Losing weight is about lifestyle. Period. What does this mean? It means putting in place daily routines that keep healthy choices on autopilot. Here are 8 night habits you can do before bed to stay organized, fit, and healthy!
When I say healthy habits your brain might automatically go to “I need to eat certain foods” or “I need to exercise”. I want to push you to think beyond the basics of weight loss. Beyond the calories in and calories out.
Healthy habits don’t need to focus solely on food groups, or specifically what and what not to eat. Yes food’s important and you need to pay attention to calories, fat, and points (if you use Weight Watchers). However, one thing I’ve learned about sustainable weight loss is my environment absolutely needs to support and encourage my weight loss goals. If not, I’ll fight a constant uphill battle.
For example, I know I should exercise 5-6 times a week. But if I don’t get enough sleep, have my clothes ready, and get up early then exercise is not going to happen. So it’s not about exercise per se but the habits and routines I do that make exercise a priority.
I know life isn’t perfect and sometimes I need to suck it up and exercise regardless but if I want exercise to be a regular part of my life there are habits I need to practice. Make sense? I’ll explain more in a bit.
Same with food. To eat healthy foods and snacks everyday I need to make time to meal prep. But it goes beyond that. I also need to carve out time for healthy meal planning and grocery shopping. Meal prep cannot happen without either of those two. So as you can see it’s not just about the specific foods I eat.
It comes down to being prepared and staying out of the hot zone. Nothing good happens in the hot zone. You can read more about controlling your hot zone in this post <— this is honestly some of the best weight loss advice you’ll wish you got years ago.
Again, life happens and there are things that’ll be out of our control. But it’s very difficult to manage stress, and adopt healthier habits, when everyday you feel like you’re just trying to survive. Been there, sometimes still there, and I can tell you keeping up with healthy habits is near impossible when I’m stressed out and not prepared ahead time. In fact, I often resort back to bad habits when I enter the hot zone.
There are night habits I try to do daily, to start the next day on the right track. Each of these habits help me to stay organized, healthy, and fit!
I’m putting these in order in which I do them. But, of course, you can adapt this night routine in any order that suits you best.
#1 Clean kitchen and quickly straighten up
My nightly routine happens right after dinner. I load the dishwasher, clean dishes, and wipe down counters. I read the book Sink Reflections by The Fly Lady a few years ago and one piece of advice that stuck with me was to never go to bed with a dirty kitchen sink. This is huge for me.
A year or so ago I wrote about how making my bed everyday helps my weight loss efforts too. Well the kitchen sink is the same concept. In my opinion, clutter causes confusion and chaos. Cleaning my kitchen before bed gives me peace at night and helps me start the day fresh and focused. Again, it’s about living outside the hot-zone.
After I clean the kitchen, I quickly straighten up the living room. This includes organizing papers, bringing toys upstairs, and possibly vacuuming. If I have time, and not completely exhausted, I’ll fold laundry. I usually wash a load in the morning when I run on my treadmill. Don’t think I’m spending hours doing this. In reality, if I don’t fold laundry, this quick clean up takes me about 45 minutes. Folding laundry will take me longer. But I find taking an hour or so to clean things up is worth it the next morning when I wake up to tidy and not a tornado.
The goal is start the day fresh. Waking up to a straightened up house lets me move forward instead of focusing my limited time on yesterday’s messes.
#2 Make sure lunches and snacks are packed
The next thing I do is put together lunches for the next day. In the morning, by the time my kids get dressed and come downstairs we are about 10 minutes from running out the door. There’s no time to make lunches then. So, if lunches aren’t made ahead of time it’s quite possible my kiddos will be buying their lunches. I’m not totally against buying lunches, because I am human, but I try to limit school bought lunches.
Even though I don’t have time in the morning to prepare lunches, it really doesn’t take that long at night. Probably because I’m not racing against the clock and I also take time on Sunday to prep meals and ingredients for the week.
Snacks are organized in a snack bin, cheese cut, fruit and veggies are washed, and other ingredients are prepped. Most weeks I have mason jar salads, soups, and/or other recipes portioned out and ready to go. Are you seeing a pattern here? Prep, prep, and more prep.
#3 Prep ingredients for tomorrow’s dinner
Here we go with meal prep again! But I’m telling ya even the littlest bit of food prep will make a huge difference in your week. During the week I don’t do a lot of food prep – most of it’s done on the weekend. Now it’s just about remembering to take things out, making sure I have certain ingredients to finish a recipe (ex. salsa and cheese for tacos), or prepping the slow cooker for the next day.
Basically, if there’s something I can do the night before to make dinner run smoothly the next day I will do it. Within reason of course. You won’t find me cooking complete recipes during the week. However, I will do that on the weekends and then portion out and store in the refrigerator or freezer during the week.
I take time on the weekends to prepare the bulk of my foods and then a little time the night before to make sure dinner is ready to go for the next night. This keeps us eating fresh healthy foods when we don’t have a lot of time.
#4 Lay clothes out
Now that food is all ready for the next day I turn my focus to clothes. Did you know the world would end if my youngest can’t find anything to wear in the morning? True story. These “I can’t find anything to wear” meltdowns can turn a great day bad in about 2 seconds. My simple solution is to pick outfits out the night before. Yes I know this sounds basic but trust me there are still nights we forget.
More importantly, I need to have my exercise gear ready. This includes my clothes, hair bands, earbuds, and sneakers. My attention is easily diverted from a workout when I don’t have my exercise gear ready. I know that’s a lame excuse but I’m not a diehard exercise person so it is what it is. I’ve learned this about myself so if I want to prioritize exercise I need to have everything ready. Trust me, the last thing I want to do at 6:00am is search for my ear buds and sneakers. Nope. I will go back to bed.
I also get into my exercise clothes right when I wake up. This is also a little tip I learned from the Fly Lady book. She wasn’t talking about exercise but more about getting your mind ready for the day. When I put my exercise clothes and sneakers on, my brain becomes mentally prepared to workout.
#5 Write a todo list
Okay the dishes are done, house straightened up, lunches made, dinner prepped, and clothes are ready for the next day. Now what? I write my todo list. My personal and professional life would not function without a todo list. In fact, on days I don’t have a todo list I can get overwhelmed and often don’t get anything accomplished. It’s not like I have all these important tasks, I’m sure my day looks a lot like yours. But if I don’t write it out then many of those tasks will get lost in the shuffle.
My todo list is the roadmap for my day. I used to write out every single thing I wanted to accomplish in life on my daily todo list but guess how that went? Ha! Yep nothing got done and I felt discouraged and overwhelmed. Today I keep my todo list manageable with 4-5 tasks a day. Those tasks include business and personal. On days I don’t have appointments I have about 4-5 hours to get things done. Obviously, that’s not a lot of time so I need to manage my time as best as I can. I’m still working on that.
I’ve used all kinds of online todo lists tools but honestly the one that work best for me is good old fashion pen and paper along with white board calendar. Some things I put in my phone calendar but I find it helpful to see tasks written out in front of me. It keeps me focused.
I also love to cross tasks off as I complete them. This motivates me to keep going.
#6 Stop eating past 7:00pm
An important part of my nightly routine, that I try hard to stick with, is to stop eating past 7pm. I won’t go into too much detail because I wrote an entire post on this strategy a couple weeks ago. But I will say having night habit is very important to me. It keeps my calories under control and helps manage my weight.
#7 Do a quick toning routine
I’m a runner and run outside, or on my treadmill, at least 4 times week. However, I don’t do as much toning exercises as I should. I want to, and have every intention to do so after my runs, but rarely do. Why? Because I’m a sweaty mess and ready for a hot shower. A solution I came up with was to do toning exercises before bed. I have this quick toning routine. This toning routine takes 10 minutes to complete and can easily be done before bed.
Of course, you can do this in the morning too. Whatever works.
#8 Quiet time
I know it might seem odd to see “quiet time” in this list since it really has nothing to do with organization or weight loss. Also, “quiet time” might seem impossible with little kids or a busy life. However, life can be quite chaotic. You can have a newborn, a parent dies, maybe you’re going through a divorce, or have teenagers, or maybe it’s a combination of a few different things.
Being an adult is not easy.
Like I said earlier, some things in life are not in your control, it’s just the way it goes. But you do have control over the way you cope and handle stress. You choose the way stress affects your life. Learning to cope with stress in a healthy way is a skill that will take you very far in life. It will keep you on track with goals and will be the difference between thriving and surviving.
One way I handle the stress of life is to prioritize quiet time. I wouldn’t say that I meditate although I know people that do and love it. For me, I just need time every night to myself. Most of the time that happens when I take my nightly shower. I turn music on and just relax for 10 -15 minutes. If I don’t take a shower then I try to make time for myself after the kids go to bed. Either way I need that time to relax and reflect.
I also get that time when I run. Not only do I keep my body in shape with running but it tremendously helps my stress levels. I often say that running is my happy pill. After a good sweaty run I feel focused, relaxed, accomplished, and can handle life much better.
Do I practice all these night habits religiously every night without fail? Of course not. I’m human. Trust me, I get tired and lazy with the best of them. However, I can tell you that when I do make each of these night habits a part of my routine, and do them consistently, my life is better organized and I feel healthier. They do make a difference.
Also, keep in mind that I didn’t wake up one day, incorporate these habits, and all of the sudden I had the perfect night routine. Ha! I wish it were that easy. It took me time to adopt these new habits and I still slip up. I’d be willing to bet you’re already doing a lot of the things I talked about and just need to make a few tweaks.
Or maybe you do need to make some big changes. Either way don’t get overwhelmed. Just make 1-2 changes at a time. After you practice these habits, and experience the benefits, I know you will make each one a part of your nightly routine.
What does your nightly routine look like? Do you have any tips or ideas to share?
T says
Do you work outside the home, or at home?
Tammy Kresge says
I’ve done both. When I first started my weight loss journey I was in the busiest time of my life. I worked 40+ hours outside the home with 2 little girls. Now I’m self-employed and my kids are older. So I’ve seen both sides.
Taf Calfee says
Thank you so much, God bless you
Vanessa says
Thanks for sharing! It is so true that stopping at 7 helps! It is amazing how timely the body is!
Tammy Kresge says
Stopping at 7 has been one of habits that has worked wonders for me.
Tammy says
When I read your routine I thought about when I was teaching full time and raising my family. There is no way I could have done all this. I was exhausted! I found that going to bed early and getting up early worked for me. Sometimes I had time to do a few little things in the morning before the kids got up. Sometimes not. I am happy for you that this works for you, however, I think you are giving young working moms an unrealistic expectation to try to strive for the “perfect life and home.” I read Anastasiya’s post that ends with “I will use everything in your article to fight for the perfect life I know I can have.” Nobody’s house is perfect, and nobody’s life is perfect. I hope you will address this in your next post.
Nadia says
What time do you go to bed/how many hours of sleep do you require to function? Are your children in bed when you attempt to do one or all of these lists? What time do you get home from work and what time to you eat dinner? Do you have any alone-in-the-house time between getting home from work and when kids get home or when kids leave for school and you need to work? Sorry for the absolute ton of questions! I’m trying to get an idea of if more than one of these things each night would be feasible for me with a timeline. Thanks!
Mandy says
I have a lot more time than other folks on this string now that I’m retired. I still find meal prep and planning important for health and weight control. Getting a head start on a good breakfast is key for me, not so much to save time but to get my head in the right place for the healthy day to follow. I begin every day with a low calorie/high protein smoothie. Everything but the frozen ingredients is measured and in the refrigerator in a personal blender the night before. I measure out the frozen ingredients and store them in snack sized ziplock bags as they come home from the grocery store. No early morning brain work required.
Lauren young says
Loved reading this! Thank you!
Susan Bates says
I’m sure this doesn’t clearly paint the whole picture, but I want to ask some questions. What are you doing with those children whose toys you are picking up? They don’t get a mention. If you have a partner/husband where is he/she in all this organisational heaven? It doesn’t sound fair to me, in spite of being non-chaotic!
Tammy Kresge says
Everyone in my household does their part. I don’t mean to assume we all do everything. However we need to delegate to keep our households moving forward works.
Tanisha says
Love this! Great pointers. I will defiantly be keeping this post available to read for myself. ❤
Anastasiya says
You are an truly breath of fresh air! You remind me of that zest for life that I used to have. I have lost it but now slowly getting it back over the past 6 months. I have a newborn and a 2 year old…really hard to get anything done past laundry, dishes, and pick up tho..The night routine…mine is to take a really cold shower! I take a cold shower in the morning and at night. It has been the best replacement for caffeine. But it also is a great relaxant before bed. I will use everything you said in the article to fight for the perfect life that I know I can have!.
Andrea says
It is shocking to me how mean and snarky some of these people can be. How do you tolerate it so gracefully? I recently heard a speaker discussing “dream killers”, those people who take your dreams and ideas and try to destroy them. The reason people usually do this is that they are filled with envy; they know that they could not possibly do what you desire to do, so they want to stomp on your dream. They know your idea is a great one, but they are too limited and tiny to even attempt such a thing. You sure do have some dream killers that like to comment on your posts!!! Yikes!
Tammy Kresge says
One of my strengths is to be able to live past the negativity. It truly doesn’t bother me at all. I know that their issues are with themselves not me so I don’t take it personally. Thanks for recognizing my ability to handle “dream killers” with grace.
Amy says
i have been looking for a post exactly like this and I didn’t even know it. After reading this article it made me realize how unorganized I am. I now feel really motivated and believe now that I can get things done and feel better about my home, family, and myself. I realize now that I have been using my teenage boys as an excuse for why I don’t have time for anything. My mind would automatically go to I will do this or that when the boys are out of the house, but in reality it’s being lazy and unorganized. I am starting tonight with some of your suggestions, and I honestly can’t imagine that I would wake up tomorrow with regret. Thank you so much for posting something that I should have been doing all along, but needed to hear someone else say how effective and organized I should be everyday.
Tammy Kresge says
You got it girl! Let me know how it goes. Sometimes I think we make the beast bigger than it really is. Once I realized it only took 5 minutes to make the bed, 15 minutes to straighten up the kitchen, and 1/2 hour or so to do longer I realized it wasn’t that bad and the time spent was so worth it.
Frances says
Thank you so much for sharing these tips. I really think that I can incorporate this into my evenings.
Jen says
I am reading this now, and I completely agree, 100% with what is given here as suggestions, inspirations, food for thought (no pun intended there!), and an overall tip of a practical nature. I am thinking of the few areas of these 8 suggestions that were truly more “in order” for my life when I was not struggling as much with my weight (a new issue for me in just very recent times) and I bet if I put a bit more of these steps in sync again I would also find other things lining up, too. Then, as you put it, slowly it can help people quiet themselves and find a bit of peace or even a spare moment of less stress to focus on SELF. I do find that we can make it happen, can fit in a lot more than we think we can at least some of the time, if we don’t make excuses or blame others. It’s easy to let the excuses creep in and become part of the narrative, if I’m honest. And, I remember a conversation I heard recently from a former mentor of mine who is struggling with her health that is mostly weight-related, and she’s so bitter at others, blaming everyone and everything else for who won’t visit, who doesn’t love her, and it even made the things some of us were doing feel less effective. Then, I thought of how easy it is to become that person, to let things become a mindset, and that’s what we all have to fight off, to give ourselves the gift of positive living while we make time and energy for the new change of mind, heart, and eating/lifestyle. If we don’t take some of the burden of self-loathing or chaos out of the picture, we make it tougher for ourselves, and that is what you say here! Thanks a ton, a great Thanksgiving present to me as I start fresh and make a new set of goals and a new course ahead.
Sarah says
Omg are you for real?! This is a whole day’s work. Everyone knows these habits (aka control freak symptoms) would enable us all to stay away from the snacks and wine but who has time to do all this especially before 7pm?! You need to spend time with America’s real working moms!!
Tammy Kresge says
Hi Sarah! Thanks so much for your comment, I appreciate the feedback. Just to clarify I worked 40+ hours outside the home in a full-time job for 15 years until I quit it to run this blog full-time. I worked full-time outside the home when both of my girl were babies, toddlers, and into their elementary years so I am very aware of what America’s real working mom looks like. I also built this business while working full-time so I get it. The point I made in the article and I will say again is I get that it’s not always feasible to do all this. We are human, tired, and stress and sometimes just need to survive. I get it. However, I also know that when I changed my habits and prioritized getting things done before bed that my life became easier in the morning and during the day. Life got easier for me and less stressed. I wasn’t running around overwhelmed and like a chicken with their head cut off. I felt confident and organized. Because of this I manage my time in a way to make some or all of these habits a priority. But again these are suggestions and do what works for you. I do believe doing some of these habits will help to keep life moving smoothly during the day. Thanks again!
Bron Barker says
In my quest to instill some semblance of organisation into my life in order to make time for exercise / fitness / health I’ve decided to have an ‘active wear drawer’.
Traditionally we have an undies draw, sock draw, jumpers etc in different draws. I’ve recently changed all of that. In order to cut down double handling, I just open appropriate draw and everything is in there because I put it away in there in the first place . I now have an:
– Active wear draw – tshirts, trackpants, sports bras, sports socks etc
– Work clothes draw
– Gardening/cleaning clothes draw
– Going out clothes are all on hangers in wardrobe – I try to hang them in outfits, but that is a work in progress, lol!
Night time habits that I have implemented already (I add one habit a week – my goal is 52 new habits in 52 weeks – I’m on week 4) are
– Wash face and a quick underarm etc wash at night so that in the morning I feel a little fresh, slap on tinted suncream moisturizer in the morning, and deodorant and I can be out the door in 10 mins walking with the dog.
Takes no more than a minute at night, uses less water than a shower and means I have a nice hot shower when I finish my walk.
– Charge my phone away from bed so that I’m not tempted to have a “quick” browse. I’ve been reading more and sleeping better and longer.
– Go to bed no later than 9pm
Jen says
This is wonderful! I do have a workout wear spot in my laundry room, but I like this idea. I have used some of my old trashcans, the plastic ones I used to have under the sinks in former homes or apartments (we moved a lot with hubby’s job), and now I use one for socks, one for track/sports bras, but I think having a drawer would be even better! I like this inspirational idea for organizing. I am going to see what I can pull together, maybe not today or this week but during the holidays, to make my workout wear easier to find, keep separated, and ready to wear!
Wendy says
Hey just found your blog and want to say that I am totally on board with u! This is what I have found does wonders for me and my life. One addition, I always make sure my quiet time includes gratitude journaling! Giving thanks for everything in my life keeps me focused on the positive and moving forward!
Tammy Kresge says
I absolutely love the idea of a gratitude journal. I’m going to start that.
Mia says
Great post! I moved to a two story house and all my organization and fitness went out the window! Can’t wait to move! On the other hand this post has inspired to rethink my routines, great ideas thanks!
Tammy Kresge says
So glad you found it helpful.
Marty says
I would never, in any day of the week, along with just doing “Life, unscheduled” as it happens (which in itself is totally exhausting most days) be able to run around at night and accomplish all this stuff. I’m just not nearly on the organizational spectrum this writer is. But still, happy this works for some!
Tammy Kresge says
I don’t think you need to do it all. Some nights I don’t but it’s helpful to try to do at least 1-3 of the things before bed. It just makes life so much easier for me in the morning.