There is the saying that “breakfast is the most important meal of the day.” There are so many people who claim that they just aren’t hungry in the morning. If you don’t eat breakfast on a consistent basis your body won’t be expecting it or necessarily even need breakfast, so you won’t feel hungry. The reason for this is a slowing of your metabolism. The more consistent throughout the day you eat, the faster your metabolism works to process all the food. With this in mind, I think it is very important to eat something in the morning, no matter how small. By doing this you will jump start your metabolism and start burning calories first thing in the morning. Metabolism is the key to achieving the toned body that most people desire. It’s important to do everything you can to stimulate your metabolism.

There are those people that say, “Well I have a slow metabolism” or “It’s just in my genes.” I think that that is a poor excuse to be lazy. Yes, it may be true that you have a genetic tendency to have a slower metabolism than others. But it doesn’t prevent you from achieving the body of your dreams. You can do a lot to stimulate your metabolism to work harder and faster. Giving up and making an excuse before even trying is a shame because you can change anything about your body if you are will to put forth some effort.

Nutrition plays the biggest part in achieving any fitness related goal. If you don’t consistently provide your body with the proper fuel your body won’t function as well as it could. If you don’t consume anything before lunch, depending on what time you ate dinner the night before, your body could be without energy from food for up to 18 hours or more. That can put a great deal of stress on your body, which your body will then adjust to. It will adjust by decreasing your metabolism, therefore decreasing your natural energy expenditure. If you don’t supply your body with consistent energy, it’s not going to want to burn energy consistently. Your body is the most efficient machine in the world. It does whatever it needs to in order to survive.

The easiest way to maintain and increase your metabolism and supply your body with a little energy is to have a little breakfast. I am not saying you need to eat eggs, toast, and a glass of juice. It is important to have something, no matter what. If at this point you truly aren’t a breakfast person, it’s OK to have a small yogurt. Not too filling, but enough to supply a little energy and get your metabolism started. For some though, the eggs, toast, and juice is the perfect breakfast. You have to listen to your body and do what you can to meet its needs. If you are hungry, eat until satisfied. If you aren’t, eat something small for nutritional purposes.

Now there is a big misconception as to what is a good breakfast. Wheaties is the “breakfast of champions”. Kix are “kid tested, mother approved.” Well unfortunately, in my opinion, they aren’t really worth eating. Our society has become so obsessed with consuming processed carbohydrates that it’s no wonder the overweight and obesity rates are so high. Our bodies don’t need all of the processed carbohydrates we eat. So, when deciding what to have for breakfast, for the most part, avoid the cereal aisle. Now there are a few cereals that are OK to eat with something else. Kashi, granola, oatmeal, or any other whole grain breakfast cereals are OK in moderation.

The key to breakfast, and any meal is to consume protein. How much protein you consume depends on your body type. Across the board people grossly under consume protein. Being the hardest nutrient for your body to digest, protein stimulates your metabolism the most. So, instead of a cereal in the morning, which has almost no protein, have some eggs or yogurt. I typically have two different breakfasts. The first one is a few scrambled eggs, toast with peanut butter, and a few cups of green tea. The other breakfast that I will eat is a couple of cups of yogurt with flax and Kashi mixed in. Both of these breakfasts supply a lot of protein and some carbohydrates.

What if you don’t like eggs or yogurt? Be creative. Maybe you just have toast with peanut butter in the morning. Maybe you have a piece of fruit with a handful of nuts. Maybe you have some smoked salmon and cheese on a whole wheat English muffin. There are millions of possible things you could eat for breakfast. The point is that it is extremely important to eat something, especially something with some protein. You will be amazed at one, how much hungrier you start to become, and two, how much better you look and feel. When you have breakfast consistently your metabolism will start to speed up, therefore providing the results I just mentioned.

Like I said, start small and add more as your appetite increases. Overtime you won’t be able to function without a good breakfast. I know I would probably pass out from malnourishment if I didn’t eat breakfast in the morning. Hopefully this little addition to your day will make you feel better and help you achieve the physique you always wanted. Good luck and always strive to do something more. You would be amazed at what you are capable of.

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