8 ways to build healthy habits in honor of National Wellness Month

Jul 8

Clinically reviewed by Dr. Chris Mosunic, PhD, RD, MBA

August is National Wellness Month — the perfect time to commit (or recommit) to your self-care routine. Here are 8 tips for a healthier body and mind, plus a more balanced life.

It's mid-July, and the meditation app you downloaded keeps sending you notifications that you swipe away. Your new running shoes are collecting dust in the closet. You keep meaning to get back to these habits, but you never quite follow through.

National Wellness Month was created to encourage people to make their well-being a priority — whether that means returning to healthy habits that have slipped or finding a starting point for new routines. Every August, it serves as a reminder to commit to wellness, without all the pressure.

Building a lasting habit is about taking small steps, showing up consistently, and being kind to yourself along the way. It’s not about a total lifestyle overhaul. Discover what National Wellness Month is, why August is a great reset point, and some habits worth trying.

What is National Wellness Month?

National Wellness Month is an annual observance held every August that empowers people to focus on self-care, stress management, and building healthier routines. It was founded in 2018 by Live Love Spa, a wellness industry company, to shift the conversation around wellness from an occasional luxury to an everyday practice.

It encourages people to commit to 1–2 healthy habits, like drinking more water or moving regularly, and to keep them going for the full month. 31 days is long enough to feel the difference yet short enough to not feel overly daunting.

Wellness covers more than you might think. Beyond physical health, it includes mental and emotional well-being, sleep, nutrition, and connection with other people. You don't have to tackle all of it — most people get further by picking one area that feels a little neglected and starting there.

Why August is the perfect time to reset

January gets all the attention, but New Year's resolutions tend to collapse by February. August is quieter, with less pressure to reinvent yourself. That makes it easier to build a practice that lasts.

Summer routines are often less packed, making it a good time to ask yourself what's working and what you'd like to carry into the busier months ahead. There's also something freeing about a reset that isn't tied to a new year. The bar to start can be low, and the changes can be small enough to keep.

8 mindful ways to celebrate National Wellness Month

Wellness doesn't have to mean a complete lifestyle overhaul. Pick one or two habits that feel right for where you are, try them out for the month, and let the rest wait.

1. Start your morning with a glass of water

Your body wakes up mildly dehydrated, and that alone can leave you feeling foggy or tired before the day has even started. A glass of water first thing (before your coffee or tea) is one of the simplest ways to change that. It’s especially important if you love your cup of joe, because coffee adds to the dehydration.

Anchoring this habit to something you already do, like turning on your kettle or coffee machine, means you don't have to remember a new task — that part of your current routine becomes your cue. Even better: keep a glass of water by the kettle or the machine so it's waiting for you in the morning.

2. Engage in one mindful moment (or more) each day

Of course, this can mean a meditation practice. But you can find opportunities to ground yourself throughout the day without carving out extra time.

Look out the window instead of at your phone between meetings. Notice the feeling of warm water while you wash your hands. Brush your teeth, and only brush your teeth. Small, intentional choices like these can anchor you in the present and even help to reduce stress.

Try: Set a timer for five minutes. Breathe normally and pay attention to the feeling and flow of each breath. When your mind wanders, gently bring your awareness back to your breath.

A guided meditation can help give those five minutes some structure if sitting in silence feels awkward at first.

💙 Explore 7 Days of Calm for a gentle introduction to daily meditation.

3. Move your body in a way you enjoy

A walk, dancing in your kitchen, or a quick stretch in front of the TV all count. The best movement is the kind you'll look forward to — forcing yourself through a workout you dread makes it harder to show up the next time.

Ten minutes a day is a good starting point. You can always build from there if it feels right.

💙 Looking for some guidance or inspiration? Try thisMindful Movement session on Calm.

4. Pick a consistent time to wind down for bed

Going to bed around the same time each night helps your body settle into a rhythm, which makes falling asleep and waking up easier over time.

You don't need a long routine to get there. Try dimming the lights and placing your phone out of reach, unless you need it to listen to a Sleep Story on Calm. The goal is to avoid from scrolling late at night, which cuts into your sleep.

5. Make a habit of reaching out to people you’ve been thinking about

Maintaining connection is an important part of your well-being, and isolation tends to make everything harder to manage.

Send the text you've been meaning to send, or make the call you keep postponing. Even a quick check-in can make a difference.

6. Put your phone away for one meal a week

Pay attention to the food, the taste, and how your body feels as you eat. Mindful eating is the practice of noticing how you eat, which often makes meals more satisfying and allows you to recognize when you’re full.

Start with one distraction-free meal and see how you feel. You can even make it a family affair, where you all leave your phones in another room.

7. Step outside for a few minutes each day

A few minutes of fresh air and daylight can lift your mood and energy, especially earlier in the day. Morning light in particular helps set your internal clock, which feeds back into better sleep at night.

Pair it with something you're already doing, like your morning coffee, so that existing habit becomes your cue.

💙 Turn your daily walk into a mindfulness practice with a Mindful Walking session on Calm.

8. End your day with a positive note to self

Before you go to sleep, write one line about something that went well. It can be anything, like a satisfying meal, a task you finished, or a moment that made you smile.

Over a month, you'll have a record of what's been going well, which is easy to lose sight of on harder days. Keep a notebook by your bed so the habit has a home.

💙 Create a gratitude practice with Calm’s 7 Days of Gratitude series.

How to make your wellness habits last beyond August

August is a launch pad, not a finish line. A few things can make new healthy habits more likely to survive into September and beyond.

Start smaller than you think you need to: One glass of water first thing in the morning beats a five-step morning routine you'll abandon in a week. The habits that stick are usually the ones that feel manageable.

Attach the new habit to an existing one: This is called habit stacking. Meditate right after you brush your teeth, or stretch while your coffee brews. The old habit becomes the cue for the new one.

Expect to miss days: Missing one day doesn't undo your progress. What matters is starting again the next day without making it a big deal.

Keep what works, drop what doesn't: If a habit feels like a chore after two weeks, let it go and try something else. Wellness is about finding what makes your days better, not forcing yourself through routines you dread.

National Wellness Month FAQs

When is National Wellness Month?

National Wellness Month takes place every August, running from August 1 to August 31. It's observed annually and empowers people to build and practice new routines.

Who started National Wellness Month?

National Wellness Month was founded in 2018 by Live Love Spa, a wellness company, to encourage people to treat self-care as a regular practice rather than a rare treat and foster community within the industry.

What’s the difference between wellness and self-care?

Self-care and wellness are related but not the same. Self-care is the set of actions you take to look after yourself — the daily habits like sleep, movement, and rest.

Wellness is the bigger picture those actions add up to. Think of it as your overall state of well-being across your body, mind, and relationships.

How do I start building a wellness routine?

To build a wellness routine, start with one habit in the area that feels the most neglected. If you're exhausted, focus on sleep. If you're stressed, try a daily mindful pause.

Start with something small enough that you can do it even on a hard day, and build from there.

Can mindfulness improve my health?

Yes, research suggests that mindfulness can improve your health. In a randomized controlled trial, an eight-week mindfulness-based stress reduction program reduced anxiety symptoms and improved how people responded to stress.

In a separate randomized clinical trial, eight weeks of the same program worked about as well as widely used medication for treating anxiety disorders.

That said, you don't need an eight-week course to feel a difference. A few minutes a day is a reasonable place to start. One of the aims of meditation is simply to practice noticing where your attention goes and bringing it back to the present, which gets easier over time.

What are some free ways to celebrate National Wellness Month?

Many of the best wellness habits cost nothing and are great ways to celebrate National Wellness Month. Go for a walk, drink more water, get outside for some daylight, or try a short meditation.

You can also use a tool like Calm to build a simple daily mindfulness habit.

💙 If you're new to mindfulness, start here with our beloved Mindfulness for Beginners program.

How do I keep my wellness habits going after August?

One of the keys to keeping wellness habits going is attaching them to your existing routines. Meditate after brushing your teeth, or stretch while your coffee brews.

Expect to miss days, and just start again the next day without making it a big deal. The habits that last are the ones that fit your real life.

Calm your mind. Change your life.

Mental health is hard. Getting support doesn't have to be. The Calm app puts the tools to feel better in your back pocket, with personalized content to manage stress and anxiety, get better sleep, and feel more present in your life.

meditation for beginnershealthy habitsnational wellnessphysical wellbeing

Calm Editorial Team