Win Your Morning Key #3: Fuel is the Foundation
KEY POINTS:
1. The third key to mastering your morning is to give your body the fuel it needs to get going.
2. Be deliberate about what you eat in the morning. Avoid sugar or simple carbohydrates and choose foods high in protein, fibre, and healthy fats and carbohydrates.
“The doctor of the future will give no medicine, but will interest his patient in the care of the human frame, in diet and in the cause and prevention of disease.”
Key 3: Fuel is the Foundation
We know nutrition is the foundation for elite mental and physical performance. If you’re eating properly, your risk of cancer, heart disease, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, depression, and anxiety decrease dramatically.
Every food and drink choice you make impacts your health. A simple way to start treating your body better is by removing sugars. Every morning, I see lines out the door of my local coffee shop, where people start their days by loading up on scones, pastries, cakes, cookies, and of course, caffeine. Filling your body with so much sugar might give you a temporary jolt, but enjoy it while it lasts. By the time mid-morning rolls around, that burst of energy will be long gone and instead replaced with a feeling of lethargy and dissatisfaction.
Also, pay attention to when you eat. Creating a routine helps you avoid eating randomly, which often means snacking or grazing on things you don’t really want or need. Don’t forage; plan your meals. Know what you will eat and when to stay deliberate in all your nutrition choices.
Our bodies need fuel first thing in the morning, and using this as an opportunity to choose something healthy is a great way to start the day with intention. According to Precision Nutrition, an industry leader in nutrition education, consistently eating a nutritious breakfast can not only improve your learning, retention, and mood, but it can actually help you make better food choices later in the day! We need to make sure that we’re eating a breakfast that will leave us feeling ready to tackle the day ahead. Stick to foods high in protein and fibre, and full of healthy fats and complex carbohydrates. Here’s a few examples of healthy breakfasts for you to try out:
Egg Muffins - Crack an egg and mix it with a fork. Pour into a muffin tin lined with coconut oil. Add a good pinch each of finely chopped spinach and tomato and feta cheese. Add salt and pepper to taste and bake it at 350F for 20 minutes. Multiply the recipe by 12 for a full tray of muffins. Take 2 or 3 muffins with you on your way out the door.
Breakfast Bento Box: - add the following to a to-go food container: 2 slices of smoked Pacific salmon, 3 olives, 1/2 avocado, a hard boiled egg and 2 boiled new potatoes. This is an ideal meal prepping breakfast, as you can organize everything for the week ahead of time.
And if you’re tight on time, try a Berry Blast Smoothie - Add the following ingredients to a blender: 1/4 cup each frozen black cherries and blueberries, 1 scoop vanilla vegan protein powder, 1 Tbsp ground flax seeds, 1 tsp spirulina powder and 1.5 cups coconut milk. Blend until uniform and sip it on the way to work!
It is also important to remember to hydrate. Throughout the night, our bodies lose water simply through breathing. We need to replenish that supply early in the day. One easy adjustment to your morning routine that can result in big changes is this: place a big glass of water beside your bed each night, and do not get out of bed in the morning until you have finished that glass! Your brain will thank you.
Beginning the day with a heavy meal laden with unhealthy fats and unnecessary calories only weighs us down, literally and figuratively. Don’t let your first choice of the day derail you. Give yourself the energy you need to attack the day.
Bonus Material
Check out our Nutrition for Mental Performance document here!
Click here to watch Greg and Bruce dive deeper into the importance of nutrition for high performance.
The information and advice provided in this program is intended to assist you with improving your performance, as well as your general health. It is not intended and should not be used in place of advice from your own physician or for treatment or diagnosis of any specific health issue. By participating in this program you acknowledge that undertaking any new health, diet and/or exercise regime involves certain inherent risks, that you assume such risks, and that you release Wells Performance Inc. from any responsibility or claim relating to such participation.