EARLY BIRD GETS THE WORM?

Before my wife & I had kids, we fell into the category of mid-late evening diners. It was very common for us to go to dinner alone or with friends around 7/730pm and get home around 9 or later. Fast forward to one and now two children, we’re busier than ever and time is our most precious commodity. Our entire schedule and daily habits have shifted an hour earlier or more.

We now prefer to eat dinner (whether at home with the kids or with others) no later than 6pm.?We still get jokes to this day from people that we’re on the senior citizen program, but it doesn’t bother us and in fact I’ve come to realize there are many benefits to dining earlier in the evening (supported by a recent story aired on the TODAY show – I couldn’t believe it!)

Dining earlier in the evening allows for

• more time for your food to digest before going to bed
• you tend to eat less and healthier due to less cortisol produced in the body that time of day
• you tend to drink less or no alcohol earlier in the evening, and if you do have a glass or two of wine, your body has more time to metabolize it, making it less likely you wake up groggy and sluggish the next day
• you get to bed earlier!! We all need more rest!!
• for us, dining early also means if we want to sneak out for an adults dinner, we still have time to get home and see the kids before bed (we’re still in that phase of needing the time away but missing them when we’re away!)

The natural shift in America’s daily schedules and value of time is leading to lifestyle changes like this that while small, have impactful effects on our overall well-being.?The one part I need to work on is my 4am wakeup my wife doesn’t appreciate – but hey, early bird gets the worm ??