10 Daily Routines for Health, Wellness & Family Life
Hi friend! I hope your week is off to a great start! Today, I’m sharing 10 of my daily routines that help my life run smoother in regard to my health, wellness, and also family life.
Having routines that you can count on helps reduce decision fatigue, creates structure and predictability and reduces chaos. Most of these routines I don’t really think about anymore, they are more like just the rhythm of the day.
I didn’t come to all of them overnight though. They sort of built on each other over time.
10 Daily Routines for Health, Wellness & Family Life
1 | morning routine
I went into detail about my morning routine here, so I won’t repeat everything. The point is that I set aside time to myself each morning to read, write, journal and sit in silence.
2 | exercise routine
I want to have a healthy and strong body, and that includes working out each week. I’ve scheduled in 4 workouts and one walk/jog into my week. They happen at the same time each week as follows:
Monday : 9:45 a.m. Class
Tuesday : 8 a.m. Trainer
Wednesday : 8:30 a.m. Class
Thursday : 8:00 a.m. Trainer
Friday : 8:00 a.m. walk/jog
And, just yesterday I set up a 30-Day Wellness Challenge for myself and I’ll be sharing it with you next Monday. I’m including a free printable to help keep you on track. Subscribe here so you don’t miss it!
3 | get ready routine
Is it just me, or do you wash your body in the same order every time you shower? Left arm first . . .
A ‘full’ get ready includes doing my hair and makeup. I always start with makeup, pretty much in the same order and then hair. I get dressed last. I’ll wear a robe or towel wrap until it’s time for clothes.
What order are you? Let me know in the comments! I’m #4:)
4 | grocery/meal plan/meal prep
Having a set day/time each week for planning your meals, grocery shopping and meal prepping saves so much time, energy and stress.
I’ve given up on the hope to try a new recipe every week. My goal is just to have family dinners together, even if that means eating the same things on repeat.
Lately, our rotation includes : spaghetti & meatballs; steak (my son loves) & I use my cast iron skillet, baked potato (my daughter loves); chicken piccata; tacos; broccoli; green beans; and we order pizza about once a week.
We’ve also had several parties in the past couple of months, so there has been leftovers like pork shoulder, hamburgers, potato salad, mac and cheese, charcuterie, etc.
I meal prep my own meals and sometimes Jordan will eat them. I prep about 2-3 days worth of meals and repeat as needed. You can find more about my meals here.
5 | meal routine
My meals generally occur at about the same time each day, at least on the weekdays.
5:30 a.m. coffee
7:00 a.m. pre-workout meal (maybe a banana, or Muscle Egg or oatmeal)
after workout : 2 cage free eggs, 2 pieces of toast on Sola bread with Kerrygold butter
2:00 p.m. lunch (after Rhonda leaves & it’s a good break in the day before picking up the kids)
6:00 p.m. dinner (if there’s not sports)
7:30 p.m. snack
6 | homework routine
Unless we have sports, Jordan (my second grader) sits down at the kitchen counter and does her homework around 4:30 p.m. every day- it takes about 30 minutes. At night, before bed, she reads for a total of 75 minutes a week.
My son is in 8th grade and I don’t know when he does his homework. He gets good grades and I get daily updates from the school on his assignments and grades, but I don’t micro manage him.
7 | pet routine
My dog goes out first thing in the morning, again when I come home from working out, after school, in the evening, and before bed.
Breakfast is right when I wake up about 5:15 a.m. and dinner is about 5 p.m.
8 | calendar routine
Whenever I get a calendar for school, sports, other extra curricular activities, I immediately put it into my computer calendar that syncs with my iphone.
We have the 2024-25 school year calendar now, so last weekend I spent several hours inputting everything into my calendar – there’s SO MUCH to keep track of!
9 | evening routine
After dinner, I always clean the kitchen. I haven’t always done this, but it has been a habit/routine for at least the last 5 years. I put all the dishes into the dishwasher, clear the counters and wipe them clean, and scrub the sink.
Having a beautifully clean kitchen at night makes me feels so good and I love waking up to a tidy kitchen in the morning!
BEFORE
AFTER
Glass Soap Dispenser • Soap Stand • Sink Grid
10 | bedtime routine
At night, I’ll either shower or just wash my face. I’ll do some skincare, brush out my hair. Lately, I like to light a candle in my bathroom, just to make the experience a bit more calming and serene.
Tray • Matches • Amber Soap Dispenser • Wooden Tray • Candle • Bathroom Tour
I love getting into comfy pajamas. If you don’t have a pair you really feel good in, I highly recommend finding some. It changes the way you feel at night and also how you sleep.
I’ll also lay out my workout clothes for the next day.
My bedroom lights have smart HUE lightbulbs that are set to turn to on dim at 7:00 p.m. It’s so nice in the evening to walk into a room that has a warm ambience with soft lighting.
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Do you have similar routines? I’d love to hear! I think the meals routine has been the hardest habit for me to get into. Once I gave up the thinking that I should be making new recipes, it helped me relax.
And which order do you get ready? I love to know that kind of stuff!
Have a fantastic day friend!
I’m in love with your kitchen, however seems that your daily organization is working well!!!
Thanks so much Giulia!
I’m hair, makeup, outfit. I find if I do my makeup first then hair with the hairdryer I get way too hot and sweat. I used to be very good at planning and preparing meals for the week on the weekends then it went by the wayside and now I am getting back into it and I had this weeks’ meals all planned (written out) and life has happened this week and out the window some of it went. I would love to try new recipes but find myself making the same food and nothing wrong with that. I’ve actually started making toasted sandwiches on some nights for dinner. Whatever works.
Oh I get hot sometimes too, that’s why in hot months I keep a fan in my bathroom. Oh yes, grilled cheese for the win!!
I’m a 4 as well.
Get read: always the same- shower-skin care-makeup-hair-get dressed. ALWAYS. 🙂
SAME!
I’m a 3 – hair, makeup, outfit. I do apply my morning skincare before doing my hair so that it has time to absorb. I’m slowly getting back into a fitness routine, so I’m excited to see the 30-day wellness challenge on Monday!
I’m excited too Laurie!
I do everything by routine. Lol. We menu plan each week (Fridays) and order groceries (Saturdays). We have a printed menu of meal options that we all like and my husband goes through and chooses for each day depending on what we have going on. He writes it on the board so everyone knows what we are having. I love it because I don’t have to decide–I just have to cook!
My morning routine is get up, run, shower, makeup, hair, outfit. Always in that order. I shower in the same order and put my makeup on in the same order too. Lol.
I like the idea of a printed menu. James asked for chicken parmesan this week – I forgot that’s in our rotation too. We are so alike with our always getting ready in the same order.
I’m #4 as well
Just a quick piece of advice that changed our lives! My school district has a web calendar I can subscribe to that automatically imports all the events on my calendar (school closures, conferences, etc.) Wonderful!
OMG!!!! We need this!!!!! Do you know the name of the software that does this??
I’m a 5. Thank you for sharing your routine. Meal prepping is always the hardest. I love grilling up protein on Sunday to have for the week and pre cutting my lettuce so I can throw together quick salads.
That’s a great idea, perfect to have that protein on hand.
#1 – Makeup, outfit, hair
I am not a planner. I don’t even get ready in the same order daily, ha! I enjoy cooking and trying new recipes, I am lucky that I have a household full of adventurous eaters. I will say that I always try to end the day with a clean kitchen, it is definitely the best way to start the next day and I always set up the coffee pot the night before too!
Me too! Spontaneous all around- its not always practical but 2 days are never the same and pretty fun.
I did like the post very very much and would like to incorporate a morning routine.
Love
Bee
My daughter is an adventurous eater too. I’m hopeful I’ll have more bandwidth for cooking different types of things in the summer.
Definitely a 2!
So funny how we are all different!
I’m loving these posts. It’s inspiring to see how helpful routines can be.
Thank you for letting me know Jennel!
As a retired teacher, I love your attitude around James and his homework. Our job, as parents, is to raise kids who are responsible for their learning. He knows the school keeps in touch with you and if he isn’t doing his school work, you will get more involved. Sounds like he will be ready for high school!!
Thanks for that. I’m so glad he’s getting more independent in that regard. We love our teachers!
I’m a 4 as well. I used to have a rhythm with meal planning but I’ve fallen out of it – your post is a great reminder to reinstate that routine!
That one is so important, right?!
I am always a #4. If I try to do it differently, it messes my whole day up. I always meal prep on Sunday. I will even return from trips early so I can meal prep on Sunday afternoons.
That’s so helpful for the week ahead! I like to unpack right away when I come home from a trip.
#3 for me! It’s funny that you said that about washing in the same order…my friend and I just had this conversation! We both agreed that if you do something different (wash a different body part first, put on skincare/lotion/deodorant in a different order) it just throws you off. Creatures of habit I guess! I also love a clean kitchen at night…it just makes mornings seem calmer with the school rush. And meal planning is a must for me now, I can’t believe I went years without doing it! I love posts like this! They are so helpful and fun to read!
I can’t believe how much I like cleaning the kitchen at night. It makes me feel so good and calm! And of course, it’s so nice to wake up to in the morning.