Breakfast Time!

For those who know me personally, you know I am the antithesis of a morning person who just so happened to have the misfortune to grow up in a family of morning people. I remember being awakened by my aunt Virginia every morning, not clattering pots and pans in the kitchen, but BANGING them. With her radio blasting the local gospel station and her singing, I was eventually coerced out of bed whether I wanted to be or not. Her daughter carried on this tradition in our dorm room as she clomped around in our teeny room with heels (or something equally as loud!). As a supervisor for a unit for three years, my workers learned not to ask me anything important before 10:30am and we all got along better for it!

Despite my non-sunny dispostion, however, one of the habits I have tried diligently to maintain is that of eating breakfast every morning. My usual staple is oatmeal made with skim milk, blueberries, a squirt of honey and a generous dash of cinnamon. This is the kind of breakfast that sticks to my ribs! I have been known to throw a scrambled egg on top if I feel I need more protein. If I am running late, I usually grab half of a whole wheat bagel and glob some natural peanut butter on top. I chase this with a cup of skim milk with just a smidge of chocolate syrup (cause I have to have SOMETHING fun).

An informal poll among some of my friends revealed that breakfast is often given the short shrift, especially among busy parents. (They make sure the kids eat, but not themselves!) That's unfortunate because those busy parents need more energy than I do! Everyone hears all the time about how breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Unfortunately, many adults get their first calories from their morning cup of coffee or the sausage biscuit they picked up at the drive-through on the way in. Now, lest I sound preachy, I have certainly been known to a) skip breakfast and b) go through the drive-through myself. I always seem to regret this later, though not necessarily right away.

If you workout in the mornings, there are many differing opinions about whether you should eat before the workout or after. Though clearly, morning workouts will likely never be a part of my daily routine, my sense is that you should eat just a little bit (a banana) and drink a cup of coffee to get yourself going. (Hmmm.....I don't drink coffee. I wonder if that might be the connection between me and my aversion to sunrises...). After your workout, eating a more complete meal, particularly with protein and complex carbs should do the trick.

As I am primarily an evening workout junkie, something I realized was that if I did not eat breakfast in the morning, my workouts were horrible. I always seemed to feel less energetic and less "with it" than if I had eaten. Although conducted in a very unscientific way, it seems that eating a good solid meal about twelve hours before my evening workout seems to do more good for me than skipping breakfast, regardless of how well I eat the rest of the day. I still try to eat some type of protein and complex carb before the workout itself and I drink water all day long.

So, the bottom line is that breakfast should be the most important meal, but as it is so easy to prepare, it can also be the one meal that requires the least thought. Protein smoothies that you can drink on the way to work are a good idea. Greek yogurt with any type of dark berry is also easy. Although I love my oatmeal (for dozens of good ways to make oatmeal click here), my bagel or English muffin with peanut butter is a favorite and is totally easy.

Eating Clean

One of the battles I face daily is the struggle with weight. I got weighed at my new doctor's the other day and the number was, honestly, lower than I expected, but it is not where I need to be. Yes, I don't buy into the BMI charts...I would be considered obese. I know I am overweight, but I am NOT obese. Still, I am very aware that losing weight will be best for me and I think often about how much larger I would be if I weren't so into fitness. Ultimately, however, weight loss is often 80% (my own, unproven, largely guesswork figure) nutrition and 20% regular activity. Of course, my figures don't include genetics, and with my own suspected hobbit heritage, I am afraid I will never be model thin.

So, one of the recommendations my new doctor made (he specializes in holistic, alternative medicine) is that I eat a low carb, gluten free diet. He also gave me a list of supplements as long as my arm. My stated goal is not weight loss, per se, but getting to a point where I might not depend on certain medications. It's gratifying to have verified for me that clean eating is the way to go, as many of the recipes I've seen account for gluten free diets and the like. So, it seems that I need to begin planning to eat clean and, as I am a great planner, but not so great at the actual doing of the plan, hopefully, the real support of my medical professional will keep me at it. (I had mentioned clean eating to my previous doctor who still wrongly believed it was a tool for bodybuilders who ate only grilled chicken and salad...I mean, really...) I like too, that it's only loosely refer to as a "diet." Diets generally refer to unpleasant deprivation and imply that it is temporary. You go on a diet to lose weight and once that is accomplished, you go back to doing what you did before, yes? Eating clean is intended to be a lifestyle. So, why haven't I begun eating clean yet? What am I waiting for? Well, that is the question. Back to the whole planning thing. It would involve a whole level of organization that I aspire to, but have never quite been able to manage. As with anything, I will attempt babysteps into this new way of eating. Along with the management of the supplements I will be taking, I imagine I will be doing a lot of baby steps and planning. I have found a number of resources, including The Gracious Pantry , and The Joy of Clean Eating, as well as, Oxygen Magazine and Clean Eating Magazine.

On another note, I walked the 5K route for the Thanksgiving race that my cousin and I are doing. We scouted out the hills, so we can figure out when to run and when to walk. Another good reason to lose weight is that running will be much easier and I might actually get back to 10:00 minute miles. Yes, this means that I run MORE than a 10:00 minute mile now, which is almost like walking really. However, I win the fight every time I get out there and move my body, whether I walk or run, so that's all that counts!