The most important meal of the day

The other day I was talking to a group of Division 1 swimmers.  The coaches wanted me to talk about a single nutrition strategy that could really help her athletes perform at their peak.  The topic was up to me.

Thinking I would talk about supplements or maybe recovery nutrition, she was surprised when my entire talk was about how breakfast can make or break your day, and therefore your performance.

I was in front of roughly 75 athletes.

I first asked how many of them ate breakfast that morning.  4 athletes raised their hands.  I then asked what time their first meal was and most said around noon, for lunch.

This was after a grueling 2+ hour morning swim workout (6-8 AM).  Most of them had morning classes.  And they had dry land practice in the early afternoon.

I explained to them that if you’re not eating breakfast, there is no way you will perform at your peak. 

Breakfast literally means “break the fast” – you’ve fasted, your muscles are hungry, your brain is hungry, but now you’re asking both to perform.

The immediate answer I heard from many athletes was that “I don’t have time.”

It doesn’t take time to get some quick nutrients in your body—here are 5 simple ideas:

·       a piece of fruit and string cheese

·        yogurt

·        peanut butter and banana

·       make a quick smoothie

·       handful of nuts and dried fruit

These 5 ideas take less than 2 minutes to “prepare” – but will feed your body right.  Fuel your body right to perform at your peak.

This coach soon understand why I picked breakfast as my topic of choice.  It’s like the foundation of a house – without it, the house will crumble.