After a long night of good sleep, the body’s glycogen stores — particularly in the liver — are depleted and your tank is empty. In order to have a productive day of work and training, you need a full tank, and the only way to refill it is by eating a good breakfast. Unfortunately, time in the mornings is a luxury many of us don’t possess, so we have to find effective ways to get a good breakfast on the go.
Skipping breakfast deprives your body of energy, and you’ll be running on fumes until you finally eat something. Instead of thinking about how hungry you are all morning, grab some breakfast. This easier-said-than-done task will give you the energy you need to conquer the day.
Here are some strategies to get the biggest bang for your buck at breakfast!
Plan & Prep Ahead of Time
Without a doubt, the most important strategy for fueling properly is planning. This doesn’t mean you have to spend all Sunday prepping the week’s breakfasts, but it does require some work. Dedicate one chunk of time each week — or smaller but consistent chunks of time each night — to mapping out your fueling needs for the next couple of days.
Here are a few questions to ask yourself about each day.
- How much time will I have to grab or make breakfast?
- Am I training today? When?
- Do I have meetings or appointments that will keep me from eating?
- When will my next opportunity to eat be?
Together, the answers to these questions will help determine what your breakfast should look like. The first question tells you how quick and ready-to-eat your breakfast on the go needs to be. The second question determines the carbohydrate composition. If you’re training in the morning, you’ll want more simple carbs, some protein, and little fat. For afternoon or evening training, you’ll want to focus on complex carbs with healthy amounts of protein and fat.
The third and fourth questions speak to how satiating your breakfast needs to be. If you have a block of meetings and won’t eat again for several hours, your breakfast will need to keep you full until you can sneak a snack.
Be Specific & Deliberate
Whatever your day looks like, your breakfast should be specific to your schedule and your goals. A sugary muffin alone will likely cause a short-lived spike in energy that does more harm than good. However, building a robust, nutrient-dense breakfast takes way more time than most mornings allow.
So how can we build a breakfast on the go that’s both easy and effective?
Deliberately.
If you know you have to train early the next morning, get a bagel ready or make some overnight oats and put them in the fridge. If you have to take your child to school and then run directly to work, perhaps blend up a nutrient-dense shake the night before or bake some savory and protein-rich egg bites.
Additionally, be sure to keep snacks on hand. They’ll help maintain your energy levels and keep you full until the next time you eat a full meal.
Get Up Earlier
If grabbing breakfast on the go stresses you out, you have another option: get up earlier. Not much earlier, but an extra 10 to 15 minutes each morning gives you time to chill and eat your breakfast in peace. It also gives you more options for your morning fuel. While a quick breakfast needs to be extremely portable, an extra 10 to 15 minutes gives you time to make something that you can sit down and eat.
Train Your Gut
Some people physically can’t eat in the mornings, but this doesn’t diminish the body’s need for fuel. Breakfast on the\go is an excellent opportunity to train your gut and get better at eating in the mornings. All it takes is a gradual increase in the amount of food you eat, and your gastrointestinal tract will adapt. As this adaptation occurs, your body will become more efficient at fueling performance and fatigue will decrease.
That being said, current research suggests gut training about once per week. It also suggests only doing so on low-intensity training or work days to prevent any unnecessary GI distress.
Keep a Few Staples on Hand
Of course, not every morning goes according to plan. Whether you wake up late or have to deal with something unexpected, breakfast may seem like a necessary sacrifice. Fortunately, this is something we can prepare for by keeping a few staples on hand.
With a winning combination of balanced carbs, protein, and fat, ModBalls are an excellent option for breakfast on the go.=
Additional effective options include:
- Bananas, apples, or other fruit
- Pre-made oatmeal breakfast cookies
- Pre-baked egg bites
- Ready-to-drink nutritional shakes (like Orgain)
Things happen; life rarely goes according to plan all the time. When that happens, it’s important to have strategies in place to keep you energized and feeling good.
Upgrade Your Breakfast on the Go
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but it’s often the most difficult to do properly. It’s especially tough when you lack time in the mornings. However, with a bit of planning and deliberate action, anyone can take steps to improve their morning fuel.
Whatever your needs, ModBalls have your breakfast on the go covered. Visit us online to order some today!