What I Eat & Drink in the AM for Increased Energy and Metabolism
If you’ve been following me long enough then you know the bad news...1 size rarely fits all except snuggies… remember those!? My intention for this blog post is to give you a birds-eye view of some things to incorporate into your morning that DOES WORK for everyone and is backed by evidence that gives you some info on my journey with Intermittent Fasting at the end.
The name of the game for metabolism is a calm and grounded state of being. I’m sure you’ve heard about Cortisol, the stress hormone (I call it the c-word for obvious reasons.) In a nutshell, when you’re stressed you are more likely to have food cravings, overeat, emotionally eat, and then you get stuck with a sluggish metabolism on top of it; cue the lady from the movie Princess Bride saying “BOOOOOOO.”
The good news is that these next suggestions are proven by countless studies to boost metabolism and they’re so obvious and easy that we often forget about them.
Breath exercises
Breath Exercises have been shown to decrease stress levels that contribute to emotional eating, food cravings, and overeating. These are things I have struggled with a lot in my adult life and learning to slow down and breathe has been so helpful!
This doesn’t need to take a lot of time and can be done anywhere! Sometimes I will do them in bed if I wake up earlier than planned, other times I find a cozy place to close my eyes, and my favorite (if it’s warm enough) I will sit outside and really soak in the freshness of the day. There are SO many different types and styles but what I have been enjoying lately is the 4-2-6 method. Inhale for 4 seconds, retain (hold) for 2 seconds and exhale for 6 until you’re completely empty. It takes about 2 minutes to do 10 rounds. You can set a timer or just use your fingers to count, voila!
The amazing thing is that my daughter enjoys doing them with me so there is never an excuse to skip it, even if it is only a short period of time.
Warm water
Warm Water is something my grandma has been doing since the ice age and it is one of those age-old traditions that stand the test of time in many different cultures. I prefer lukewarm and if I’m feeling fancy (which I’m usually not) I will add things like lime or lemon and sometimes some sliced ginger. I could go onnnnnnn about this but you already know that being hydrated is the best thing for your skin, joints, digestive system, cognitive function, etc. But drinking it first thing in the morning creates a standard to invite you to continue to hydrate for the rest of the day. This helps to speed up metabolism via increased lipolysis (the breakdown of fats and other lipids by hydrolysis to release fatty acids). I found this study helpful in understanding the benefits of hydration.
Plan your meals.
I am at my BEST when I incorporate the 5 Ps. “Prior Preparation Prevents Poor Performance.” This goes for meals, workdays, etc. If you know you’re going to eat out then make a commitment to what you’ll say yes to and what you’ll say not to. Only you know the right answer to that but if you know your body won’t feel good if you eat the bread and garlic dip; commit early to follow through!
Check the boxes!
Copy and paste the following bullet points and either write them on a whiteboard or notes on your phone. Why? When we physically check off a box our brain releases dopamine. Motivation is necessary and irreplaceable and by starting your day with a fresh dose of dope you are more likely to follow through with decisions that you know will keep your metabolic fire burnin’ exactly like it was born to do!
Breath Exercise
H20
Meal Plan
Check those boxes!
When to eat?
The burning question we all have…. To eat or skip breakfast. I.e., is intermittent fasting healthy and will it help me lose weight?
Here is your answer; hold up your palm close to your face and take a moment to soak in the uniqueness of your fingerprint. Crazy beautiful right!? It is your special signature that no one else has and you likely haven’t tried to change it or compare to others in a way that feels anything less than ‘interesting.’
I have always been amazed by this phenomenon and what I love so much about it is that because we all know that our fingerprints are different and our society hasn’t told us that some fingerprints are “better” than others we just accept them and when we remember to check them out there is nothing but awe for how cool it is.
Guess what, friend; Your body is equally unique and incredible and different, how fuckin’ rad is that!!?
Ok so back to the question; yes intermittent fasting has been proven to help many people lose weight and increase their energy. Should you do it? It all boils down to blood sugar. I’m not a doctor, but I don’t think you should EVER feel like you're starving yourself nor should it make you feel weak, tired, lightheaded, shaky anxious, etc. These are all signs of low blood sugar and the polar opposite of what we are going for. Remember our motto “life is about feeeeeeling amazing”
I used to wake up in the morning and couldn’t get to the kitchen fast enough and these days I typically don't eat until 12. My husband tried intermittent fasting about a year ago and initially felt HANGRY and physically weak at first but he gave it a good go for a few days and now he feels better sans brekkie, unless of course it’s Sunday and we typically go ALL OUT for family breakfast.
I subscribe to the fact that we are our BEST teachers and that there is an “inner knowing” to what we need and some days are different than others. Most of us have a disconnection to our body's needs and the solution to reconnect is Yoga, Meditation and Mindfulness (remember that breath exercise we covered earlier?)
So to answer the question about whether or not I personally follow Intermittent Fasting;
I “kinda” do it most days. At our house, we typically eat clean and lean for dinner and if I force myself to wait til 12pm the next day for a legit fast 16 hours after my last meal, I get the shakes and my resting heart rate gets too high.
My solution is to either eat a handful of nuts right before bed or add some fat into my coffee in the am. The Bulletproof coffee method has zero carbs and is what is considered a ‘fat fast’ while only incorporating fat for fuel. I like the bulletproof method but I’m am often rushing around after all my morning routines to bust the blender out. Most days I add ½ cup of FULL FAT oat milk. Oat-ly is my favorite because it’s like drinking velvet and feels so indulgent.
To break it down; my fasting window is 8pm-12pm the following day but I never let the “rules” get in the way and a little fat from nuts, MCT oil, or creamer between my official first meal. Your next step is to see what works for you and my meal plan has a Guide To Intermittent Fasting. I promise I will hold your hand while you sample some different concepts!
The burning question I get most often is EXACTLY what to eat. This 6-week meal plan is a starting point to give you structure and get to know your body and what foods give it the most fuel. The full playbook with a guide to intermittent fasting, full shopping lists, meal calendar, recipes, and personal development workbook is right HERE.