Breakfast: What Should You Do?

It’s 8 am on a Monday morning, and you’re getting ready to head to work. You know that you should probably eat breakfast before working out, but what should you have?

Do you need carbs, protein, or fat?

Is there a suitable time to eat breakfast if you want to lose weight?

Here’s everything you need to know about breakfast and fitness.

The Traditional Breakfast

A traditional breakfast of coffee, juice and other sugar-rich foods is quite common but often leaves people unsatiated and looking for food. Why? Because it’s poor in protein and fats, which are the most satiating nutrients.

A sensible breakfast should include these essential nutrients to help you feel fuller longer and have sustained energy throughout the morning. There are many great options that will give you the energy you need to power through your morning routine (and the rest of the day.)

Why Satisfaction Is Important?

There’s more to satisfaction than simply feeling “full.” In fact, satiety is an important part of maintaining a healthy weight and preventing overeating. When we feel satisfied, our bodies are better able to regulate our appetite.

Additionally, satisfaction helps us to feel more complete after eating so we’re less likely to snack or overeat later on. Simply put, satisfaction is crucial for keeping our weight and energy in check.

Let’s have a look at the most filling or satisfying foods.

Protein & Fat-Containing Foods

If you’re looking for something to really fill you up, you can’t go wrong with foods that are high in protein and fat. These nutrients tend to be the most satiating, meaning they’ll keep you feeling fuller for longer.

These nutrients’ satisfying effects mainly manifest hormonally, as the amino acids (building blocks of protein) stimulate the release of hormones that activate satiety centers in the brain.

Here are the best protein & fat-rich foods to include in your breakfast:

  1. Eggs
  2. Dairy
  3. Avocados
  4. Meat

Fiber-Rich Foods

If you’re like most people, you probably think of satiation as something that happens when your stomach is full.

However, there’s more to it than that. Satisfaction is the process by which your body signals to your brain that it has had enough food. It turns out that fiber-rich foods are particularly good at promoting satiation.

This is because fiber slows down the rate at which food is digested, resulting in a gradual release of energy and a feeling of fullness that lasts longer.

Besides the protein & fat-rich foods, make sure to include plenty of fruits and vegetables in your nutrition plan, and especially for breakfast!

Here’s an interesting side note: The potato is the most satisfying food!

Final Thoughts

So, what should you include in your breakfast? The answer is simple – anything that will help you stay full until lunch.

Eggs, protein pancakes, oatmeal with nuts and seeds, yogurt with fruit and granola . . . the possibilities are endless. If you’re really struggling to come up with something new, there are plenty of recipes online to give you some ideas.  The G5 Wellness Membership site adds recipes every week for you to use. Find more by clicking here.

Just be sure to avoid processed foods and sugary cereals. They may provide a quick burst of energy, but it won’t last long, and you’ll soon find yourself crashing again.

Breakfast is an important meal, so take the time to make something that will keep you going all morning long!

To your success,

Chris

 

How to Have an Excellent Day

How to Have an Excellent Day

All of us want to have an excellent day every day. However, having an excellent day every day is not always possible. There are many factors we do not control, but we control our responses to them.

What that means for you and I is we need to be ready to approach each day with a clear mind. Having a clear mind enables you to deal with a variety of situations.

Below are four steps you can take to have an excellent day.

Wake Up 15 Minutes Earlier Than Normal – The start of your day sets the tone for the whole day. Begin your day by waking up 15 minutes earlier than normal. When you wake up earlier, you do not feel as rushed as a normal day. Typically, 15 minutes will not leave you as groggy as you may think.

As a bonus to getting up early, take a few minutes and write five positive things you will accomplish during the day. Setting your goals, in a positive manner, will help you create a vision of how you will accomplish your day.

No Social Media Before Noon – One of the best things you can do is to set the tone for your day at the beginning of the day. To set the tone, you need to begin with a clear mind. One of teh best ways to start with a clear mind and to continue to have a clear mind is to stay off social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, etc.) until noon.

Doing this allows to you get your day moving without the drama that exists on social media. If your social media is anything like mine, it can be filled with political posts, random negative news and typical people drama. Do not start your day by turning on social media. Instead, start working before you turn on social media.

Do not let social media create your day; you create your day.

Eat Well Throughout the Day – Most people will fly through their day, especially the morning by eating food that does not give them the proper nutrients. One reason this happens is because of the small time constraints give themselves. Using #1 by waking up 15 minutes early will give you extra time to eat well.

Remember to give your body the nourishment it needs; not necessarily the quick and easy snack. A simple way to do this is to plan your day. I am not a “meal prep” type person, but I plan what I will eat and drink throughout the day. Give yourself some time to plan your meals and drinks throughout the day.

Also, drink water throughout the day. Put away the sugary drinks and concentrate on drinking half your body weight in ounces of water. For example, a 200 lbs person should drink about 100 ounces of water a day. By the way, coffee, carbonated drinks and sports drinks do not count as water.

Eat to live; not live to eat.

Sleep Well – Your body needs to rest. When you sleep, you give your body time to recover from all the activities during the day and prepare for the next day.

We all know the value of sleep, but the question is, “Are you getting enough sleep?”

Sleep well to be ready for another excellent day.

What other steps would you add to the list?

Just some thoughts,

Your Friends at G5 Wellness.