“Why would anyone ever eat anything other than breakfast food? Because, Leslie, they’re idiots.”
I have a confession to make. For the past two weeks, I’ve done something several times that I never do, that I never thought I’d do. Anyone who knows me will be shocked to hear me admit this…lately I, Lindsay Paulson, have been skipping breakfast.
It doesn’t have to be this fancy to be good
Gah!
Breakfast food is my favorite food. I often eat breakfast food for lunch or dinner. At my wedding reception, our dinner was – you guessed it – breakfast food. For real, I love breakfast food.
Additionally, I love to eat. I’ve often said that sleep is my time machine to get to my next meal, whether that’s a nap or a full night.
Combine these facts and it’s pretty clear that I’m not one to voluntarily skip a meal, let alone my favorite one of the day.
It all started two weeks ago when I was working early to get a couple things done before heading into the office. I worked out, got myself and Abel ready, then jumped right into work and got on a roll and, I can’t believe I’m saying this, forgot to eat.
I wish I could say that was an isolated incident but, sadly, it was not.
The next week, after my son so lovingly shared with me his stomach flu bug, I didn’t eat much of anything for a couple days. Combined with another morning or two of accidentally not eating it, and I’ve come to a conclusion: I really should eat breakfast.
When I eat breakfast, I’m my best even before lunch
As someone who’s proud of being able to maintain laser-sharp focus at work, I noticed I wasn’t as dialed-in as I normally am. As someone who keeps calm and collected, I noticed my moods were, shall we say, stronger than they normally are (um, #hangry anyone?). And, quite frankly, I got to the point of some fairly serious jitters and shakes by 11 a.m. each day. Basically, I wasn’t my best.
This doesn’t even factor in workouts. Eating breakfast is often imperative to fuel a good run or other workout. For a few ideas of what to eat before a long run, check out my previous blog on the topic.
On a related note, I’ve heard a lot about intermittent fasting and the benefits it can have, but I’d always been skeptical to try it because of fear of these (and other) reasons. I even had two of my smart fit pals, @JoeFitness and @thecoachhaines, weigh in on that topic, but that’s for another blog.
In a nutshell, this impromptu experiment reminded me why I’m a big supporter of eating breakfast. And, let’s not forget, it really is the best kind of food there is. Ron Swanson and Leslie Knope will never be wrong on that – so much that Leslie Knope can teach us all a thing or two about living well (opening quote credit for all you non-Parks and Rec fans).
Is breakfast something you need to function at your best or are you one of those people who never eats breakfast and it’s not a problem? Comment or tweet me @LindsayIRL.