Breakfast, The Meal of Champions

“I don’t get hungry in the morning.”

“I can't eat until lunch.”

“It’s hard for me to burn calories; I guess I was just born with a low metabolism.”

Not necessarily.

Remember that metabolism is the rate at which your body burns calories. In the morning, your metabolism, like the rest of your body, just needs some time to wake up before it gets going. If you eat breakfast, you can jump start your metabolism.

Your metabolism not only increases during and after exercise, but also after eating. It goes without saying that if you exercise in the morning and eat a well rounded breakfast you will burn more calories throughout the day.

Furthermore, making a commitment to eating a healthy breakfast can also support healthy eating habits throughout the day. A study of the eating habits of over 12,000 women published in the November 2008 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition concluded that “eating a healthy breakfast helps maintain a healthy weight.” The study found that lower energy density, high nutrient foods and beverages (such as whole grain oatmeal and 100% orange juice) tend to re-enforce healthier eating habits across the board. These facts suggest that eating this type of breakfast can offer an advantage when it comes time to manage your body weight.

That’s not all… don’t think you have to ditch the joe! Research has shown that caffeine can improve endurance by up to 50 percent, as well as increase power, without making it feel like you’re putting in more effort.

“When you’re exercising for a while, your body sends signals to the brain that make you feel tired. Caffeine appears to bind to the neurotransmitters in the brain that receives those signals, so you don’t sense as much fatigue.” -Lawrence Spriet, Ph. D., professor of exercise physiology at the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada.

So long as you keep it all in moderation, your coffee, oatmeal, and an early morning commitment to fitness can help you to brew a cup of your own good health.