That's Fit

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, right? Most people will agree, but there are two side to every story. Diet Blog recently discussed the other side to the breakfast debate, based on the fact that most research on the importance of breakfast is funded by companies with a vested interest in your early AM food consumption -- namely companies who sell things like cereal, orange juice, frozen waffles and so on. They give a number of reasons why breakfast might not be as essential as we think -- you can check them out there.

I'm a staunch breakfast eater, if for no other reason then I am really freaking hungry when I wake up. I don't eat a lot -- a protein smoothie or a bowl of cereal will do -- but I have to have something or I won't be able to concentrate on anything for the first few hours of the day because I won't be able to hear anything above the growling of my stomach.

What about you? Is breakfast essential to your morning? Do you think we're being misled on the breakfast front?

How many times have you overslept and started the day out in a rush (an even bigger one than usual) and the day just never seemed to recover? Or gotten out of the shower and your hair just wouldn't cooperate, leaving you starting out with a bad hair day and all the curses that go along with it for hours to come? It seems to be a fundamental truth that the way the day starts out sets the tone for how the rest of the day is going to go -- nobody is immune. Not even morning people!

So start your day out right and the rest of your day should go much better -- it's like a law of physics. To that end, try these tips from Active.com for a better morning and a better day.

One thing I seem to keep hearing consistently on how to be successful with a fitness/exercise regimen is to get it out of the way first thing every morning. Which means early, before work. Ugh.

I love my sleep, so getting up before I absolutely have to is generally out of the question. But therein lies the rub: why can't I wrap my head around the fact that I absolutely have to workout ?

I'm going to try these tricks from over at eDiets from a reformed "snoozer" like me. He lists tips like setting the clock 9 minutes ahead, preparing everything (clothes, lunch, etc) the night before, and setting the alarm to go off 15 minutes earlier (to allow for a couple snooze sessions) which are all pretty standard. But his last one of setting up an espresso machine on the nightstand (so all you have to do is hit the power and the aroma helps you wake up by the next snooze) is pretty ingenious. I think I'm gonna give it a shot -- it'll be like living in a Folger's commercial!

Every morning, I take the bus with Sarah. Most mornings, Sarah complains about how starved she is, and I can't help but express my dismay at her failure to eat breakfast before she leaves the house. Doesn't she know it's the most important meal of the day? In Sarah's defense, she usually grabs something to eat at work, but there are lots other who don't. I'm pretty amazed, but not in a good way. I couldn't imagine not eating breakfast.

In case you didn't hear us the first thousand times we've said it, breakfast really is the most important meal of the day. If you're avoiding it to lose weight, you're doing yourself more harm than good. If you're avoiding it because you're lazy or two busy or you're just not hungry that early in the morning, get over it. You're health is worth more than any excuse you can come up with.

What did you have for breakfast this morning?

Although we all have our own unique biorhythms, studies have shown that there are more benefits to being an early bird versus being a night owl. Of course if you're happy as is, then don't change! But if not, you may find that getting up early can have so many great benefits, you might want to consider setting your alarm a little earlier from now on. Things like seeing the sunrise, having time to exercise, and generally doing things without rushing can really help to reduce stress levels. What better way to start the day than relaxed and happy?

I'm a night owl at heart, so I hear ya that it's 'just so hard' to get up early! If you need help (I do!), read over these ideas for ways to help make the switch successfully.


Via LifeHacker

Few things are more difficult, in my opinion, than making yourself eat breakfast when you just don't feel like it. Our brains are wired against eating when we're not hungry, and when you're rushing off to work in the morning it's easy to think you're doing yourself a favor and saving calories by skipping that first meal. Many people aren't hungry when they first get up, feeling anywhere from downright nauseous when they think of eating to simply not hungry or like they need a few hours to let their stomachs "wake up." Combine that with a rushed morning schedule, where there's so much to do and so little time, and it's easy to see how breakfast takes a back seat.

Sadly, this tendency not to eat in the AM doesn't help your weight loss and health efforts at all, and may even be preventing you from being your best on the job. And although many of us know this it's just so hard to make yourself eat something when you really don't feel like it. So, instead of preaching the benefits of eating breakfast yet again, this article gives us more useful information -- tricks and ideas on how to actually feel like eating breakfast in the morning: