Start the day off right with a healthy breakfast routine! Waking up early, getting ready and dressed for school or practice, and then heading out the door seems like an all too familiar routine for youth athletes day-in and day-out. However, if you don’t fit breakfast into that routine… you are surely missing out on one of the most important habits for your everyday performance.
Boys and girls, ladies and gentlemen do yourself the favor and eat breakfast. As a young athlete your body is going through many changes and many processes of growth and the nutrients from breakfast foods enables your body to grow effectively. If calories with quality nutrients are missing from the athletes diet, it is highly likely they’re missing out on their full potential for growth. Having breakfast in the morning ensures that the athlete meets their body’s needs and continues to recover from the demands of their body, school, practice or activity.
Start thinking of food as fuel for the body especially if you’re an athlete looking to perform more successfully on and off the field; food needs to be your ally in reaching your goals. Not just any foods though, nutrient rich and healthy choices that your body will happily accept and process throughout your digestive system. This means your morning processed sugar filled Poptarts won’t do the trick. Try something healthier like oatmeal with cinnamon and a glass of milk or maybe eggs and potatoes. The big point here is: Your Body, the Human Body accepts whole foods over processed foods more efficiently.
So what are some possible good choices for breakfast?
Choice One:
-1 Cup Oats
-1 Tsp Cinnamon
-1 Tbsp Peanut Butter
-1/2 Chopped Apple
-1 Cup Milk
Choice Two:
-3 Whole Eggs
-3 Whole Eggs Whites
-2 Cups Chopped Potatoes
-1/2 an Avocado
Starting the day of right with a hearty breakfast ensures you’re providing the necessary nutrients to fuel the body throughout the day and you’ll be more likely to make healthy food choices for lunch and dinner meals. The food you put in your body is the fuel it will use to either hinder or enhance your focus, hard work, and performance.
Youth athletes and even parents need proper guidance on nutrition and training to ensure successful development of athletic performance and achieving goals. Don’t wait to be successful at anything, start now! Start with breakfast, your performance depends on it.
Andy Schindling 