This post is sponsored by You’re Better on Beef
W
omen really do have it tough. I have to do so much more than my partner does in a day. Not because he’s lazy (he’s not) it’s because the world just has different expectations of him. My grooming takes twice as long because as a woman, I’m expected to not look like I slept in a garbage truck when I arrive at work. As long as his pants are semi-clean people think he’s George Clooney.
I have to pack healthy and low-calorie food for the day because, as a woman, my metabolism sucks way harder than his and I can’t just grab a takeaway lunch. He can eat cheese on toast for lunch every day for a month and have to buy new jeans because he lost too much weight.
I have to exercise every day to keep my body burning all that pesky fat my body stopped caring about when I turned thirty and he’s built like a long distance Olympic runner, despite the fact that he hasn’t hit the treadmill in over a month.
Let’s not forget about all the other challenges women face like being heard at work, closing the pay gap, managing families and children while still trying to look like teenagers when most of us are decades past that era.
It’s crap. No wonder we’re exhausted. Women really are warriors but even warriors have crappy days so I’ve put together a list of ways a lady warrior can reboot a bad day.
1. Find your sore spot
Figure out why you’re feeling so crappy. Have a look at the last 24 hours and look for any issues. Did you have a fight with your partner? Did someone annoy you at work? Are you just feeling a bit flat? Didn’t sleep well? Once you’ve figured out what your issue is, acknowledge it. Sit with the feeling for a few minutes and acknowledge that it’s there. If you just try to barrel through your day with a phantom problem you’re ignoring, your day will stay crappy. If you’re aware of your problem you can try to fix or at least plan to prevent it happening again later in the week. That might mean having an early night, clearing the air with someone you disagreed with or doing something to improve your bad mood.
2. Eat some red meat
I used to live with one of my best mates and she had to eat red meat every single day because she only had half of her internal organs (she lost half of them in car accident), so she has to make every bite count to get enough iron. Whenever she noticed my energy levels were flagging, she’d make me her famous steak and mushrooms to take to work for lunch and it fixed me up every time. The Australian Dietary guidelines recommend eating 130gms of cooked red meat 3-4 times per week for optimal health. I find if I’m having a crappy day, I head out for my local beef pho and a glass of red wine. It’s the perfect pick me up on a less than amazing day. I also have to be super careful because I recently discovered that I have a rare condition where I don’t store iron. I’m not anaemic, because I make sure I eat sensible portions of red meat regularly, but I could become iron deficient quite easily if I don’t watch my diet. All women should make sure they’re eating enough iron though, because a lack of iron really does have a huge effect on our health and energy levels.
3. Wail out to some car karaoke
If the day is really flinging crap at you, get to your car (or a mates car, or a spare room), crank your favourite tunes and belt the heck out of that song. It’s cathartic and totally empowering. Hint: If you see a fellow warrior who needs her day reset, steal her for a little bit of car karaoke. Grab a yummy beverage, take her by the hand and get her singing her blues away. Some excellent songs for this include Backstreet Boys’ Backstreet’s Back, Four Non-Blondes’ What’s Up and Journey’s Don’t Stop Believin.
4. Do a brain dump
Set a timer for ten minutes and write it all out. Everything that’s on your mind. You can use a pen and paper or you can write it on your computer and print it out. Just empty everything out of your head – all the bad stuff, all the niggly stuff and all the boring stuff. When you’re done, rip the paper up into little pieces and walk it to the furthest bin away from you. Throw the pieces in the bin and leave your cluttered brain in there with it. Take a deep breathe and re-boot.
5. Give your brain a quick afternoon wash
The reason why you feel so refreshed after a full eight hours of restful sleep is because your brain ‘washes’ itself as you sleep. During sleep, the flow of cerebrospinal fluid in the brain increases, washing away waste proteins that build up between brain cells during waking hours. So sleep is kind of like a dishwasher for your brain. If you have the time and the means try an afternoon express-nap. It will perk up and give your brain a quick rinse to get you through the remainder of your day.
Again if you’re feeling a bit off for more than a few days, get your iron levels checked and see if you need to up your iron intake. If you’re struggling to get red meat into your diet (and I know a lot of people do) try this super simple recipe.
- 150gms cooked minced beef (I usually use left over taco or spaghetti mince for this!)
- 2 cups of baby spinach
- 1 small can of corn kernels
- ½ finely chopped spinach onion
- ⅓ of black beans
- ¼ of an avocado
- Coriander
- ¼ of a lime
- Pack your salad in one container and your beef in a separate container.
- Heat up your beef mince in the microwave and add it to your salad.
- Squeeze lime juice over your salad.
- Enjoy! Hint: If you have any left tacos, you can sprinkle one on top because it’s crunchy and awesome.
Sometimes I’ll use left over taco mince and taco sauce for this recipe but it also works well with left over San Choy Bow mince. I’m such a mince fiend, I just find it so easy to cook with. If you want some more beef recipes I’ve got chilli beef, butterfly beef rump, portobello beef mushrooms, kale and beef salad and my favourite ever spaghetti bolognese recipe.
How do you restart a crappy day? And do you have any tips for working red meat into your diet for anyone who struggles?