Everyone thinks that being healthy has to be expensive and that’s not true. These are 25 healthy lifestyle habits that don’t cost a fortune!

Sure, if you have a ton of money to spend, you can totally go all out and spend a fortune on your health. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t be healthy if money’s tight. You can totally pick up some healthy habits on a shoestring budget with barely any cash to spare. 

This article is going to show you 25 healthy lifestyle habits that don’t require a mountain of cash to maintain. 

What are healthy habits and why are they important?

Healthy habits are habits that help you build a healthier life and are beneficial for your physical as well as mental well-being. These habits are important because you need them in order to maintain your health, prevent a host of diseases and improve your overall quality of life. By keeping consistent with healthy habits, you can reduce the risk of developing heart disease, diabetes as well as obesity. 

Healthy Lifestyle Habits: Take a quick look at all these cheap and healthy habits at a glance!

Stay hydrated and drink lots of water.

Sleep enough everyday and make sure that it’s quality sleep.

Do strength training regularly.

Do aerobic exercise regularly.

Make sure that mobility exercises and stretching are a regular part of your life.

Make sure you have a healthy diet. Eating healthy can be cheap.

Learn how to make use of natural remedies that use common household items.

Consider picking up juicing.

Do your best to avoid overly-processed foods.

Avoid drinking your calories.

Pace yourself when it comes to caffeine and caffeinated products.

Don’t go overboard when it comes to drinking alcohol.

You should just straight up avoid smoking cigarettes.

Limit your use of vapes.

Keep yourself clean and maintain good hygiene.

Get enough sunlight.

Don’t get too much sunlight.

Make sure you get enough fresh air as often as you can.

Start doing breathing exercises and practicing meditation.

Make sure to make time for both your friends and family.

Avoid too much screen time and blue light in general.

Avoid sitting down for too long.

Get yourself a cheap and affordable hobby.

As much as you can, avoid toxic chemicals.

Keep up with the latest health trends and make sure you stay informed.

1. Stay hydrated by drinking enough water. 

Yes, we’re starting this list with this advice. 

Drink water and stay hydrated.  

Staying hydrated is extremely important for good health. Drinking water and keeping hydrated is essential for many of your body’s vital functions.

For example, drinking lots of plain water helps in:

• Regulating your body temperature.
• Transporting nutrients throughout your bloodstream. 
• Removing waste from your body via urine and sweat. 
• Keeping your skin moisturized.  
• Helping your body digest things. 
• Maintaining healthy blood pressure levels. 
• Boosting your energy levels. 
• Improving your mood.  
• Making weight loss easier. 

Try to drink at least half a gallon of water a day. That’s about 2 liters. It’s even better for you if you can get up to a full gallon or 4 liters of water per day. 

2. Get enough sleep every day.

Sleep is an essential part of maintaining your health and well-being. Your body and brain are able to rest, repair as well as recover from the stresses of the day when you’re asleep. If you don’t get enough sleep, you won’t be able to function properly and you’ll be at increased risk of contracting various health conditions.

Here are a few ways that having a healthy sleep schedule benefits you:

• Getting enough good quality sleep helps maintain your physical health.  
• A healthy sleep schedule is vital for your mental health. If your mental health goes down the toilet, you’ll have trouble keeping your emotions in check.  
• Sleeping enough helps stave off chronic health problems like heart disease.
• If you don’t get enough sleep, you’re going to be duller, sluggish and your productivity will likely suffer.   

Do your best to get 7 to 9 hours of sleep every day and make sure it’s the kind of sleep that makes you feel completely ready to go the next day!

Check out our article on 8 Practical Tips to Successfully Get into Harvard Business School.

3. Strength train regularly.

If you’re going to exercise to stay healthy, strength training is probably your best choice. Strength training isn’t just for aesthetic purposes, it’s also incredible for your health. 

Some of the health benefits of strength training are:  

• Increased muscular strength.
• Increased bone density and reduced risk of osteoporosis.
• Improved metabolic health.  
• Improved mental and brain health.  
• Reduced risk of chronic health conditions such as obesity, diabetes and heart disease.

You don’t need to go to the gym or buy a bunch of expensive equipment to do effective strength training, you can just do bodyweight workouts at home. You should try to do strength training at least 3 to 4 times every week.  

4. Do aerobic exercise regularly.

Aerobic exercise is also known as cardio exercise. An aerobic workout is a workout where you get your heart-rate up and breathe harder than usual. Aerobic exercise is key to maintaining a healthy lifestyle and doing it regularly has numerous physical as well as mental benefits. 

Aerobic exercise has a number of benefits such as:

• Improving your cardiovascular health and making your heart stronger. 
• Burning a lot of calories for efficient fat loss.  
• Improving your mental health and reducing your stress levels. 
• Reducing your risk of contracting chronic health conditions such as heart diseases.
• Improving your sleep quality. 

You should try to do some mildly intense aerobic exercises 3 to 5 times weekly. You can do this cheaply by going for some runs in your local park for free. 

5. Walk a lot every day.

Walking a total of 10,000 steps every day is a simple and easy way for you to keep fit. There’s no trick here, you just need to go out with something that’ll track your steps and walk till you’ve got 10.000 steps done. 

Here’s why you should walk 10,000 steps per day:

• You burn enough calories to mostly avoid getting obese.
• You’ll maintain your cardiovascular health. 
• You’ll keep your mental health in check and your stress levels low.   
• You’ll minimize your risks of getting heart disease and becoming obese. 

6. Stretch your muscles regularly.

Mobility exercises and stretching routines are often overlooked and skipped over in favor of strength training or aerobic exercise. This shouldn’t be the case because mobility work and stretching have their own unique sets of health benefits. 

• Mobility exercises and stretches help to improve flexibility.
• Regular mobility exercises and stretches effectively reduce your risk of injury by improving the range of motion in your joints as well as muscles.
• Mobility exercises and stretches improve your posture by strengthening the muscles that support proper posture.
• The improved flexibility and mobility you get from doing mobility work as well as stretching routines enhances your physical performance in activities like intense sports. 
• Stretching in particular is very effective in relieving muscle tension and improving circulation which reduces muscle soreness as well as muscle stiffness.

Try to do mobility exercises as well as stretching routines 3 to 5 times per week. You don’t need any gear to do these kinds of exercises, you just need a big enough space to do them.

7. Build healthy eating habits.

Healthy eating habits don’t have to be expensive. While a lot of cheap foods out there are bad for you and your body, there are plenty of healthier food options out there that don’t cost a bomb.

Here some tips to help you build an affordable but healthy diet:

• Cook your own food at home! Cooking your own meals at home is way cheaper than eating out and is much healthier than any fast food you could get elsewhere. You can get way more protein in your diet by cooking more meat, fish or eggs for yourself than they’d ever give you in a restaurant.
• Make a grocery list and budget every week to make sure you stick to a healthy diet. It’ll also help make sure you don’t waste any money.
• Buy your food in bulk. You can save a ton of money by buying foods like rice, grains, beans and flour in bulk. Make sure you have room to store them and that you can finish it all before it goes bad!
• Eat fruits and vegetables when they’re in season. Fruits and vegetables that are in season are usually considerably cheaper compared to when they’re not. They’re also fresher and healthier! 

8. Make use of natural remedies.

Learning how to use natural remedies is a good way to save money while keeping healthy. There are a bunch of different types of natural remedies out that can be used to treat mild ailments or illnesses as well as keep you healthy in general. 

• Herbs and spices

Many herbs and spices have mild medicinal properties and can be used to treat a variety of conditions. For example, ginger can be used to treat nausea and digestion while turmeric can be used to treat inflammation. 

• Essential oils 

Despite having a bad reputation, essential oils can be useful. They’re concentrated plant extracts that have many different uses. For example, lavender oil can be used to aid relaxation or sleep while peppermint oil can be used to treat headaches as well as nausea. 

• Lemons and limes

While many other fruits are used in various remedies, lemons and limes are probably the most versatile. They can be used as a health supplement, as medicine to cure mild illnesses and as a multi-purpose house cleaner. You just need to know how to use them in combination with other materials for this to work.

Please remember that natural remedies should be used as a complement to professional medical treatment. Always consult healthcare professionals for anything that’s serious.

9. Try juicing fruits and vegetables.

Juicing fruits and vegetables is a convenient way to increase your intake of healthy produce. Juicing using a blender or a juicer is a fun way to get your daily fiber, vitamin and mineral needs. It’s great for people who keep buying fruits and vegetables but never seem to get around to eating them before they go bad.

• Juicing can be a convenient way for you to consume a variety of fruits and vegetables which makes it easy to meet your daily nutritional needs.
• Juicing helps you consume a large amount of fruits and vegetables in a single serving. 
• Many fruits and vegetables are rich in antioxidants which helps support your overall health. Juicing is a great way to increase your intake of these antioxidants.
• Juices are extremely hydrating especially if they’re made with water-rich fruits and vegetables. 

Fruits and vegetables can be cheap if you know where to shop. There are a variety of budget blenders and juicers available for sale worldwide. 

10. Don’t eat overly-processed foods.

Overly-processed foods are bad for you. Overly-processed foods are foods that have been highly-processed and are usually full of additives that might not be too good for you. Preservatives, artificial flavoring and coloring as well as excessive amounts of sugar or salt are not good for your health. 

Here are a few reasons that you should avoid overly-processed foods:

• Overly-processed foods lack the nutrients that are found in whole foods. 
• They also usually have way too much sugar, unhealthy fats and salt.
• Overly-processed foods are usually extremely high in calories which can lead to unhealthy and excessive weight gain.
• Eating too much highly-processed foods increases your risk of chronic health conditions like obesity and heart disease.

Avoiding overly-processed food is good for your health and you also save money by cutting them out of your diet.

11. Avoid high calorie drinks.

High-calorie drinks like soda and beer should be avoided. They’re high in calories but usually have barely any nutrients. Soda, boxed juices, beer as well as most commercial coffee drinks are all high-calorie drinks.  

Drinking high-calorie drinks makes gaining weight and becoming obese alarmingly easy. It also increases your risk of contracting diabetes as well as heart disease. 

You don’t need to cut out high-calorie drinks completely but you should definitely limit your intake of them. To hydrate yourself, drink water, unsweetened tea and unsweetened coffee. Your body and wallet will thank you!

12. Don’t consume too much caffeine.

Moderate amounts of caffeine can increase your alertness and cognition but consuming too much of it can have negative effects on your health. Caffeine is a stimulant that is found in a variety of drinks such as coffee, tea and energy drinks. While caffeine is probably the most widely used stimulant in the world, you should try and control yourself when it comes to caffeine.

Taking an excessive amount of caffeine can mess up your sleep, excessively increase your heart rate and lead to digestion issues. Another big problem is that you can grow dependent on caffeine to function normally.

Consume caffeine in moderation and remember to avoid consuming large amounts of caffeine regularly. This will help you maintain your overall health and by avoiding caffeinated products, you save money! Starbucks and Monster Energy are getting expensive. 

13. Control your alcohol intake.

Drinking too much alcohol and getting drunk too often is bad for you. Alcohol is found in drinks like beer, wine and whiskey. Moderate amounts of alcohol can have positive effects on your mood but too much alcohol will have negative effects on health. 

Here’s why you shouldn’t go overboard with alcohol:

• Too much alcohol causes liver disease. 
• Alcohol impairs your cognitive and physical abilities. Getting drunk will make you useless.
• Being drunk increases your risk of accidents and injuries.
• Drinking too much alcohol regularly will turn you into an alcoholic. Alcohol addiction is bad. 
• Alcohol can potentially interfere with the effectiveness of certain medications which can be potentially deadly.

Drink responsibly and consume alcohol in moderation. Booze is expensive and you’ll be saving money this way!

14. Don’t smoke.

Smoking cigarettes is a leading cause of preventable death and disease worldwide. The risks of smoking cigarettes outweigh any of its potential benefits and it’s strongly recommended you avoid smoking cigarettes altogether. If you’re already a smoker, quitting smoking is one of the most important steps that you can take to improve your health.

You should avoid smoking cigarettes for these reasons:

• Smoking cigarettes increases the risk of a wide variety of chronic health conditions and diseases. In particular, lung cancer. 
• Smoking significantly increases your risk of premature death compared to non-smokers.
• Smoking cigarettes negatively affects your body’s respiratory function, oral health, fertility and bone health.
• Smoking cigarettes produces second-hand smoke which is harmful to the health of those around you.

Also, all the health detriments aside, cigarettes are expensive. By avoiding smoking, you’ll save money!

15. Avoid vaping.

Vaping is potentially bad for your health even if it’s seen as a healthy alternative to smoking. It’s important to be aware of the potential risks associated with vaping and to exercise caution if you choose to use any vaping device. While we currently don’t know a lot about vaping and can’t confirm their potential side-effects, they are still potential side-effects.  

• Health risks

Vaping has been linked to serious health risks including lung disease. The long-term effects of vaping are still unknown but the research done so far suggests that it’s potentially harmful. 

• Addiction

Vapes can contain nicotine which is highly addictive. If you use vapes regularly, you’re likely to become addicted and have a hard time quitting.

• Exploding batteries 

Some vapes have been known to explode or catch fire which poses a risk of injury to yourself and to other people as well as property damage. This problem mostly affects cheaper, low-quality vapes. 

Vaping might potentially be bad for your health… but it’s definitely an expensive habit. Vapes and all the other accessories involved with vaping cost a lot when you calculate it all. Avoiding vaping will absolutely save you a good amount of cash. 

16. Maintain good personal hygiene.

Keeping clean and bathing regularly is extremely important for you… and everyone around you. There are several reasons why you should bathe regularly… besides making sure you don’t smell and look disgusting. 

• Hygiene 

Bathing or showering helps to remove dirt, sweat, and oils from the skin which accumulate throughout the course of the day. This is why bathing helps to prevent the build-up of bacteria and other microorganisms that cause body odor and skin irritation. 

• Skin health

Bathing regularly helps keep your skin hydrated and nourished if you know how to do it properly. It also helps with the removal of dead skin cells from your skin. This helps to prevent dry, flaky skin and reduces the risk of you developing certain skin conditions.

• Relaxation

Taking a warm bath or shower can be relaxing which is important to help reduce your stress levels. Stress is bad for you, your body and your mind! 

Bathe every day and maybe even twice daily if you live in a climate that makes you sweat excessively. Use a gentle, pH-balanced cleanser or soap and avoid using water that’s too hot to avoid damaging your skin.  

Soap and water are cheap. Price isn’t an excuse to not take a bath or shower every day!

17. Get enough sunlight.

Getting enough sunlight during the correct times of the day will help you get enough vitamin D and stay healthy. Going for a walk in the daylight or just standing around in the sun is free and it’s good for you. You should try and walk around in the daylight but try not to do it when it’s too hot in the afternoon. 

Getting enough sunlight is good for you because…

• It makes sure you have enough vitamin D.

Sunlight is your primary source of vitamin D which is essential in maintaining your teeth and bones as well as your immune system. Vitamin D is vital to help your body absorb calcium which is a necessity for healthy teeth and bones. 

• It helps put you in a better mood.

Sunlight has been shown to improve mood and reduce feelings of depression and anxiety. This is why people tend to be more depressed during winter when there’s less sunlight. Sunlight also helps improve your sleep quality by keeping your circadian rhythm in check.

18. Don’t get too much sunlight.

Too much harsh sunlight can cause skin problems, dehydration and heatstroke. While getting enough sunlight is important, getting too much sunlight can be a problem. 

Excessive amounts of sunlight can cause sunburns, premature aging of your skin, eye damage, dehydration and heat stroke. The biggest risk of getting exposed to an excessive amount of sunlight is skin cancer.

To protect yourself from the harmful effects of sunlight, you should avoid going out when the sun is too hot, bright and harsh. This is generally around 12 noon in most places around the world.  Wearing a hat, mild sunscreen and glasses is also a good idea.

19. Make sure you get enough fresh air.

Fresh air and being in nature are good for you. Both for your body and your mind! 

Most people are stuck indoors and in cities these days. Going for a walk in the park near your house or at a local nature reserve can do wonders for your health without breaking the bank. Being in nature and getting fresh air is good for you for a bunch of reasons.

• Better air quality

The fresh air you get out in nature is usually cleaner and more oxygen-rich than indoor air or air in the city. Indoor air and city air is usually  polluted by things like cleaning products, mold, tobacco smoke and exhaust fumes. Breathing in fresh air helps give your lungs a break and keeps your respiratory system, brain as well as body healthy.  

• Improved mood and mental health

Have you ever been told to go outside and touch grass recently? That might be a meme but there is some truth and benefit to it. 

Being outside and in nature has been shown to have a positive effect on people’s mood, mental health and overall well-being. Being somewhere with lots of trees, plants and fresh air can help reduce your stress levels, improve your mood and help you relax.

• Sunlight and vitamin D 

As mentioned earlier, getting enough sunlight is important for your health because it’s how you get vitamin D. Being outdoors and in nature is a great way to get enough sunlight while avoiding the sun when it’s too harsh. Trees are a great source of shade and grass or dirt ground is much less hot than pavement or asphalt!

20. Start doing breathing exercises and practicing meditation.

Doing simple meditations and breathing exercises is a great way to keep your mind healthy. Practicing some simple meditations and breathing exercises consistently is also good for your body as well. Clearing your mind and breathing in, then out, then repeating that process at a steady tempo for a set period of time can do wonders for you.

Meditation and breathing exercises are useful for reducing your stress, improving your mental clarity, increasing your mental fortitude and improving your respiratory health. You need to do them regularly and consistently in order to experience these benefits. 

It’s important to remember that while breathing exercises and meditation can be very beneficial, they’re not going to help solve any serious mental or physical health problems. Always remember to seek professional help if you’re facing any serious health issues.

21. Take care of your personal relationships.

Healthy relationship habits are important too! And they don’t have to be expensive either. 

Here are some reasons why you should make time for your friends and family:

• Your friends and family can provide emotional support to you. This will help you cope with any feelings of loneliness and isolation that you might have.
• Spending time with people that you love is a great way to relax and reduce stress.  
• Making time for friends and family can help improve your communication skills as well as strengthen your relationships. 
• Spending time with your loved ones can provide opportunities for your own personal growth and development. 

22. Limit your screen time.

Blue light is a type of light that’s emitted from electronic devices like smartphones, tablets, and computers. Too much blue light exposure is bad for you.  

Here are some of the reasons why you should avoid excessive screen time as well as excessive blue light:

• Excessive blue light exposure will cause sleep disruption. Your sleep quality will go down and you won’t get as much sleep as you need.
• Too much screen time and blue light leads to some serious eye strain. Your eyes will get fatigued and your vision will deteriorate if you spend too much time staring at screens.

Do your best to minimize your screen time to avoid excessive blue light exposure. Most people need to work at their computers for long periods of time and if that’s the case for you, then try to use blue light blocking glasses while you work. 

23. Avoid sitting down for too long.

Sitting for extended periods of time is a lifestyle problem that affects way too many people. There are many reasons why you should avoid sitting down for too long:

• You have decreased levels of physical activity which can have numerous negative health benefits.  
• You have an increased risk of certain health conditions.  
• You’ll likely have bad posture and pick up poor posture habits. 
• You’ll probably experience decreased mental alertness and brain fog.

Do your best to make it a habit to take regular breaks from sitting in order to stand up and stretch. It’s also a good idea to invest in an ergonomic chair that’s good for your back… but good chairs can be pretty expensive. Always try and look out for good deals!

24. Avoid toxic chemicals.

You’re exposed to potentially harmful chemicals every day. You can follow these steps to minimize your exposure to the various toxic chemicals out there which will support your overall health and well-being. 

• Use products that have fewer ingredients which are less likely to contain harmful chemicals.
• Pay attention and read labels to avoid products that contain harmful chemicals.
• As much as you can, use natural or organic products. 
• Just flat-out avoid using pesticides. 
• Try to use glass and stainless steel containers. They’re more expensive than plastic containers but usually not by much. 

25. Stay informed about the latest health trends.

While following every single stupid health fad out there is stupid at best, there are a bunch of reasons for you to keep up with the latest health news and trends.

• Keeping up with the latest health news can help you protect you and your family from potential health threats like outbreaks of infectious diseases.
• Staying up-to-date on the latest health news can help you learn about new, more affordable treatments and therapies that could help you or your loved ones.
• Reading about the latest health breakthroughs can inspire you to be consistent with healthy habits that’ll help improve your life. 

Reading up on health news and updates is usually free online but even if you have to pay for online news subscriptions, they’re usually pretty cheap. Subscribing to a health newsletter won’t break the bank!

FAQs

1. Does trying to be healthy cost a lot of money?

No, many of the things that you can do to be healthy cost nothing or are very affordable. 

2. How do you develop healthy habits?

You should start by choosing one healthy habit to focus on then make a plan to make it a part of your daily life. Developing healthy habits involves you making small but consistent changes to your daily routine. It’s important to be patient because it takes time for new habits to become… habits.

3. What are some tips for maintaining healthy habits?

The two most important tips for maintaining healthy habits are to be consistent and to be patient. You need to be patient with yourself even if you’re not seeing immediate improvements. You need to be consistent and make time everyday for your new healthy habits. 

Closing 

Starting off with cheap and affordable habits is a great way to improve your life. Building a healthier lifestyle for yourself doesn’t have to cost a king’s ransom. Both your body and mind will benefit from all the 25 good habits we mentioned above.

Take it slow and try applying 2 to 3 of the habits above to your life. You don’t need to go all-in with every single one of them at once.

Good luck!