I’ve been trying to improve my health for a long time, but I feel I haven’t made any progress. Every habit I tried to build or change never lasts. It wasn’t until I fell sick recently, and especially because I was sick just two months earlier, I reflected on it again.
I realised the main problem was accountability. Improving my health had always lived in my head as a good intention, not a real commitment. When I decided to drink more water, I’ll keep it up for a few days, but once life got busy, it quietly slipped out of my mind.
As I continue embracing a slow and simple life, and after seeing how much my hobbies have helped my physical and mental wellbeing as shared in my previous post on why hobbies are important, I feel I should really commit to improve my other issues as well.
I shared a post on Instagram as a way to create some accountability, but I also want to document this journey here, since that is what this blog is about. So here are my health goals for 2026.
Switching to black coffee
I’ve always been a milk coffee person. In my head, black coffee was something bitter and I wouldn’t enjoy. The problem is milk tends to worsen my phlegm, yet I never thought much about it. On some days, I’ll have two cups of milk coffee and still drink a cup of milk at night. That’s three servings of milk in a single day, all added in almost unconsciously.
When phlegm builds up, my body naturally tries to clear it by coughing. Frequent throat clearing and coughing weakens my immune system and makes me fall sick more easily.
Drink more water
Drinking enough water has always been a struggle for me. On most days, I barely manage one glass, and as a caffeinated, I know this isn’t doing my body any favours.
As I’m writing this, I’m reminded of a moment from a group tour overseas. We were taken to a popular local cafe to try their native coffee, and the person sitting next to me asked for a cup of water along with her order. After finishing her coffee, she drank the water and casually mentioned that it is important to drink water after coffee. I didn’t think much of it then, but now I understand why.
Coffee is dehydrating, and drinking water helps restore some of that lost hydration. Still, one cup of water after coffee isn’t enough, since the general recommendation is eight glasses a day, but going from one glass to eight is unrealistic and unsustainable.
Instead, I’m approaching this slowly by starting small. My goal is to drink three to four glasses of water a day, and once that feels natural, I’ll increase it to four or five.
Sleep earlier
I’ve always been a night owl, and sleeping early has never come naturally to me. The lack of hobbies had a part, since I used to spend a lot of time lying in bed or resting without structure on my free days.
Since picking up hobbies, my sleep quality has improved. Being more engaged during the day helps me feel naturally tired at night, and I fall asleep more easily. Although I’m sleeping better, and slightly earlier, it’s still not ideal.
I am not aiming to go to bed extremely early or become a morning person. As long as I can feel an improvement in my health and wellbeing, that’s enough.
Walks around my area
I’ll admit that I never enjoyed exercising. I’ve tried many times over the past few years to be more active, but none of those attempts ever lasted. Each time, I would keep feeling overwhelmed and falling off. I think structured workouts, gym sessions, or exercise classes might be too much for me.
This time, I want to approach movement in an easier way, by just going for walks around my area, especially on days when I don’t have a need to go out. It may not look like “proper exercise,” but it’s a start. By taking things slowly, I give my body the time it needs to adapt and build stamina naturally.
I think what made me feel overwhelmed was going all in too quickly and eventually causing me to give up altogether. If walking can help me stay consistent, feel better in my body, and avoid that cycle of feeling overwhelmed, then it’s more than enough.
Eat healthier
Another thing I have to admit is that I love chips and fried food. I also don’t enjoy cooking, mainly because I dislike the chores that come after. As a homebody who spends most of my time at home, I usually reach for processed food to fill me up.
I’ve started to realise how this might be affecting my health. Chips and fried food seem to worsen my phlegm, and relying heavily on processed food means my body isn’t getting the nutrients it needs.
So I have started cooking, mainly porridge. It’s easy to prepare and creates minimal mess. It’s also comforting for my throat, as the steam helps soothe it and loosens the phlegm. It is a simple meal that’s nourishing and manageable.
Instead of snacking on chips, I’m trying to snack on fruits instead. As for fried food, I’m not planning to cut it out completely. I know that strict restrictions usually backfire for me. Instead, I want to consume it less often and be more mindful about my consumption.
So those are my health goals for this year. Of course, I hope these changes will stay with me in the long run, but my main focus this year is cultivating the habits and building consistency.
If I can show up for these habits more often and feel an improvement in my health, that’s already a big win. As I’ve always mentioned, life is an ongoing journey of figuring things out.
Through this reflection, I’ve also learned more about what I enjoy, what I dislike, and how to make the things I dislike more manageable and beneficial for myself.
To stay accountable, as mentioned at the beginning, is main problem, I’m planning to do check-ins throughout the year. I’ll share a few updates here on this blog, but I’ll probably post more frequently on Instagram and YouTube. So if you would like to follow along with this journey, I would love to see you there too.