Do you even remember the last time you ate your breakfast at home during the workweek versus at your work desk? If the answer is no, this article is precisely what you need to make your breakfast regimen a little healthier and a lot more efficient.
The Winter Blues
If you work in an office setting, chances are you’re a little too familiar with the rushing-out-the-door morning routine. This routine gets even trickier in the winter when you’re supposed to start accounting for the time it will take to defrost your car. I know from personal experience that failure to plan for this frigid AM ritual will cost you, and the last thing you want to do is speed on icy roads to compensate for the time you spent scraping windows.
The odds are also good that if you’re the type of person to neglect your personal safety on the roads, you’re also going to put your personal nutrition on the backburner for the sake of making it to work “on time.”
How to Nix the Morning Rush
I’m going to throw out all the obvious things we’re all trying to do better at, because they warrant repetition:
- Go to bed at a decent time.
Save your late nights for the weekend. That’s what they’re for! - Get out of bed when your alarm goes off, not 30 minutes after.
This is especially difficult when weeks and weeks of dedicated training have conditioned your body to hit snooze while you’re still asleep. - Prep your meals beforehand.
Make use of your Tupperware. Make it as easy as possible to just swipe it out of the fridge on the way out the door.
Do NOT Skip Breakfasts
Do you know what’s healthier than nothing for breakfast? Anything! Skipping breakfast throws your body into starvation mode. Our bodies are consuming energy throughout our sleep, draining our reserves in anticipation of replenishment when we wake. By the morning, our bodies have run out of glycogen (assuming we’ve fed it the night before).
It’s a common misconception that the body, when in a pinch like this, will turn to burning fat for energy, but that’s not the case. “Starvation mode” triggers the body to preserve fat. Why? Because we’re signaling to it that food is scarce and desperate times are ahead.
Feeding your body regularly sends it the signal that it’s okay to shed the unnecessary layers of fat stored over your awesome muscles, which absolutely deserve to be seen.
3 Easily Prepped Breakfasts
Alright. I’m going to share my favorite healthy breakfast ideas. What’s great about these ideas is that you can cycle through them as your supplies last and use the weekends to replenish supplies for the next week’s breakfasts. Keep switching it up to keep things interesting.
- Hard-boiled eggs.
This is so easy, especially for those of us who don’t require much to curb our appetites in the mornings but are trying to be healthier. Boil a bunch and grab a couple each morning on your way out the door to peel and eat at your desk. - Yogurt, granola, and frozen fruit.
Get the granola from a whole foods store and a bulk package of all-natural plain or vanilla yogurt. Keep frozen fruit in your work fridge, the granola at your desk, and mix it at your desk for a healthy morning meal. - Oatmeal.
Does your office have a water cooler with a dispenser for heated water? Make use of it. Keep packets of all-natural oatmeal at your desk to nip your hunger pangs in the bud.