Define "Better"

I was telling a friend about my New Year's resolution to "be less tired," and what that meant for me. She sighed and said, "yeah, I should eat better." I asked her a few questions about her habits, and it turns out she wasn't doing as bad as she thought. She knew she was supposed to get "5 a day" of fruits and veggies, but she didn't know how big "1" is. A serving for most fruits and vegetables is 1/2 cup. That means a tennis-ball-sized pile of broccoli or green beans for dinner is TWO servings. A normal sized apple or orange or banana is TWO servings of fruit. So, if you're wanting to eat "better" you have to define what that means.

For the purpose of this blog, "better" will be defined as meals that have higher nutritional value than a chicken nugget value meal from a fast food restaurant. (More nutritional value=fewer calories and more vegetables) Why? First, because that sets the bar pretty low nutritionally speaking, which makes it easier for me to come up with ideas. Second, because that's what I want when I'm not feeling like cooking. My son knew all about 'chichenfenchfies' at 20 months old. My husband's preferred default is pizza, but that's more of a moving target nutritionally speaking. Thin crust with lots of veggies and low-fat, if any, meat is better than deep-dish double pepperoni with extra cheese.

Most people feel they ought to eat "better," but have never defined that very subjective term. If you are someone who has said for a while that you want to "eat better," define what that means. Does that mean eating a fruit or a veggie at every meal? Does that mean replacing afternoon candy bars with an orange at least 3 days a week? For me it meant drinking at least 6 glasses of water every day in addition to any other beverage. Knowing I need to finish my water to meet my goal keeps me from getting as many sugary drinks when I'm thirsty.

As a side note, the "5-A-Day" guideline was meant to be a minimum. They don't use that slogan anymore. Women who are 19-30 should get 5 servings of vegetables and 4 servings of fruit. Men in that age range should get about 11 servings of fruits and vegetables. People who exercise every day should get more than "normal." These stats and more about nutrition, including lots about serving sizes, can be found here.

Turning point

Most of the ideas I present here are mine. I will try to cite sources and give links whenever possible for the things that aren't directly mine. But, even the ideas that are directly mine came from somewhere. They come from my past experiences, starting with growing up. I was 1st of 4 daughters being raised by a pastor and his wife in the parsonage of a small church. My mom taught me how to cook, how to meal plan and how to shop for groceries to get the best deal. When I got married, I refined these skill through practice. Our first year of marriage, my husband had a paid internship that was $900 after taxes, and I was looking for a job for half of that time. When I got a job with a 45min commute one way, I found that many of the ways I had been saving on groceries did not fit very easily into my full schedule. So, I would either buy pre-packaged stuff that didn't seem that healthy, or we would eat out more. Poor diet choices left me with low energy, which meant I didn't feel like cooking, which meant heating up more frozen stuff, which was just a bad cycle. Then I made a New Year's Resolution to "be less tired."

As the saying goes, I was tired of being tired. I could not change that I have a small child who wakes up early. I could not change that I work full time and sometimes work weekends. I could not change my husband's work schedule which is even heavier. So I looked at what was making me tired, and what could I change. What I could do was eat more fruits and vegetables and more varieties of them (more different colors=more different nutrients usually). I could drink more water. I could cut out caffeine, which made my sleep light and easily disturbed. And I could go to bed 8 hours before I knew my son was going to wake up. I also started taking a 'sabbath.' I would try to get all my household chores done on Saturday, so that on Sunday, I could go to church, eat and spend time with my family resting before we start the week. I still try to implement most of these things because they worked so well. I don't do the best job, but I'm trying to do a better job.

Things I learned from "be less tired":

Drink enough water.
This has been what gives the most noticeable and immediate results. When I'm feeling tired and having trouble focusing, many times it comes down to simple dehydration. On the days when I drink a full 2 liters (4 bottles or ~64 oz. ) of water I have much more energy.

Eat more fruits and veggies.
I also noticed an increase in energy when I was eating a wider variety of fruits and veggies. Eating more colors (natural ones, not Fruit Loops) means getting more nutrients.

Plan ahead.
I design menus around predictable things like evening activities or 10h work days I know are coming. If things are really hectic or just unpredictable, I keep a few easy to fix things on hand in the pantry or freezer. I also plan ahead for the 3pm "I'm starving and can't think about anything else." Actually hunger hits me on the ride home, so I pack an extra PBJ, piece of fruit or trail mix for the commute home. That way I can focus on my planned meals instead of wanting to go through a drive through.

Get enough rest.
I go to bed earlier and at a consistent time. I was trying to do all my housekeeping on Saturdays, but now that Robbie is bigger we try to use that time for trips to the library or somewhere else he likes. I now try to follow my grandmother's suggestion of "See how much you can get done in 5 minutes." I do this through the week to lighten the work on Saturday. I try to make lunch in the crock pot on Sundays so I can have at least half a day just relaxing before the next week starts without worrying about what is going undone or coming up the next day.

When I can keep up with these goals, I have more energy, feel more productive, and feel more relaxed.