Posted by kathryn in Breakfast

Francesca asked the following question:

I get up at about a little before 6am in the morning, and head directly out for a walk, run, or swim. I typically get home just before 7am, take a quick shower and head to work, I get to my desk by 7:30. Then I have cereal and yogurt for breakfast. But I’ve read a few articles that mention that breakfast needs to be eaten within half an hour after getting up, in order to get your metabolism up to speed. So does my late breakfast count as breakfast, or am I missing ‘the most important meal of the day’?

For most people, wanting to exercise regularly it’s a choice of either getting up and out early in the morning, or staying motivated to be active after work. This can create some difficult choices about when and what to eat.

Breakfast is important for many, many reasons. It fuels our bodies after the extended overnight period without any food. Studies have also shown people who eat breakfast are more emotionally even-keeled during the day, more alert, have better energy and improved concentration. Melanie has a great summary post about the importance of breakfast over at Dietriffic.

Francesca, I do think you’re leaving it a bit late to eat. I generally recommend people have something within one hour of getting up. You’re not only leaving it longer than that, but you’re also doing some intense activity in that time and ideally you need to re-fuel your energy reserves before then.

However, it’s not necessary to have a full breakfast before exercising and in fact I wouldn’t recommend it. Instead, why not try having a piece of fruit before you leave – a banana, apple or even the juice of one orange freshly squeezed would be fine. It will kick-start your metabolism, provide you with a small amount of energy, while not filling you up and causing problems while you exercise. In fact, you’ll probably find you have more stamina and energy for your workout with this small amount of food inside you.

The most important thing though, is to keep on exercising regularly – it’s one of the most important things you can do for your long-term health. Just add in a small snack before you start, to set you up for the day.

14 June, 2007