Hope everyone is starting their weeks off right. The sun is shining here and it’s supposed to reach near 50* again so that always makes the dread of Monday seem a little more bearable. My alarm went off faithfully at 4:40am which meant it was time to get out of bed and start the day. I being every morning with a moderate workout of 25 min on the elliptical and then 20 min of tae-bo (sometimes I may do another exercise dvd, but I really like doing ta-bo in the morning). I’ve been doing this particular regime for a few years now and I’ve gotten so conditioned to it that I can not imagine starting a day without it. You now how some people may wake up and hit the shower right away to wake up? Well, I’ve found what works best for me to begin the day is to get my body moving and my heart pumping. I love it! There has actually only be a day or two where I have overslept and missed my morning work-out time and I admit that I actually felt worse throughout the day. (More tired and slow paced) I don’t usually break too much of sweat this early in the morning, but it’s just enough to keep me energized and feeling good. ;)
After my daily am routine, I get showered and dressed and hit the kitchen to start on the most important meal of the day…breakfast. Okay, let me take a moment to emphasize my feeling on the importance of eating breakfast. Many people are so determined to live healthy and loose weight and are consumed with finding all the “answers” or right things to do in order to obtain this lifestyle. I am so amazed by the fact that people make this so incredibly difficult or something that is unattainable when in actuality, making healthy choices are simple!!! It’s doesn’t have to be a science or something so mind-boggling that makes us dread living each day, it should come naturally and happily.
Back to my point, eating breakfast is one of those simple choices that EVERYONE should incorporate into their daily practice. Our bodies are constantly using energy and burning calories (even when we are sleeping) and when we go for 8 hours without eating, our bodies need to re-fuel (duh!?!). Some people say, “I’m just not hungry in the morning.” But that is not the case, your body is hungry, your mind just not be completely awake yet and caught up with the needs of your body. When we eat breakfast, we are actually doing ourselves a favor because not only does it give us energy and provide stimulation for the day, but our bodies absorb these essential nutrients more effectively and thus in return, we are able to function better on a whole. So, case in point….EAT BREAKFAST. See, simple diet secret revealed that will change your life and it’s not at all complicated.
I try to eat a pretty sustainable breakfast considering 1. I work out before hand so my body is need of a little extra fuel and 2. I need it to hold me over for a few hours until I am able to eat a well-balanced lunch. I incorporate a good balance of carbs and protein. My bowl of cereal is comprised of ½ c of bran flakes and ½ c of some other high fiber cereal (my favorites are kashi, all bran, Fiber 1 Raisin or Honey clusters and Multi-grain cheerios). I use vanilla soy milk (don’t like the taste of regular milk) and always top my bowl with fresh berries (blueberries/strawberries or both) I also find that my body needs extra protein in the morning so I usually have a small amount of cottage cheese to get this in. The mixture of carbs and protein keeps me satisfied for hours and feeling energized.
(My bowl of energy every morning)
I have quite a full plate with work this week so I’m sure I will be more than ready for a 3 day weekend! (I love taking advantage of federal holidays!) I decided to come home for lunch today because I needed a break from the office. Sometimes I get so engulfed in the workday that I don’t fully get a chance to step away from my desk and eat a real lunch. When I do this too often, I get really grumpy and stressed and since I have such a close commute, I figure I should take advantage of this feature more often.
Lunch is leftovers from last night’s pizza dinner. I always seem to make an abundance of the vegetable sauce when I make these pizzas, but it’s actually quite nice to re-heat for leftovers. I’ll eat some fruit and probably a yogurt when I get back to work for more variety. Okay back to work to finish off this Monday and then it’s off to the gym for a quick run before dinner.
Have a great day!
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