Try These 30-Day Challenges to Boost Well-Being

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This post was cowritten by Justine Saavedra and Tchiki Davis.

30-day challenges are the perfect way to switch up your routine and integrate better habits into your lifestyle. It’s a simple idea—for 30 days straight, you either focus on adding better habits to your routine or removing habits that are detrimental to your growth. Keep reading to find 30-day challenges to help you reclaim control over your life. ​

1. Veggie-A-Day Challenge​

This challenge will help you introduce more wholesome foods into your lifestyle. Eating more vegetables is an easy way to get more nutrients, fiber, and variety in your diet. A good rule of thumb is that for each meal, your plate should be half vegetables, a quarter carbohydrates, and a quarter protein. If you are not used to eating that many veggies, try adding them to just one meal per day, every day for 30 days, and see if you notice improvements in the way you feel.

2. Get Better Sleep​

Getting adequate sleep is an important factor in overall wellness. Try aiming for at least 7-8 hours of sleep per night for 30 days to help improve your mood and energy levels. Some tips for better sleep include meditating before bed, turning off the TV and other screens an hour before bedtime, and avoiding alcohol.

3. No Fast Food

While fast food is convenient, it is often loaded with lots of extra calories, fat, and salt. Committing to avoiding fast food for 30 days might help improve your health. Meal prepping and having ready-to-go snacks will ensure you don’t turn to fast food due to being unprepared.

4. Walk 10,000 Steps Per Day

Walking is an easy way to incorporate low-impact physical activity into your routine. Walking 10,000 steps per day for 30 days can jump-start your motivation to work out. Track your steps using wearable technology like a FitBit or Apple Watch; most smartphones now have the ability to track physical activity as well.

5. Change It Up​

Are you looking for a total life overhaul? If so, committing to the following activities for 30 days straight can help you make a major life shift.

• Wake up at 5 a.m.
• Exercise for 45 minutes
• Journal for 15 minutes
• Meditate for 15 minutes

6. Get Into Nature

Going outside is a great way to boost your mood. Make an effort for 30 days to spend at least 20 minutes in nature. If you are busy, taking a lunchtime walk is an excellent opportunity to get some time outside. Even sitting outside to work or read a book can give you a breath of fresh air.

7. Be Creative

When was the last time you created something just for fun? Whether it is painting, drawing, writing, or any other creative activity, simply allowing yourself to let your emotions out in a creative way can bring you joy. Set aside time every day for 30 days to let out your creative side. Even if it feels silly at first, try not to judge yourself and just let your creativity flow.

8. Daily Journaling

Daily journaling can be helpful for mental health because you can get all of the feelings and thoughts swirling around in your head down on paper. Set aside 10 minutes per day for 30 days to journal, ideally in the morning. Try to let your thoughts flow and write without judging yourself.

9. Stop Complaining​

Complaining or venting is OK once in a while. However, if you find yourself complaining all of the time, it may be contributing to a negative mindset. For 30 days, if you find yourself complaining, try and shift the narrative to a more positive topic. Evaluate if there is a different point of view that you can look at the situation from that might help you see it in a more positive light.

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In Sum

30-day challenges are a fantastic tool to help you get out of a rut and jump-start healthier habits. These challenges can be tailored to any area of your life you want to focus on, from physical or mental health to relationships and happiness. Committing to a challenge for 30 straight days can also help strengthen your self-discipline. If you miss a couple of days of the challenge, try to be kind to yourself and jump right back in. Completing a challenge will help you grow and develop as a person.

Adapted from a post on 30-day challenges published by The Berkeley Well-Being Institute.