Improving Performance by Maximizing Fueling Opportunities
Now, I don’t truly stand behind breakfast being the MOST important meal of the day, I’d argue all of them are important for athletes. Regularly intaking energy nutrients, aka FOOD, throughout the day is important for athletes.
However, here’s why achieving optimal performance as an athlete means eliminating excuses like: “I don’t have time”, “I’m not hungry in the morning”, and “I just don’t like breakfast foods”.
Breakfast is our first opportunity to break-the-fast.
Overnight our bodies are in a fasted state. We deplete some of our stored carb energy (glycogen aka our fuel tank) from our muscles and liver during this period.
So imagining our bodies as a car, you’re already starting the day with a partial tank of fuel. Training and game days are like road trips or a long commute, you’re going to burn through a lot of that fuel.
If you are skipping breakfast, you're likely underfueling as an athlete.
If you’re missing opportunities to fuel up, you’re going to run out.
With a car, this means trip over.
Our bodies are pretty resilient and can keep pushing even with a low tank…for a period of time. But this IS at a cost. It’s extra wear and tear on our bodies. This adds up, and eventually things breakdown.
If you continue to fail to meet your fueling demands, your body starts to break down tissues to support your energy needs.
This means muscle loss. This means an increased risk of injury. All of this means you’re moving backwards, not forwards as an athlete.
Want to get better?
Eat breakfast.
Every day.
Consistently.
If you don’t have time, try low prep options or overnight oats.
Try these recipes:
Not hungry in the morning? Try smoothies. You can train your body to adapt.
Don’t like breakfast foods? Cool, eat spaghetti & a side salad. There are no rules, have dinner for breakfast if you want.
Just eat breakfast.
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