Tag Archive: breakfast

1. What should I eat for breakfast?

   25th May 2016 10:45 am 19 Comments

   “Fill me up with sugar and watch me crash”

   Parents and coaches often ask me “What should my child eat for breakfast?” 

   

   Diabetes starter packs

   Eating the a healthy breakfast will aid concentration and help overall health and performance. The recent study on Primary School children in Wales showed that eating breakfast was associated with better SATS scores.

   Unfortunately they asserted that breakfast cereals constituted a “healthy breakfast“. Read on and see why this is a big error...

   If you are anything like I was, you probably eat the same thing for breakfast 6 days out of 7, and it probably hasn’t changed for the last 5 years. It will most likely involve reaching for a bowl of breakfast cereal.

   It is important to eat properly before competing and before studying: breakfast is the best start.

   However, eating the wrong thing will lead to rapid increases in blood sugar, followed shortly by an insulin rush and onset of lethargy. This then leads to further cravings throughout the day.

   Looking at the Which! report on breakfast cereals, you may as well just eat handfuls of sugar.

   3 of the worst offenders for sugar content (or Diabetes starter packs)

   

   All apparently healthy, and 2 of the guys I was training last week (Jess and Kurtis) said they had these every day with the assumption they were healthy.

   Excelsior athletes can see some alternatives for a nutritional breakfast

   Otherwise you might like to look at this excellent guide from the NHS on 5 healthy breakfasts.  

   It is important to know that porridge and muesli were omitted from this report because they are outside of the best sellers. “Is porridge a good breakfast?” is something I get asked every time I do a workshop on healthy breakfasts.

   Whilst it is hot and has slow releasing energy, it is low on protein and vitamins. I would add nuts for protein and some fruit too. Wholewheat museli with no added sugar has a good balance. Avoid Alpen which is very high in added sugar.

   Making the change to a healthy breakfast

   4 years ago when I first read this report I made a determined effort to change what I ate.   Four mornings a week involved a mad rush of nappy changing, kids dressing, tidying up and general herding of cats- so it was unrealistic to get a cooked breakfast.

   But, I did manage to have Porridge or wholewheat muesli (with no added sugar) using nuts for protein.

   

   Omelette with peppers, onion, tomatoes, chives, parpika and parsley

   The other 3 days a week I had a bit more time and changed what I ate:  This included eggs, grilled bacon or peanut butter on toast.

   We  also deliberately changed the cereals we bought and the nutritional value of the bread to make toast. The whiter the bread, the more refined the flour, the quicker the release of the energy and the less nutritional value it has.

   • Switching to wholemeal toast instead of white toast will immediately improve your breakfast.
   • Adding some protein/ fat and reducing cereal/ bread content will make it healthier still.

   This will require some planning and alternative aisles visited in the supermarket- (a worthwhile investment on my part for me and family). I want to avoid a diabetes endemic in our house.

   Now I only eat wholemeal muesli or porridge 1-2 times a week, the rest of the time I include fresh fruit and protein. More recently I have started eating eggs 3-4 times each week. This reflects guidelines on returning to a more early twentieth century diet, low in sugar and refined carbohydrates.

   Thanks to Hayley Bond for her research.

2. How to Train Before Breakfast: The Great Gama

   6th February 2016 8:44 am 5 Comments

   I always like it when I meet a young athlete and they tell me they do a few press-ups and sit-ups in the morning before breakfast or at night. It shows me that in the words of Muhammad Ali “they have the will, I just train the skill“.

   One famous wrestler, the Great Gama, took this to a very high level.

   He got up at 0300 every day and did 4,000 deep knee bends (Hindu squats to Excelsior regulars) of which 700 of them were jumping squats.

   In the afternoon he did 2,000 one arm and two arm press-ups, followed by a 4-mile run, then 3 or 4 hours of wrestling.

   It is funny how young males want to do “cleans“ at the first opportunity, rather than develop a great foundation of conditioning first.

   Somehow just working hard is often forgotten.

   We don’t expect our athletes to be as fit as the Great Gama but we do expect them to be able to squat well. The squat matrix is a good place to start:

   How to train like the Great Gama

   My new schedule is less punishing than this, but it has helped cure my insomnia (thanks to Sleepyhead clinic).

   • 0515 Wake up. Drink black coffee, eat a banana, read/study.
   • 0600-0610 Rise and shine mobility work.

   • 0610-0700 Training session, usually weightlifting, otherwise structural integrity work + gymnastics.
   • 0700-0710 Ablutions
   • 0710 onwards: get family up, breakfast and school walk.

   This requires a sensible bedtime, and no indulging the night before, which is another good habit to get into.

   One young female athlete who is on a Netball “pathway” said to me “But if I train before breakfast, I will have to shower“! Those athletes who do get into a morning routine seem to want “it” more than those who are ferried around by their parents to every last organised practice.

   Try doing 10 minutes of exercise before breakfast every day this week, you will be on your way to being the next Great Gama!