Productive Mornings Are The Key To Success & Happiness (Part 2) - Importance of Breakfast

As previously mentioned in Part 1 the morning is one of the most, if not the most critical time of the day in having a successful, healthy and happy lifestyle. As I have listed off the many benefits of actually waking up in the morning now I will inform you on actually being able to function at this high level of efficiency in the morning and that is with the most important meal of the day - Breakfast! There are many out there who like to skip the morning meal and dive right into their day, but in reality you are setting yourself up for disaster. Not only are you likely to having an incredibly unproductive, unfocused day, but you are priming your body for weight gain. So if you are skipping breakfast in order to lose weight then I am sorry, but you are approaching it from completely the wrong direction. I have been an advocate for breakfast for as long as I can remember and have (mostly) won my wife around to the idea of breakfast. But enough of my rambling; here is a brief summary of importance and benefits of breakfast:

1. Lose Weight and Prevent Obesity: This a bit of a juxtaposition, but actually eating breakfast will help you to lose weight. According to a study by the American Journal of Epidemiology people who skip breakfast are 4.5 times more likely to become obese. So if you are trying to lose some weight do not skip your morning meal.
2. Reduce Risk of Heart Disease and Diabetes: The American Heart Association revealed that breakfast eaters are likely to have considerably lower blood sugar which in high levels would lead unhealthy and dangerous complications.
3. Energy Boost to Start the Day: The International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition promote breakfast as a way of feeling more energized and less tired throughout the day. Fruits, Eggs and Whole-grains are among the highest nutritionally packed breakfast super-foods and having them every morning will have long lasting effects in your life.
4. Give Your Metabolism a Boost: By having breakfast in the morning you are making your body more effective at burning food and turning it into energy. When you sleep you are actually fasting, so if you do not eat in the morning your body starts to store what it has, turns it into fat and slows down the breakdown of food in your system. By not eating breakfast you have successfully tricked your body into entering survival mode. So let your body run normally and eat breakfast. Here are some metabolism boosting breakfast ideas.
5. Improve Your Memory: According to the Journal of Adolescent Health eating breakfast has a positive effect on your short term memory and concentration. But make sure it is a nutritionally valuable breakfast as sitting down to a fattening morning meal like the traditional English breakfast (as delicious as it is) can actually have adverse effects on concentration and health. 

With these huge benefits I hope I have turned you all on to getting in that morning meal.  By just having a small meal in the morning you will be able to reap all the benefits that come with it - an easy thing to improve your quality of life.

EXTRA: To be able to get up early you need to have had an effective sleep in the first place. Here are the three nutrients you need to having a good night sleep.