It’s hard to be so healthy. Between work and family, nutrition tends to fall on the back burner. But it can’t. How you care for your body will affect how long and how happy your life is. So take some advice from everyday people who are doing their best to embrace nutrition.

  • SLEEP “I know my boyfriend and I don’t get enough sleep. We both work and we’re also both students, so evenings and nights belong to homework and the occasional night out. So, we’ve cut into our morning routines to help catch a few extra Zs. I’ve started checking Facebook as I walk into work so I don’t feel the need to scroll when I wake up. We also skip big homemade breakfasts now for big bowls of fruit. No prep required and equally nutritious. And my personal favorite – we only make the bed if we’re having someone over. It doesn’t really make sense to sacrifice precious sleep just to cover up last night’s sleep.”
  • ON THE GO “I tried saying ‘no’ to fast food, but it didn’t last. There are some days where I just need to grab something really quick. So, I’ve become an expert at drive-thru nutrition. I always order a chicken option wherever I go, usually a grilled chicken sandwich to avoid red meat. I always get a small meal with apple slices instead of fries, and most places will accommodate that. To drink, I always get water, except on Fridays when I might let myself have a lemonade or unsweet tea, but never ever soda.”
  • VEGETABLES “My kids are like everyone else – they don’t like vegetables. They take after their dad. But I’ve found that grilling them instead of baking or boiling makes them taste a lot better. So, I like to throw them on the grill, usually in foil with a lot of seasonings, light on salt. For dessert, you can even do the same with some fruits. You can grill a plain nectarine in aluminum foil and it will come out tasting just like peach cobbler!”
  • VITAMINS “I take multivitamins and I think everyone should. It’s not hard, it’s not expensive, it doesn’t even require much effort. Just set an alarm on your phone to go off every morning to remind you. At the very least, I recommend the drinkable vitamin C to boost the immune system.”
  • THE BEST ADVICE “The best advice I can give is to let yourself break the rules every now and then. Have one cheat day. Order dessert. Stay up late for the party. It’s not going to kill you to enjoy life if your usual habit is to be healthy. So often, I see people make themselves or their kids despise a healthy lifestyle … well obviously your children aren’t going to want to be healthy if they get no sugar, no McDonald’s Happy Meal (c), and no fun. Again, it’s OK to cheat every now and then after healthy habits are formed.”

Article by Jase Lucas / Sales & Marketing Coordinator at Byrd-Watson