8 Little Things You Can Do Every Night To Lose More Weight

8 Little Things You Can Do Every Night To Lose More Weight

Looking to drop a few pounds before summer really gets rolling?  It might not be just what you do during the day that can make a huge impact.  Your evening routine might play a more significant roll in the impact on your weight loss goals. 

There are a number of routines or habits that can sending you in the wrong directions and the scale can head in the wrong direction too.   If you do the right things and develop the right nighttime routine it can have a major positive impact on your weight loss progress.

When you start to put nighttime habits into your routine, keep in mind the two buckets that can help you lose weight.  (Bucket #1) Things you do before bed that affect how your body processes things WHILE you sleep and (Bucket #2) Things you do that help you get a restful night’s sleep so you wake up with high energy and you’re ready to rock n roll the next day.

When you bag enough Zzzs, you’ll have enough energy the following day to partake in activities that torch calories:  through structured exercise—like going to the gym or it can be through other regular daily activities—like doing chores.

If getting into a consistent, healthy nighttime routine is the name of the weight loss game – let’s kick things off and get going! 

The first bucket:

How to keep burning calories at night.

If you want to lose more weight, don’t eat too late.

No matter the time you eat, your body should process the calories in the same way. That said, people who tend to eat later into the night also tend to eat more calorie-dense food or may eat not because they’re hungry, but because they’re bored.   KEY:  Don’t eat those calories you don’t need – just desire!

If you want to have a pre-bedtime snack, make sure it’s one with good protein.

Don’t be too shocked to hear that there’s an exception if you do eat late. If you’re in the mood for a pre-bedtime snack, make sure it contains casein protein, such as dairy products.   Casein protein is slower-digesting, so a pre-bedtime snack can give your body protein it can use throughout the night for repairing and building muscle.  KEY: If you worked out and trained, your body may need extra protein – if you spend the day watching Netflix – your body might not need so much extra protein and calories at night.

Get some exercise—but time it correctly.

If you work out too close to your bedtime, you may find it challenging to fall to sleep. The human body continues to torch calories during the hours following a workout, which is good.  If the exercise routine hurts your sleep and leaves you tired all the next day, you might need to adjust when you exercise or what you do before you crash.

The second bucket:

How to get a more restful night’s sleep.

Don’t drink alcohol before bed.

Drinking alcoholic beverages before bed is a bad habit for more than one reason.

Alcohol comes with a lot of excess calories, so avoiding alcohol before bed fits into the don’t have to many calories before you sleep.   Alcohol also disrupts sleep, so if you drink a lot before bed, you might not feel as well-rested in the morning.”

Set your bedroom to a cool temperature if you want to lose more weight.

Research shows that your room temperature can impact how the body processes fat, and sleeping in a cooler room can help burn more calories as you sleep

Evidence also shows that a cool room temperature promotes a great night’s sleep! According to the National Sleep Foundation, sleeping in a cool environment is one of the most crucial aspects of solid, restful sleep. The ideal temperature to set your bedroom at is about 65 degrees Fahrenheit.

Avoid blue light.

All the screens in your life—your phone, laptop, and TV—emit blue light that can totally mess up your circadian rhythm, also known as “your natural sleep/wake cycle.  

Needless to say, scrolling through social media and binge-watching TV shouldn’t be a part of your night routine.  Leave the phone and iPad out of the bedroom!  

Stick to a solid schedule.

Sticking to a consistent schedule doesn’t only apply to work. The same goes for your bedtime and when you wake up each morning.

Going to bed and waking up around the same time each day is a great way to manage your circadian rhythm and make sure you’re getting enough restful sleep each night.