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Believe it or not, I have realized that our day actually starts with what we do the night before. I have noticed that if I have a bad night and make crappy choices, the likelihood of the morning and next day being crappy is super high. On the flip side, if I make great choices the night before, my next morning turns into a powerhouse of a start to my day. It isn’t just going to bed early (but that is part of it) 🙂
1. Have a PLAN for food
I will tell you that when we have no plan and go out to eat, I will not be making healthy choices that night. I am a fan of meal prepping on Sunday, and then heating things up for supper throughout the week. If I can make a “sweet treat” right afterwards that is even better. My 2 favorite sweet treats right now are date/cashew/coconut bars and/or frozen grapes.
2. Create a Clean Up Session Right After Supper
You may want to just say to your family, “Alright! Everyone helps put things back in their place! Hey Google! Play Jackson 5’s I Want You Back” and let the fun begin! If I notice my kid is not picking up they don’t get to watch their show after the walk.
3. Take a WALK
We now have a great pyrenees who loves her evening walk, and right now I have 1 kid who doesn’t want to walk, and one that does. So I usually take the one that does, better yet if both would rather watch T.V. I just go by myself, and I have found that it can be super duper peaceful. You only need to do aerobic exercise for 20 minutes so make it brisk and quick if you can.
4. Stop EATING at Least 3 hours Before Bed
I was always told this, but here is the research to back it up. The risks of eating before bed include reflux, heartburn, weight gain and worse sleep. It is linked to metabolic syndrome which included high blood pressure and belly fat. These things alone increase your chances of developing heart disease or type 2 diabetes. The food just sits in your system and turns to fat because it isn’t being burned off. It’s a HARD habit to break especially if you’re a food addict like myself, but it’s worth SO much to break it.
5. Stop Working at Least 2 Hours Before Bed
Your body and brain need time to relax and prepare for a night of sleep. I heard that some people go as far as not talking about any plans about the next day or having deep conversations with their spouse so they can stay calm, but that is the only time I really get to connect with my husband. If we end up talking about deep things than that’s what it will be for us that night I guess. 🙂
6. Stop Being On Your Phone at Least 1 Hour Before Bed
Research is showing that nighttime screen use negatively impacts sleep. It keeps your mind engaged and stimulated, and when you’re off you tend to make time for more meaningful moments, like the ones you can have with your spouse. This is also hard to do, but make sure you are charging it in a room that isn’t your bedroom so you’re less tempted to grab and scroll.
7. Get Things Set Up and Ready for The Morning
This is HUGE! I drink a pot of tea in the morning, exercise and sometimes have a cup of coffee. When everything is set out and ready to go, I am way more likely to skip the snooze and just get up because everything is ready to go for me. If you want to take this a step further, feel free to pick out your outfit for the next day. This is AMAZING because I don’t think we realize how much time we spend just figuring out what to wear for the day. Set yourself up for success by setting yourself up for the day ahead!:)
8. Go To Bed
You know how many hours you need to sleep, so try to plan accordingly. You are supposed to wake up, feel energized, and be ready to go for the next day so that may mean 7 hours for someone, but could also mean 9 hours for someone else. Unless you have a newborn or are in menopause let’s not make excuses! Be careful of having coffee or caffeine too late in the day, and I just heard any amount of alcohol affects sleep as well. This is TOUGH to put ourselves to bed, but if we are off our phones we should be able to do this!
I hope this helps you as much as it has helped me. James Clear, the author of the book, “Atomic Habits,” says that if we do these things often enough, they will become habits and we won’t even have to think about them after a while. Let’s go out there and Live Our Best Lives! Thanks for taking the time to read this. 🙂
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