5 Small Habit Shifts That Can Change Your Entire Lifestyle (Starting Today)
This Aumbrellia Blog written with love, clarity & holistic intention.
We often believe that transforming our lifestyle requires a full overhaul with complicated routines, strict diets, intense programs, or expensive plans. But the truth? Change happens because of small, consistent habits, not dramatic, unsustainable bursts of motivation.
If you’ve been wanting a shift, a reset, or a reconnection to yourself, consider this your five-part challenge. These are simple steps you can do TODAY, backed by real science and rooted in holistic wellness. Implement these five habits for a week, and you will feel the difference.
1. Create a Next-Morning Routine
Because success begins the night before.
Before you go to bed, write down five small things you will do tomorrow morning. Think (for example):
• Stand up directly out of bed and stretch for 2 minutes
• Shower and get dressed right away (this one makes a huge difference)
• Drink one full glass of water
• Play 2 songs and dance in your kitchen before everyone else wakes up
• Anything that creates flow and clarity in your world
Why this works:
You’re creating predictability, which reduces morning anxiety and decision fatigue.
The science:
Morning routines stabilize the nervous system and support self-regulation. Research from the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology shows that people who follow consistent routines reduce cognitive load and increase productivity. Another study from Frontiers in Psychology shows that even small structured habits improve emotional well-being and self-efficacy.
Your brain LOVES clarity. You perform better when the next step is already chosen.
2. Plan Your Nutrition With Intention
Fuel is everything especially for balancing hormones, stress, and metabolism.
For tomorrow, quickly list:
Three preferred proteins (ex: chicken, tofu, eggs, beef, plain Greek yogurt)
Three veggies
Three fruits/berries
Two starchy carbs (quinoa, oats, sweet potato, squash)
Two fats (avocado, pumpkin seeds, nut butter, extra virgin olive oil)
These choices are simple—but they give your body the essential building blocks for blood sugar stability, energy, recovery, and hormone health.
The science (for those who need the research!) :
• Protein increases satiety and stabilizes blood sugar (American Journal of Clinical Nutrition).
• Consistent fruit/vegetable intake decreases inflammation (British Journal of Nutrition).
• Healthy fats support hormones and brain health (Journal of Lipid Research).
• Meal planning reduces stress and increases dietary success (Nutrients Journal).
We eat better when we decide ahead of time. The brain is wired to choose convenience …meal planning makes the healthy choice the easy choice.
3. Move Your Body — Even Just 30 Minutes
Movement is medicine.
It doesn’t need to be complicated. Choose ONE:
• A 30-minute walk
• A yoga video
• Strength training
• A bike ride
Or split it into two 15-minute sessions.
The science and things we already know:
Moderate movement increases serotonin, boosts mood, stabilizes appetite, and improves metabolic health. Studies from the American Heart Association and Harvard Medical School show that even 15 minutes of movement twice a day reduces all-cause mortality, improves insulin sensitivity, and lowers stress hormones. Anecdotal evidence based on my own and my students/clients experiences: 100% feel better and become holistically healthier from intentional movement and exercise. We KNOW THIS, we just have to do it.
Your body doesn’t need punishment… it needs circulation, breath, and consistency.
4. Relax & Regulate Your Nervous System
Lay down on a bed or yoga mat, pillow under your knees, and breathe:
• Inhale 8
• Hold 4
• Exhale 8
• Hold 4
Just five minutes.
This isn’t optional. It’s foundational.
The science:
Slow breathing activates the parasympathetic nervous system. Research in the Journal of Clinical Psychology and Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews shows that controlled breathwork lowers cortisol, improves digestion, supports emotional regulation, and even reduces inflammation markers. Again, anecdotally, I have both experienced and observed the overwhelming benefit of breathwork practice (Pranayama).
Your body cannot heal in fight-or-flight.
It can only heal in rest-and-digest.
5. Complete ONE Task
Pick something simple:
• Pay a bill
• Do a load of laundry
• Clean your bedside table
• Organize your closet
• Make your bed
When you complete one tangible task, you tell your brain:
“I follow through. I can trust myself.”
The science:
Task completion activates the reward center of the brain (the dopaminergic system), increasing motivation and reducing overwhelm. Research in the Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry shows that small wins significantly increase long-term habit adherence and emotional well-being. Speaking from personal experience, I just have to start one thing and then it snowballs into completing most of or all of my running “to-do” list. I don’t suggest that you jump in and overwhelm yourself by doing the same but it is effective at getting the wheels turning.
Clearing physical clutter directly reduces mental clutter. Working to close as many open tabs in your brain, that mental clutter, is so beneficial to reducing stress.
Why These Five Habits Work
Because they address the whole person:
Mind: clarity, structure, task completion
Body: nutrition, movement, hydration
Nervous System: breath, grounding, slowing down
Lifestyle: routine, predictability, flow
Change doesn’t happen from intensity.
Change happens from integration.
These five habits are so small that they’re almost impossible to fail at and that’s exactly why they work. The build upon a changing lifestyle. Just give it one week and report back.
Comment below “Begin” to commit to making these changes or additions to your lifestyle. Don’t forget to listen Monday to the podcast posted to elaborate on this Blog. Check back to our social media pages or homepage for direct links.
I’m here with you in Love & Light,
Mandy Hunter