20 ways to stay healthy if you’re feeling lazy

Sometimes, it’s simply too much effort to have to drink water by lifting a cup to your mouth. If you’re having a couch day but still want to meet your recommended water intake, just drink it through a straw. You’ll still have to get up to pee, but you won’t have to lift your head much. 

If it’s too much work to drink water without a straw, it’s definitely too much work to get up repeatedly to refill your water bottle. Solve this issue using a giant one that holds all or nearly all of your recommended daily intake. That way, you only have to fill it once or twice daily. 

On lazy days when you still want to work out, stick to floor exercises. Tons of tough moves will still cause you to break a sweat, but they don’t require you to be on your feet. It’s an excellent way to feel accomplished with minimal effort. 

Some days, all you can make yourself do is get in enough steps. On those days, park far away from whatever store you have to pop inside. It’s not the most groundbreaking hack, but it’s effective, especially when you make it routine.  

If what’s stopping you from getting in a workout is the need to binge your current show, kill two birds with one lazy stone, and watch TV while you’re working out. This is a great time to implement those floor exercises, but there are other simple moves you can do, too. 

Staying clean is part of staying healthy. Sometimes, it’s a lot to manage, but knowing it won't take long can help ease the pain of having to shower. Skip all the extra steps and wash your body for a super-efficient shower. 

In the same vein, there are many days when washing your hair is too much of a task. Whether drying and styling are too arduous, or you just don’t want to deal with shampoo and conditioner, skip the task altogether and use dry shampoo instead. 

It shouldn’t become routine, but if you’re feeling too lazy to get your skincare routine done, at the very least, take a face wipe to your skin. It’s not a foolproof method, but it will remove dirt and debris from the surface of your skin. 

Meal prepping can be a lot of work, but it will save you so much time and effort throughout the week. If you set aside a few hours on the weekend to get some healthy meals together for the week ahead, you’ll be much more likely to stick to your nutritious dishes. 

On days when a hard workout sounds awful but you still want to get in some movement, just take a walk. Walking has tons of health benefits, and it gets you outside. Plus, you can listen to music, a podcast, an audiobook, or another form of media while walking. 

If you struggle to stay focused on one task for too long, break it up into smaller tasks you do throughout the day. For example, do a 10-minute ab workout in the morning, a 10-minute arm workout in the afternoon, and a 10-minute leg workout in the evening. 

Okay, yes, this is the laziest of all lazy health hacks, but chewing gum has health benefits. It’s been shown to improve memory, relieve stress, help with weight management, and more. 

The best way to stay healthy while being lazy is by multitasking. Knock out two tasks at once by doing your skincare routine in the shower (or at least the parts that can be done in the shower). Load up on tasks by brushing your teeth in the shower, too. 

Just the idea of having to get dressed for the gym in the morning can tempt you to skip your workout. Get it done by sleeping in your gym clothes. At the very least, have them picked out the night before.  

Part of the reason so many of us fall into unhealthy eating habits is because we don’t have healthy foods on hand. Change that reality by stocking frozen produce so it’s as easy to grab something nutritious as eating empty calories. 

There’s no excuse to eat something lacking in nutrition if all you have to do is dump your ingredients into the same pot. Memorize a few go-to one-pot and slow cooker meals to make dinner preparation easy and healthy. 

If you’re one to laze about and procrastinate getting ready for bed, get ready well before you plan to sleep. You still have to get ready for bed, but doing it a little earlier will give you license to go on your phone, read, or watch TV for a little while before falling asleep. 

Staying on top of exercise, meal prepping, housework, and errands can be a lot, but if you habit stack by pairing something unpleasant with something you enjoy, it becomes much more bearable. Do laundry while catching up on shows. Clean while listening to a new podcast. Knowing you have something to look forward to will make the chore much better. 

Sometimes, our only choice is to order takeout. If that’s the case, order something that’s at least semi-healthy. It doesn’t have to be a dry salad, but find an option that’s not fried and full of added sugar. 

No one can stay active all the time. We all need rest. Sometimes, we need to lean into our laziness. After you’ve gotten your work done, reward yourself with some rest.