While maximizing my morning routine has long been an important part of making my days productive and exciting, this week is all about winding down, preparing for the evening, and sharing ideas for nighttime routine for adults. The latter bookend of the day is a great opportunity to relax from the day’s events and prepare for rest. Here are some ideas for creating an evening practice—so easy you can do it in your sleep 🙊hehe.
Nighttime Routine for Adults 101
Most of us work 9-5, or something similar, and if morning/nighttime isn’t spent intentionally, it can feel like the day turns to night within minutes and the last thought before cocooning into the couch is rarely “I need to unwind before bed.” When it comes to undoing the day, there are a few simple steps that make end-of-day something to look forward to. Skincare and wellness, planning, and overall aesthetic. [Queue Dolly Parton’s infamous jam, 9 to 5].
When was the last time your weekday looked something like this:
You wake up to an alarm that you snooze one too many times. A hurried shower, a little makeup, and a to-go coffee and bite to eat on the way out the door. Then work flies by in a blur–still lots on the to-do list, followed by a couple of ill-planned hours at home before it’s time to go to sleep and do it all over again the next day. Sound familiar?
Image a weekday that looks more like:
A morning routine that sets you up for success all day long. This might include at least 15 minutes of movement, reflection or journaling, a few pages of that book you’ve been meaning to finish for months, and a well-rounded breakfast that helps you reach your wellness goals. Try the one in Allie’sKitchen Tip of the Week from last week’s blog post, “Healthy Lifestyle Choices to Reach Your Highest Self.” Then on the commute to work you call a loved one or listen to a podcast. Work is efficient because you time block and stay focused by taking little breaks when needed and knowing when your best productivity windows are. Then after clocking out, you start your nighttime routine. Some ideas for this:
- Meet a friend at your favorite bar on the way home for a happy hour cocktail
- Change into a comfy lounge set, light some candles, and queue a playlist or movie while cooking dinner—trying a new recipe once a week keeps eating at home interesting
- Incorporate a little movement after dinner—I love a post-meal walk
- If you have a passion project or side hustle, take an hour to work on it now
- Take off makeup/do nighttime skincare—check out “The 5-Step Nighttime Skin Care Routine [That Works While You’re Dreaming]”
- You pour a cup of hot herbal tea, dim the lights, turn all electronics to night mode, spend time with your partner or watch tv
- Take a few minutes to think through the following morning and write down any loose ended thoughts
- Count the sheep 🐑🐑🐑
CEO of Skincare
It only takes a few minutes in the mornings and evenings to transform the health of your skin. My consistent evening skincare routine has helped minimize dry skin, unexpected breakouts, and irritable cheek redness over the past few years. I’ve realized that importance of creating skincare systems that focus on replacing dead skin cells with new ones, because as we age, the body stops producing as much collagen in the face.
I stick to a no excuses approach when it comes to evening care. If I am having a night in, ill apply a face mask, take a long shower, use a gua sha stone, and ice roll. If I have a night out. I leave all my products by the sink for a quick routine when I get home late. After a night out, my girlfriends often ask me to include them in my skincare ritual. It’s something no one forgets once seeing and feeling the benefits.I’ve talked about some of these products in my “CEO of Morning Skincare [Best Products for Dry Winter Skin]” but overall I like to include the following steps at night.
- Pre-Cleaning: For this to use Micellar Cleansing Water or Julep’s Hydrating Cleansing Oil
- Cleaning: Since receiving the SkinCeuticals Glycolic Renewal Cleanser for Christimas, I’ve been interchanging it with Obagi’s CLENZIderm Daily Foaming Face Wash
- Toning: The Dermalogica Multi-Active Toner and Obagi CLENZIderm Pore Therapy are great for helping condition the skin and prepare it for moisture absorption
- Blemish Maintenance: Obagi’s Theropeutic Lotion and Medical 360 Retinol Cream
- Moisturizing: This is my favorite step because my skin is naturally DRY. But with the help of products like elta MD’s PM Therapy Facial Lotion and Obagi’s Medical Hydtate Lotion, I infuse the skin with all the moisture it needs to repair throughout the night.
5 Nighttime Wellness Ideas
Wellness is an ongoing goal and I actively listen to what my body needs and accordingly. Detaching from thoughts of work or other stressors through stimulating creativity—a craft, cooking a new recipe, or reading a book. Here are five nighttime wellness tips that helped unravel from the day and increase energy for the day following.
- Have a cup of tea. My go-to herbal favorites are spearmint, peppermint, chamomile, and a detox tea blend.
- Stretch or follow a low impact yoga routine on YouTube. I always land on Boho Beautiful’s videos.
- Turn on an essential oil diffuser with a calming scent like lavender, eucalyptus, or Ylang Ylang. If you chose to light a candle instead, be sure to check the ingredients—many fragrances and fillers used are harmful and can cause headaches and long-term health complications. Try soy-based candles for a less toxic option.
- After-dinner walks always help with digestion and improve connection with nature.
- Switch electronics to night mode when the sun goes down and if you are using screens, wear blue light glasses. It’s always a good idea to turn off the tv, close the laptop, and silence the phone at least 30 minutes before bedtime.
Planning for Tomorrow
As important as journaling is in the morning to set intentions, it can also beneficial to purposely reflect at the end of the day. This helps me recall moments or tasks that might have otherwise been forgotten in the daily shuffle as well as gives the mind a sense of ease that tomorrow’s to-dos are on paper.
I like to write down reflections in my journal or through a computer application: Notion. And any other random thoughts have a place in my Apple Notes App.
Allie’s Kitchen Tip of the Week
This week, try celebrating your newly improved nighttime routine with an herb butter Filet topped with bacon wrapped scallops and sautéed onions, with a side of garlic mashed potatoes and lobster tail.
I created this recipe combo for last week’s date night with my boyfriend, Jack, and it paired perfectly with a bottle of Pinot Noir and the Date Night Classics playlist on Spotify (linked here). After enjoying dinner and with many “oh my goodness” “this is so good” “we have to do this again,” we ended the meal with a couple games of Hand & Foot and a few episodes of New Girl. Highly recommend.
Grocery List
- 1 Filet (This is the recipe I mostly used)
- 1 Lobster tail
- 2 Scallops (sea scallops holds the bacon better, but Bay Scallops are also a delicious smaller alternative)
- 2 Slices of bacon
- 1 Russet potato
- 1 Sweet onion
- 1 Head of garlic
- Herb of choice—highly recommend (one or all): Sage, Thyme, Rosemary
- + a few things you probably already have at home: butter, olive oil, salt, pepper, and milk
p.s. If you’re thinking this sounds expensive—WRONG! This recipe was under $25. At a restaurant, this would be well into the triple digits. As pictured below, we also added a little appetizer of tomatoes, basil. olive oil, balsamic reduction, and brie.
Let’s Make It
- Prep filet with sea salt and pepper and set aside. Prepare head of garlic like this!
- Peel and chop the russet potato and boil in a small pot with salt. When soft, drain water and mash potatoes with most of the baked garlic (save a little for the onions), cream (milk will also work), and season with salt/pepper to taste.
- Chop the sweet onion and the remaining cloves of garlic and sauté in a few tbls of olive oil. While these are cooking, in a clean pan, put about 2 tbls of butter and the herbs of choice.
- Once melted and slightly brown, add seasoned filet(s). Sear on each side, I like medium-rare but cook according to your preferences with this recipe (also linked above).
- For the bacon wrapped scallops, I used these instructions: https://pinchandswirl.com/bacon-wrapped-scallops/
- While filet is cooking, prepare the lobster tail and broil in the oven with a tablespoon of butter for about 5-8 minutes.
- Plate the filet and top with sautéed onions. Then add the sides: mashed garlic potatoes, bacon wrapped scallops, the broiled lobster tail. Serve.
- I bet by the end of your meal you’ll be planning the next time to make this self-care meal, either for yourself for a solo date night or for a partner/friend.
Conclusion
In all, the best nighttime routine for adults is all about creating a mood of higher energy in the A.M. and a tone of relaxation at night. The A.M. is the catapult that creates high energy and anticipation for the day—while the evening acts as a reward for working hard throughout the day.
xxx
Allie
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