8 Daily Health Habits to Support Healthy Aging

Healthy aging doesn’t just apply to one aspect of your daily routine, but from an accumulation of healthy habits that care for your physical and mental health and well-being and help you feel your best. But where to start?

To help, Nature Made has put together a simple guide with eight daily habits that can support consistent routines for healthy aging, including lifestyle and dietary habits, as well as daily activities. Nutritional gaps can occur with age, even when you aim for a balanced diet, and healthy aging supplements can help provide a consistent, convenient source of essential nutrients in your daily routine.^†

How to Build Healthy Habits as You Age

When you’re trying to improve your daily habits, it can be tempting to go overboard, taking on all sorts of large changes all at once. While the changes themselves may be the right idea, going all-in immediately puts you at much higher risk of abandoning new habits quickly and reverting to the lifestyle choices you’re trying to get away from.

The best way to build healthy habits is by taking a smaller, more consistent approach. Take each change one at a time, and make those small, consistent actions part of your daily routine. And when you’re used to making that healthy choice every day, you can start working on the next one. But you’re likely to see much more benefit by making small, consistent changes to your healthy lifestyle habits than by taking big swings and abandoning them quickly.

8 Healthy Lifestyle Habits

Let’s break down how to live a healthy lifestyle with eight healthy habits that you can include in your daily routine.

1. Create a Morning Hydration Routine with Added Nutrients

Proper hydration is essential to nearly all of our body’s functions, yet it might get overlooked when creating healthy habits. Creating a morning hydration routine can help you stay hydrated, providing your body with the water it requires to function.

For some, plain water is a bit too boring, but don’t let that discourage you: warm lemon water, herbal tea, or electrolyte water are all great sources of hydration that add a little pop of flavor. Including them alongside your breakfast can function as an anchor habit, an easy way to start your day with mindfulness that can set the tone for the rest of the day.

2. Build a Consistent Supplement Station You’ll Actually Use

Supplements only work when you remember to take them, so setting up a supplement station to help you remember is worth the small effort it takes. Keep your supplements visible and accessible, and remember to store them in a cool, dry place. This can be a countertop tray, a caddy, or a labeled pill organizer.

Always follow label instructions when storing and using any supplement. Keeping a consistent supplement routine can help support nutrient intake, which becomes increasingly important with age, as certain nutrients, including bone health nutrients calcium, vitamin D, and magnesium, may require higher intake if adults are lacking those nutrients in their daily diet.

Taking supplements at a regular time, with clear cues to help you remember and helps with consistency. For many, this means taking them with a meal, like breakfast or dinner; this also helps remind you to take your supplements with water and dietary fat to support proper absorption.

3. Add a 5-Minute Mobility Reset to Your Daily Routine

Regular exercise doesn’t necessarily mean going to the gym to get ripped; there are plenty of easy ways to fit physical activity into your day. Standing up from your desk to do neck rolls, shoulder circles, hip openers, and ankle rotations can help alleviate stiffness that can result from sitting for much of the day.

Adding some weight and strength training exercises can also help to support muscle and bone health. Muscle mass and bone density both decrease with age, so taking proactive steps to support these important aspects of your overall health becomes increasingly important.

4. Incorporate a “Color Check” Into Your Meals

There are all sorts of ways to include a wide variety of nutrient-dense foods in your diet; here’s one that comes with some color! Try including a variety of brightly colored plant foods in your meals; the more colors, the more likely you are to cover essential nutrients. Different colors in plants are often signs of phytonutrients that support overall wellness. For example, the orange coloration of carrots and some bell peppers indicates beta-carotene, an important precursor to vitamin A.

While filling your plate with colorful plants is a great way to support your nutrient intake, sometimes nutrient gaps can arise from a lack of availability, certain dietary restrictions, or other factors. Supplements, like our Advanced Multivitamins, can help fill nutrient gaps when meals lack variety. Talk with a trusted health care provider for personalized advice when putting together a supplement routine.^†

5. Practice a Daily Brain Break for Cognitive Support

You may know that your body needs a stretch break occasionally, but don’t forget that your brain needs the same! Spending too much time focusing on work without a break can wear you out, and taking time for short, intentional mental resets lasting only a few minutes can help your brain rest and let you get back to work with renewed focus.

Meditate if you like, or try a deep-breathing exercise, a fun word puzzle, or a short mindfulness pause to collect your thoughts. Nature Made Brain Health Supplements can help support your cognitive function with nutritional support.^†

6. Do One Task That Supports Your Future Self

Supporting your future self doesn’t require big plans. Choose one task every day that will support your well-being tomorrow; it’s a practical, habit-building mindset that helps you start thinking forward.

It can be something simple, like prepping lunch for tomorrow, laying out tomorrow’s outfit, organizing your supplement routine in your weekly organizer, or doing some cleaning in your work area. These tasks can often fall by the wayside in the moment, but by thinking ahead, you can reinforce consistency and lower friction in your wellness routine.

7. Go for a Purposeful Outdoor Moment

Going outside for a moment every day is a great way to refresh your body and your mind. Take a walk in the fresh air, as it gets your muscles moving, gives you some sunlight (the primary source of vitamin D!), and gives you a moment of mental solace to help you collect your thoughts. It also helps break up your day with a quick change of environment. Sources of magnesium, through diet in whole grains and dark leafy vegetables, and through supplementation like our High Absorption^◆ Magnesium Glycinate Capsules, supports an active lifestyle by providing an essential mineral for muscle relaxation, heart, nerve and bone health.^†

8. Make an Evening Wind-Down Queue (Not Just a Routine)

How we end the day is just as important as how we start it. Building a wind-down queue to get ready for bed can give you the flexibility to adapt to the day’s unique needs while still hitting all the necessary beats for restful sleep. One important step is to cut back on screen time in the hours before bed, as blue light from screens can inhibit melatonin production.^[1]

Including activities like stretching, aromatherapy, a warm shower, and reading from a book with a nice cup of herbal tea creates predictability and helps prepare your body for sleep. If you’re looking for occasional support winding down at the end of the day, check out Nature Made Magnesium + Ashwagandha Capsules: ashwagandha reduces stress and cortisol levels and supports sleep quality with continued use, and magnesium supports body relaxation.^†

Common Questions About Building Health Habits

How can I stay consistent with healthy aging habits?

Starting small is the best way to stay consistent: if you go too big too quickly, you’re liable to give up. Starting small lets you take manageable, bite-sized steps that are easier to commit to. Also, try habit stacking. Habit stacking works by attaching one healthy habit to another; this way, you remind yourself to do the next one after completing the first. By slowly stacking many health habits one after the other, you can keep a pretty significant routine easy to manage and remember. And don’t forget about visual reminders like sticky notes!

Do I need supplements if I eat relatively well?

Even balanced diets can be affected by age-related changes in nutrient needs and absorption, and supplements can help support nutrient intake. Those looking to support their body’s production of cellular energy may be interested in Nature Made Vitamin B-Complex Supplements, which help convert the food we eat into energy that our cells can use to perform their functions.^†

A clinical study showed that older adults who consistently took 2000 IU of vitamin D3 supplements for 4 years could help prevent some shortening of leukocyte telomeres, which are DNA endcaps that indicate cellular age.^[2] Our Vitamin D3 2000 IU Softgels help raise and maintain healthy vitamin D levels in the body.^†

What’s the best time of day to take supplements?

Many supplements are best taken with food for proper absorption. Always read the suggested use instructions on the supplement label and consult with your primary care practitioner before starting a supplement routine.

How long does it take to feel the effects of daily habits?

Healthy lifestyle habits support your daily wellness over time, and work best when practiced consistently. Every individual is unique, and so is their wellness journey.

How can I choose which habit to start with?

When wondering how to build healthy habits, try to pick whichever sounds the easiest to add to your routine. Starting with an easier habit helps you keep consistent and build momentum, making it easier to stack other new habits on top once you’ve got the hang of one. Start small, think big!

Creating a Daily Routine That Supports Healthy Aging

Healthy aging isn’t just one big decision: it’s a lot of small, consistent habits that work together. Building consistent habits, from daily exercise, healthy diet choices, and targeted supplementation to bridge nutrient gaps, helps build a solid base of daily wellness that can support healthy aging. Don’t try to start it all at once; pick one or two habits and try to make them part of your routine and gradually build a healthy aging regimen from there.

Nature Made's Advanced Multivitamins 50+ for Her and for Him Gummies are specially formulated to provide daily nutritional support for those over 50, and are an easy start to your daily wellness habits, supporting healthy aging in 3 daily gummies. Explore Nature Made - the #1 Pharmacist Recommended Vitamins & Supplements Brand.*^†

References

1. Sanchez-Cano A, Luesma-Bartolomé MJ, Solanas E, Orduna-Hospital E. Comparative Effects of Red and Blue LED Light on Melatonin Levels During Three-Hour Exposure in Healthy Adults. Life (Basel). 2025;15(5):715. Published 2025 Apr 28. doi:10.3390/life15050715
2. Zhu H, Manson JE, Cook NR, et al. Vitamin D3 and Marine Omega-3 Fatty Acids Supplementation and Leukocyte Telomere Length: 4-Year Findings from the VITAL Randomized Controlled Trial. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Published online May 21, 2025. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajcnut.2025.05.003

◆Magnesium Glycinate is better absorbed than Magnesium Oxide. 

*Based on a survey of pharmacists who recommend branded vitamins and supplements.