A Bay Area Personal Trainer Writes… So, you’ve decided that you need to lose a few pounds, and the best way to lose weight is to decrease the amount of calories you consume, so you’re going to skip breakfast. After all, it’s only a few hours until lunchtime and you can get by with a cup of coffee, right?
A Bay Area personal trainer says…Wrong! Breakfast is arguably the most important meal of the day. Think about it – you’ve just gone without food for twelve hours. Your body needs to refuel several times a day in order to be in top shape, especially after not having any fuel over the longest period of a twenty-four hour day. Don’t forget the roots of the word breakfast; you’re literally breaking the fast of the last twelve hours. In this article, we’ll discuss why breakfast is so important and how you can improve your health simply by having breakfast every day.
Why do we need breakfast?
There are plenty of reasons that our bodies function better when we’ve eaten breakfast. First of all, breakfast restores our sugar levels after not eating for up to twelve hours. We need our sugar levels to rise in order to have energy to do the things we need to accomplish during the first part of the day. Thanks to this energy boost, we are better able to concentrate on the task at hand. But the best news about breakfast is that it benefits people that are trying to improve their health and even lose weight!
It sounds too good to be true, but the fact is that breakfast also raises the metabolism, which controls how efficiently your body burns calories. Plus, it’s very hard to get in all of the nutrients your body needs by only relying on two meals a day. Finally, people that eat breakfast are much less likely to be tempted by snacks in the middle of the morning…nothing makes a Bay Area personal trainer happier! Even the smallest snack that you can find in the vending machine at work is likely to be higher in fat and calories than what you could have consumed in a healthy breakfast, and not nearly as filling.
A balanced breakfast
Ideally, a balanced breakfast includes protein, grains, fruits or vegetables and dairy. This sounds like a tall order for someone that hasn’t been in the habit of eating breakfast, but it’s okay to start off slowly by adding one thing from each group in the beginning and build your way up to a balanced breakfast. A simple breakfast could include a hard boiled egg, a glass of orange juice, and a bowl of cereal with whole grains with milk.
No more excuses!
Those that haven’t been in the habit of eating breakfast may find it difficult in the beginning, but there simply aren’t any more acceptable excuses for skipping this important meal. You don’t have the time? Breakfast doesn’t have to be a formal occasion; there are plenty of breakfast foods that can be eaten on the run, like cereal bars, fruit, and there are even healthy alternatives offered at most fast food restaurants, such as bagels or English muffins. You don’t like traditional breakfast fare? That’s alright, too. You can get the same benefits by eating a veggie breakfast burrito, crackers and cottage cheese, a baked potato, and even a slice of cold vegetable pizza with a glass of milk is beneficial…not every Bay Area personal trainer will tell you that!
Even if you just don’t like eating in the morning, try breaking up your breakfast into two smaller meals. For example, you could eat a hard boiled egg and a glass of juice before you leave for work, and take a break at the office an hour later to eat an apple and a handful of pecans.
It is widely accepted today that children that eat breakfast do better in school, because they are better able to concentrate and are less likely to be tired by the middle of the morning. It looks like these clever kids could teach us a thing or two! If you are ready to take your health and fitness seriously, contact a Bay Area personal trainer to get started!
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