AM/PM Routines for Midlife Women: Building Everyday Wellness
There’s something deeply grounding about beginning and ending our days with intention. The older I get, the more I realize it isn’t the grand gestures that shape my life as much as the small, repeated ones.
A routine, after all, is simply this: a series of curated and ordered practices and/or habits. And in midlife, these practices become more than “nice to haves”—they’re the scaffolding that holds us steady through change.
Dr. Mary Claire, a leading voice in menopause medicine, calls her AM/PM routines the foundation of her “Nursing Home Prevention Plan.” I love that. For me, it’s not about obsessing over longevity alone, but about building a life where our healthspan—the years we remain vibrant, mobile, and clear-minded—matches our lifespan.
And here’s the beautiful thing: navigating change is helped most by doing the reps. Each time we show up for ourselves in these simple ways, we lay another stone in the path toward a well-seasoned, resilient life.
So let’s break it down into approachable categories you can personalize to your own mornings and evenings:
Morning Rituals: Setting the Tone
🌿 Physical Wellness
Hydrate before caffeine—water first (for me, at least 12 oz.), then tea or coffee.
Move gently—whether it’s stretching under the covers, a few yoga poses, or a quick walk outside.
Choose nourishing foods that stabilize your energy for the day ahead. In midlife, this most often means prioritizing protein, with some fiber & good fat, and minimizing sugar/processed food.
🧭 Mental Wellness
Anchor yourself with a mantra or affirmation. (“I have what I need for today” is one of my favorites.)
Review your day’s top 3 priorities instead of scrolling through everyone else’s.
💖 Emotional Wellness
Take 5 minutes to journal. Jot down gratitude, dreams from the night before, or what you’re hoping for in the hours ahead.
Limit exposure to anything first thing that makes you feel “less than”—be it news, emails, or Instagram feeds.
✨ Helpful Hints
Step outside for a dose of natural light. Your circadian rhythm will thank you.
Keep mornings device-light. Create before you consume.
Evening Rituals: Closing the Day
🌿 Physical Wellness
Light stretching or a calming somatic practice to release the day’s tension.
A cup of herbal tea or magnesium-rich foods/beverage to signal your body it’s time to rest. (I love Moonbrew’s hot cocoa.)
🧭 Mental Wellness
Replace the endless to-do list with a “done list”—acknowledge what you accomplished.
Whisper an evening mantra: “I am safe. I am loved. I can rest.”
💖 Emotional Wellness
Journal through lingering feelings—sometimes just naming them is enough to set them down for the night.
Instead of scrolling, pick up a book, listen to soft music, or enjoy quiet conversation.
✨ Helpful Hints
Unplug at least one hour before bed.
No TV in the bedroom. Keep the space dark, cool, and quiet—or use a sound machine with intentional noise.
Try to keep a consistent bedtime; your body loves rhythm.
The PM/AM Partnership
Writer Jen Hatmaker has a playful, practical way of thinking about evening routines: she talks about “Evening Jen” and “Morning Jen.”
The idea is simple: each night, ask yourself, What’s one thing I can do right now that tomorrow’s me will thank me for? And then—if possible—do it.
That might look like:
Preloading the coffee machine so morning-you wakes up to the smell of a fresh pot.
Writing down the top three things you’d like to get done the next day (bonus points if one of them is connecting meaningfully with another human).
Laying out workout clothes, prepping lunches, or tidying up a corner so the morning feels lighter.
It’s a way of letting “Evening You” extend a little kindness and foresight toward “Morning You.” A small act of self-partnership that creates ease and alignment before your day even begins.
Rituals as Midlife Anchors
Think of your AM/PM rituals as bookends for your day—anchors that help you steady yourself no matter what storms come in between.
These practices don’t need to be perfect or elaborate. They just need to be yours—curated, repeated, and aligned with what matters most to you.
Because here’s the truth: every time you hydrate, stretch, journal, unplug, or choose peace over comparison, you’re not just tending to your current self—you’re also investing in your future self. You’re choosing a life where your healthspan and lifespan keep company with one another.
And that, my friend, is everyday magic at its finest.
