The Morning Workout Challenge: Breakfast
At some point, I swear I’ll stop going on and on about how I’m finally becoming a morning exerciser. I promise. But, today is not that day.
However! I’m not here today to brag. (Okay, maybe a tiny bit. I get up early three or four days a week! I’ve biked and run and swam countless miles before lots of people have even gotten up! I’m feeling rather smug!) Today, I’m here with a question: What do you all eat before a hard morning workout?
I’m not one to shun breakfast. I love it and, when I wake up without an alarm, I’m generally hungry and ready to eat within the hour. But when I wake up hours before my internal clock believes it’s morning, it’s a different story. I’m not hungry, and I don’t have the energy to put something really tasty together.
My go-to is a banana with some peanut butter. I tell myself I absolutely must eat half of it; if I do that and my stomach is really protesting, well, my dogs have a great start to their day. Usually, though, I can handle it.
Still, on days when I’ve got a really grueling workout planned, like a marathon swim session or a long brick that will have me going hard for a couple of hours, that banana doesn’t quite do the trick. Smoothies seem like a good idea, but I’m not sure I have the cognitive faculties to put the proper ingredients in the blender while the moon is still out. Maybe I should try making them the night before, but if I do, how do I make sure they keep the proper consistency?
So, back to the question at hand: What fuels your early morning workouts? Did you have to work on getting used to eating something so early? —Kristen
Comments
Some whole wheat crackers with peanut butter and a cup of milk is my go-to. This is the best i can eat early in the morning 🙂
If I actually have time to plan ahead, I make a big batch of a fruit and yogurt smoothie and keep it in the fridge all week. Just a little bit makes a great pre-morning workout snack! Otherwise, I’ll eat a babybel cheese or a slice of turkey, or a bite of whatever I have in my fridge at the time.
about half of a mashed frozen banana (i almost always have frozen banana chunks in a huge ziplock bag in my freezer) with some nut butter is all i eat if i am going to have a morning workout. it’s my “pre-breakfast.” post-workout it’s time for real breakfast – my usual yogurt and fruit or eggs and greens.
I usually have a banana and my Greens (8 servings of fruit and veggies plus probiotic) as soon as I get up in the morning. As soon as I’m done, I have a ProFit Shake with coconut milk:) Yummo!
I haven’t actually tried these yet but when I came across the recipe, I thought it sounded perfect for mornings when I don’t want to or have time to make breakfast: FitFoodieFinds Overnight Oats. http://www.fitfoodiefinds.com/2012/07/good-for-you-overnight-oats.html
Homemade Oatmeal PB Bars with milk !
I wake up at 5 am to workout and don’t eat anything beforehand. Anytime I’ve tried to have something small (1/2 banana, small shake or small slice of toast), I ALWAYS cramp up later in my workout because I haven’t had enough time to digest (I think my digestive system is slow to begin with, so even smaller amounts of “easy” digestible foods like to hang around in my stomach for a while).
So, even though I’m always reading how you NEED to fuel before your workouts, it just doesn’t work for me at all. My performance or endurance isn’t really affected (aside from performing better in a fasted state) and as long as I have some water, that’s all I need. Just depends on the person, I guess.
Forgot to mention that of course I re-fuel with a good breakfast post-workout, just nothing before.
I have talked to many of the gals at my health club about this. We are the early morning crowd. Many of the women especially the older women say they can not stomach food of any sort until they have been awake up to 2 hours. For myself I have half a banana. I can’t fit in any more than that without getting sick. Lately I have had problems with endurance and I have found I have no energy half way through my workout. I think I will add some peanut or almond butter to my banana and see if that helps.
If I’m in a hurry in the morning and need enough energy for a tough workout, I like a Lara bar. Yesterday, I went to two fitness classes in a row, so I had a quick snack beforehand and took along a waterbottle with some soymilk for a protein boost I could sip intermittently.
I’ve always had trouble trying to eat something after waking up. I just have no appetite at all and this is bothersome when working out, I lose energy after a short time. Some of these comments are helpful and will try them.
I freeze smoothie ingredients (half a banana, half a peach, a scoop of yoghurt, maybe some berries) in individual-size tupperwares – prepare a week or two’s worth one weekend, then just dump it all in a blender with some almond milk and maybe a bit of protein powder! It means you can have that smoothie in the morning without all the work 🙂
But then again, I’ve never had any problems eating in the morning, so if you can’t stomach a lot of food, it might be too much for you!
Are you talking about having breakfast before a morning workout, or after? I never eat before a morning workout, it makes me sluggish and slow (even other people noticed it). Working out on an empty stomach works great for me, then I have an appetite after my workout and shower.
I like protein pancakes and/or oatmeal.
We here this a lot and it’s extremely common for people to not eat before they workout. However we highly recommend eating at least a snack prior to your workout to ensure your muscles recover quickly and your workouts become more efficient overtime. Hope this helps!
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I have to be honest and say I usually do my early morning workouts on an empty stomach. I don’t feel hungry that early in the morning and have never felt my workouts have suffered from not eating. After my workout I usually enjoy a bowl of homemade oatmeal with a little cinnamon and some raisins.
Oatmeal! 1/2 the bowl before the workout and 1/2 after. Or a protein bar (1/2 and 1/2)
I love oatmeal with blueberries! Another great idea for a healthy breakfast is a whole wheat pita with peanut butter and strawberries it is delicious.
King Arthur Flour has a recipe for Spelt Muffins. Make a batch (24) store in freezer. Move 3-4 to the fridge to defrost (I do this Sunday nights) Morning, stagger to the toaster, pop in, let warm for 5-10 min while I assemble myself, my brain and drink some water. Consume. Top up my water and then hit the door.
I eat oat bran mixed with protein powder, stevia powder, cinnamon, vanilla, and either flax meal or chia seed. I make a large bowl of this and only eat about 1/4 to 1/2 before I work out. The rest gets eaten at my mid morning snack.
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