Hey guys, I hope you are having a great week!
The last few days have really given us a taste of the start of summer in Tauranga and people will be thinking about getting improving their physique. There is no better feeling than putting in all the hard work and reaping the rewards when you feel confident walking down the beach with your hard earned beach body. In my personal opinion staying in shape should not just be limited as a seasonal trend as I really do promote healthy lifestyle all year round.
We will be taking baby steps in what I post as slow change is far more sustainable than turning your lifestyle upside on its head. The first baby step we will cover is the first thing we do (or if you don’t, then you should do) which is our first meal of the day!
Why is breakfast so important?
- Breakfast will have a large influence to how our body will operate for the rest of the day
- Breakfast will have a great influence or your hormone levels, neurotransmitters, blood sugar levels and much more.
- In a nutshell it will impact how much energy you have through the day
What things do you avoid any why?
Processed carbs or high sugar foods which include breakfast cereals, any kind of sugary spread eg jam, honey or nutella and excess levels of fruit. It’s pretty common knowledge now that processed sugar is extremely bad for our health yet with the vast number of baseline assessments I’ve covered, the biggest culprit is breakfast cereal. Here are the main reasons why high sugar and processed carbs aren’t a good choice:
- It is low in vitamins and essential nutrients (fruit being the exception)
- It spikes your blood sugar and insulin levels which will give you a crash and lower your energy levels for the day
- It will inhibit your body’s ability to burn body fat and perform
- As a result in low blood sugar it will leave you hungry and unsatisfied and most likely sleepy
What are some ideas for a healthy breakfast and why?
Everyone reacts differently to different foods, but over my years as a PT I have found some very common trends. For general population, I usually recommend food that is unprocessed and I push towards more protein and fat. The reasons for that:
- Protein and fat will elevate your blood sugar slower and keep it more stable
- You will have more energy because you don’t have low blood sugar because the insulin response is considerably less
- They are harder to digest which means your body will burn more calories breaking down the food
- Unprocessed foods (as well as carbs) contain far more vitamins and nutrients
- Your body will be able to utilize body fat more effectively
So here are a few food suggestions that I recommend:
- Eggs cooked anyway with some greens eg spinach or kale (assuming you aren’t allergic to eggs)
- Any kind of good quality meat with some greens, veges or avocado
- Avocado and tomato on wholegrain toast
- Good quality (no added sugar) peanut butter on wholegrain toast
- Rolled oats or homemade muesli with whole grains, some blueberries and nuts such as almond or walnuts
- If you are struggling for time, even just a small handful of nuts eg cashews, almonds etc
As a side note I know that fruit smoothie breakfasts are quite a hot thing at the moment and as an alternative to cereals it is far better and it is a great way to get plenty of nutrients especially if you are putting greens in there, but if you are using heaps of fruit you have to remember that it contains a substantial amount of sugar even if it is in a natural form. Another thing to consider too is that blending it also makes it easier to digest, so means our body will have to expend less energy to process it. As I said, it is better than cereals, jam etc, but it is still something to consider when it comes to optimal health and weight loss relating to breakfast. I recommend having smoothies post train when you have depleted your energy levels and you body can utilize the carbs more effectively to restore muscle glycogen than storing as fat. For some delicious smoothie recipes, click here or alternatively pop in and try one of Carly’s delicious smoothies from our Goodthings Cafe after you have been in for a workout. Luckily enough for Aspire Health and Fitness members it is really handy as it is right next to reception on the way out!
Apart from all the points mentioned, breakfast is such an important meal also because it will help raise your metabolism. If you don’t eat anything in the morning then your body will have a tendency to conserve energy rather than burning it, which for people trying to lose weight is not ideal. Another thing I strongly recommend is when you get up to drink lots of water as soon as you get up. I personally drink about 1.5L of water (taking into account I weight 88kg). The reason for this is while you sleep you lose water through sweat and through breathing and you wake up dehydrated. I will cover dehydration another time, but for optimal health and function, hydration is key and there have been multiple studies showing that weight loss is far more effective when you are hydrated.
Thanks for taking the time to read and I will see you on here again soon.
Cheers!
- Planning for success at Club Aspire Health and Sports - December 1, 2015
- My top 5 supplement choices - October 19, 2015
- Ideas for a healthy breakfast - October 9, 2015
- Personal training in Tauranga - October 3, 2015
