Breakfast is a must for the everyone to start their morning with fuel for daily activities. The temptation to skip breakfast is hard to resist, but don’t risk it. As we sleep our bodies are still burning calories and repairing tissues such as muscles that have been broken down during workouts or events. When we wake up, we have a list of things that must be done before we leave our locations so we must add a little time to get in those much needed calories. Studies have shown that an increased number of people have started skipping breakfast. Moreover, there is plenty of evidence via research that supports eating breakfast to boost academic performance, athletic performance, job performance, improved test scores, cognition, behavior, and productivity (NSCA Performance Training Journal, Volume 12, Issue 4, Aug/Sept 2013, Wein, Debra and Calcutt, Abby) .

Examples of breakfast foods are oatmeal and whole grain cereals that provide nutrients including calcium and protein. The protein in breakfast also assists in maintenance of muscle tissue and anabolism, which is a phase of metabolism in which simple substances are synthesized into the complex materials of living tissue (thefreedictionary.com). The simple and complex carbohydrate combination such as fruit and whole grain cereal increase the sugar that travels in the blood to provide instant energy to cells and the brain, otherwise known as glucose. This glucose is a readily available source of energy. In addition, the intake of carbohydrates metabolically is used to replenish glycogen supply that is synthesized in the liver, stored in the liver, and stored in the muscles.

So the message of the day, is to make sure you are fueling your body correctly and building the proper habits for breakfast consumption. A few examples of a balanced breakfast are oatmeal with non-fat milk, a banana, and nuts or egg whites, whole grain toast with fruit. Skipping breakfast will definitely not enhance your success because you are missing out on the vital nutrients that your body needs to perform. We take time to gas up our vehicles and expect them to run at peak performance so why not fuel our bodies with the best fuel to get the most out of it.