A quarter of the way through the year. Can you believe it? I can't believe it'll be April on Sunday. Wow!
This week's challenge is "Eat Your Wheaties." I promise the whole thing about eating a healthy breakfast in the morning is not underwritten by the egg producers. There is actual science that backs up the importance of eating breakfast in the morning. Studies show that people who eat breakfast have more energy, better cognitive
function and memory, and a lower BMI than those who skip breakfast. Eating breakfast increases your metabolic speed. Further, eating a well-balanced breakfast is instrumental in stabilizing blood sugar and combating fatigue. More importantly, individuals who regularly skip breakfast have 4.5 times greater risk of becoming obese. *shudder*.
Confession time. I think everyone realizes that I am NOT a morning person. I go straight for the coffee and don't think about eating breakfast until the fog lifts, which is normally around 9:30 or later. I have an early morning exercise class twice a week and I do eat on those days before I leave the house. But other days, like this morning, it didn't occur to me to eat until 10:15. I have been trying to do better, so this challenge couldn't come at a better time.
The key to a good breakfast is that it is well rounded; I don't have any problems there. Ideally, you would like a lean protein coupled with high-fiber carbs. My exercise morning breakfast is a piece of whole wheat toast topped with 1 Tbsp. natural peanut butter and banana slices, then I eat the rest of the banana on the side. My non-exercise days, I normally go for Greek yogurt and a piece of fruit. I also stock eggs, grits, oatmeal, and lots of fresh fruit.
Yes, Greek yogurt - it's all kinds of yumminess. I prefer the Chobani brand and my favorite flavors are mango, pineapple, pomegranate, and lemon (try the lemon with some graham crackers - YUM MO!) I also have the plain fat-free Greek yogurt in my fridge and I just found out that you can add one of those on-the-go flavorings for water to 3/4 cup of plain Greek yogurt (or plain regular) and you have insta-flavor!
Obviously my problem isn't having something to eat, it's the remembering to eat it. This week, I will focus on eating my breakfast at the same time that I eat on my workout days (around 8am). It's going to be tough, but I'm putting a sticky note by the coffee cups to remind me ;)
So, eat your breakfast - get a great start to the day!
Other resources:
Healthy breakfast ideas: http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/recipe-collections-favorites/healthy-meals/breakfast-to-go-10000001047596/index.html
And another: http://www.cookinglight.com/food/quick-healthy/quick-breakfast-recipes-00412000070253/
Make-ahead frozen breakfast recipes: http://busycooks.about.com/od/breakfastmenus/a/Make-Ahead-Frozen-Breakfast-Recipes.htm
The book we're following: http://www.amazon.com/52-Small-Changes-Healthier-ebook/dp/B0056J4ER0/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1325722556&sr=1-1
Jenn's blog: http://thewoogies.blogspot.com/search/label/52%20Small%20Changes
