For years I have been discussing my morning routine, and it is something I feel so passionately about. Most successful entrepreneurs can talk your ear off about how incredible their morning routine is, many credit their success to their coveted morning routine.

But what about the evenings? How do we set ourselves up at night to have a successful and mindful next day?

A solid evening routine is crucial for a good nights sleep, but there’s more to it. A good evening routine can help your body and mind unwind from the day, aid in digestion, and help move your body from a sympathetic dominance into parasympathetic (rest and digest) mode.

This first thing to discuss when talking about an evening routine is dinner. Ideally you should eat dinner 3-4 hours before you go to bed. This is a biggie. Many of my clients initially have a tough time with this one because of family schedules, meal prep, the list goes on. However, this is one of the most important ones for a good nights sleep. You need to allow your body to process, digest, distribute/utilize, and (maybe even) eliminate your dinner before you lay down. Your body has a difficult time digesting once you lay down, and this can lead to acid reflux, gas, bloating, undigested food etc. Your body works so hard when we sleep, this is the time our body regenerates and detoxes from the inside out. We don’t want to disrupt that cycle by forcing our body then to digest our dinner as well.

This next one is a big one too, and is especially difficult in our current society. After dinner, try to limit phone and screen time. Turning all screens off 2 hours before bed. Many people in our society struggle with this one…everyone is attached/addicted to their devices. When I suggest this people often ask “well, what do I do instead?”. This is your body’s time to begin winding down from your day, dim the lights, and do something that you will enjoy and will begin to relax the body.

Here’s an example of my ideal evening routine…

early dinner

lemon ginger tea after dinner

epsom salt bath or a hot shower

dim lights (signals the body it is time to wind down)

journal/writing

limited phone/screen use

a good book (this is usually the time I’ll read something for fun…no self help or nutrition books)

time with the husband

Comment below and let me know how you unwind in the evenings!