I am so passionate about this topic. After being in private practice with clients one on one I can tell you where people are falling short and struggling the most to maintain health – at night.
Why?
Because we are tired after a very long day of work, family, commitments and so many other things that healthy living is the last thing we want to attend to.
We feel stressed and food is so comforting at this time.
Some of us feel unsatisfied and bored with life – food is exciting.
Some of us choose to do catch up on EVERYTHING at night – errands, emails, cleaning the house.
Some of us are avoiding things, work commitments, loved ones, so we turn to food.
Some of us feel angry at ourselves after a bad day of eating – so the guilt causes us to keep going. We continue to eat badly…often resulting in a food binge.
Some of us end up fighting with our loved ones at this time – a very stressful situation.
This is creating a health disaster for the body.
My past encompassed all of the above.
Not anymore.
By setting yourself up with a nighttime ritual you are doing something else that is delicious and satisfying. And food becomes less of a focus. At this time all the body wants to do is prepare for rest and repair – SLEEP.
And we do the opposite. We allow ourselves to be tired but wired. Adrenaline kicks in. We get a second wave of energy to fight, eat and attend to work commitments.
We do the exact opposite of what our bodies are craving.
We are not designed to push our bodies like this, especially after the crazy hectic days that most of us are living. If you can set yourself up a nighttime health ritual, you will change your body. And your life.
Here is a snap of mine:
- 5-6pm: Complete working hours.
- 6-7pm: Prepare a wholesome dinner. It does not need to be fancy-schmancy – keep it simple. A lean protein + a green salad + roasted/steamed veg is all you need, my loves.
- 7-8pm: Savour a delicious meal. Eat it slowly and mindfully and enjoy this time with family.
- 8-8:30pm: I sometimes sneak in a quick Instagram, BUT…
- 8:30pm: My phone is off. I switch my alarm clock on for the next day. My email is off. My computer is shut down. My body is getting very excited to SLOW DOWN.
This is a challenge, but I simply have to commit to it because the benefits are incredible.
At this time people are usually heading towards the fridge or pantry. For comfort. Not because you are actually hungry. But remember, you have an entire day of food coming tomorrow and your body wants to digest dinner with ease. This is why your nighttime ritual is so important.
- 8:30-9:00pm: A bath in essentials oil and Epsom salts with some relaxation music. I also light a candle – it brings out my feminine energy.
- 9:00pm – Jump into my PJs. Then I do legs up against the wall for 10 minutes while deep belly breathing. This is incredible for the nervous system and puts me to sleep fast!
- I make myself a delicious herbal tea, usually a healthy chai latte: Bengal spice tea/Rooibos chai with warm almond milk + cinnamon + stevia. Yum!
- 9:30-10pm – I either read or sometimes I watch my fav TV show (no, I admit TV is not great during this time but I find it very relaxing and delicious!) I usually do some belly breathes while reading/watching TV.
- 10pm: SNOOZE TIME. Ready for an incredible 8 hours of rest and repair!
I know some of you finish work later than most or are busy caring for your family. Add your own version of this ritual whenever you can, as long as it is somewhere in your routine. If you are a busy mom with kids some of the above may seem completely and utterly unrealistic. If you can implement just 1 or 2 things you will notice huge improvements.
What will your nighttime routine look like?
J x
Pssssst. You can now pay week-by-week for the JSHealth Program – only $18.63 a week! – click here
