Get your free guide to 10-Minute Habits to Transform Your Mornings

Need an extra helping hand getting started?