Have you ever had that crazy obsession on 1 topic that you cannot think about something else?
Well, aside from my obsesssion for triathlon, I've been trying to understand why eating breakfast is so important. Here is what I understand from reading the net...
There's no right way to fuel before and after a morning workout, but the consenus is that you should never skip breakfast!
Breakfast is an important meal that allows your body to replenish its reserve of glycogen (energy storage) in your muscles that are depleted from last night's workout (glucose used to repair muscle damage, ect...trainingpeaks.com). Glycogen is also stored in your liver, which breaks it down into blood glucose, a vital source of energy supplied to your brain and other organs.
Add some morning workout to your routine before work and your reserve in glycogen lowers even more, hence the importance of replenishing those reserve with a solid breakfast. You'll do good to your body, speed up your recovery (muscles will have the fuel they need to recover), and improve the quality of your next workout.
Here is what I had this am before my swim workout. It's not a routine, but I find it helpful to have 2 breakfast to optimize my workout and recovery:
Before my swim
- A cup of coffee (admittedly heated it up from yesterday)
- A Chobani passion fruit yogurt
- A banana.
All that approx. 1 hr before my workout. I felt great throughout my workout and could have done more.
Breakfast Round 2 to help refuel and replenish some of the empty tanks with:
- 16oz. Of cream of wheat mixed with granola and fruits
- A large coffee
- A banana
- 10oz of OJ.
