To stay in shape, you spend 45 – 60 minutes working out 3 to 5 times a week. To stay healthy, you eat the proper amounts from all the major food groups — avoiding too much sugar and fat. Even with all this dedication, did you know you are still missing one key ingredient to a fit and healthy lifestyle? Just one thing you should do, and it only takes a couple minutes out of each day.

No, I’m not talking about a miracle vitamin, a new energy drink, or a speedy new-fangled workout regimen; I’m talking about something you can do before bed that ensures you get a solid night’s sleep, which is an essential key to staying healthy. Not getting enough sleep can run you down and lower your immune system, allowing you to get sick more easily.

What can you do every night to ensure you have a restful whole night’s sleep? If you are feeling stressed, worried, or anxious, take a few minutes before you lie down and write down all your issues. By just taking a minute to get these concerns off your chest, you won’t lie in bed thinking about them, which can keep sleep at bay.

I can’t begin to tell you how helpful this habit is to get into. I’ve implemented it in my life, and I never lose a night’s sleep over worrying. I sit down before bed if my mind is racing with the million and one things I have to get done or other common problems that used to keep me up at night. After I get the last one down on paper, no matter how mundane or silly, I fall onto my bed and into a deep slumber because I have told myself I’m committed to worrying about them or solving them tomorrow and I don’t need to bother with them anymore tonight.