Removing the breakfast struggle for student athletes...3 ways to make eating in the morning simpler.

“I know I should eat breakfast, but I just CAN’T!!!?

Of all the challenges that student athletes have shared with me about nutrition and fuelling, eating breakfast tops their lists.

Once student athletes come to understand how high their energy requirements are, they realize that in order to meet their caloric requirements, they probably need to eat breakfast in the morning.?

But there is a big BUT that exists for many of student athletes and despite KNOWING they require breakfast, they really struggle with the DOING.?

Now I tend to look at nutrition in sport differently and if you follow any of what I talk about, you probably already know that.

PS - If you don’t regularly follow, you can do that easily Diane Johnson

They tell me how hard they try.?

That they KNOW they need to eat breakfast.

But they literally feel SICK if they eat in the morning.?

And it impacts their entire day.?

Their subsequent comments typically carry a defeated tone.?

"So, I just don’t eat."?

"There must be something wrong with me."

"I’ll never figure this out."?

"Sigh…."

If you’ve heard athletes direct judgement towards themselves like this before (most do it often in one way or another), then you can understand how heavy this can feel for them. It adds a lot of pressure to their already intense performance season.?

The key to reducing judgment and added pressure around eating is to help them:

• understand WHY they don't want to eat
• and give them tools to adjust their lifestyle

so they can feel better and get the nourishment they need each day!

See how we start this process with student athletes here.?

Here are 3 things we help student athletes understand when eating in the morning is a struggle.?

1) Our ancestors didn’t roll out of bed and immediately start shoving food in their face.

?

Instead they most likely woke with the sun, completed chores or tasks with other community members, foraged for or caught food and ate a few hours later. Most days, they would have moved with intention and eaten slowly with their family. Although it may seem like that way of living was so long ago, evolutionarily speaking, it isn't.?

What student athletes often fail to realize is that it takes time for our digestive system to wake up and to be ready to break down the food we eat. Trying to do this too quickly upon rising can result in our body sending the message that it does not want food. It’s not ready for food.

Hence, feeling nauseous at the thought of eating in the morning.?

When student athletes understand this, it helps them realize that there isn’t anything wrong with them.

Their body is simply sending them a message that it is not prepared to manage food at that moment. For many student athletes, this is often their first opportunity to really grasp the concept that their body is talking to them. They can begin to listen to the messages their body sends them more consciously and develop a deeper, more respectful relationship with themselves. And THAT is powerful! ??

2) It’s called REST and digest.?

Not run around the house a million miles an hour trying to get ready for the day...

and digest.?

For many student athletes, their brains are running full tilt the moment they open their eyes in the morning. Like this…..

?“S*#%! I slept in!!!? I’m so tired from being up late cramming for that exam I have today. Joe is coming to pick me up in 10 minutes and I can’t be late but I need a shower and Sally is still in the bathroom and there’s nothing in the fridge for lunch. I hope I do okay on that exam or Mom and Dad are going to be so mad. Speaking of mad, that text Jen sent me was harsh, I wonder if she is mad at me for something. I totally need to post this to my IG story. OMG so-and-so just unfollowed me.....and, and, and…….”

(Truth be told, I know a few adults who start their day like this too. ??)

There is nothing about this busy mind state that lends itself to digesting food.

In fact,?our digestive system basically shuts off when we experience feelings of stress or pressure (whether real or perceived).? Our body isn’t focussed on eating or digesting food when it is concerned about keeping us alive. In some cases, our bodies will even purge food from our system because the energy required to digest that food could take away from more important body systems needed for fighting, fleeing or freezing.?

If you want to see what I’m talking about, have a conversation with your athletes about eating breakfast in the mornings on school days. Open the door for them to talk about this. I’m sure many of them will share that it is a struggle.?

Then ask them if they feel the same on weekends when they get to sleep in and don’t have to rush off for school. I almost guarantee that their feelings about food on those calmer mornings will be different. They can't wait to get that big breakfast in.

‘The Coaches’ Nutrition Playbook’ is coming.?

Curriculum for organically building nutrition into your performance culture without athletes dreading diets and food lectures.

If you or someone you know is looking ways to have meaningful, inquiry based conversations (like above) with student athletes and build nutrition as a performance strategy into the culture of your team, email me [email protected].?

These conversations are a great way to reinforce that their body is doing exactly what it is supposed to do and that nothing is wrong with them. From this understanding they will be in a better place to develop strategies that feel good and that help them to relieve that morning pressure and subsequent impacts on their eating routine.?

Check out our unique 4 step process that helps student athletes develop simple fuelling strategies here.?

3) Smoothies to the rescue.

Step 1) Help them understand what is happening and why...so they don't believe it is a failing on their part.

Step 2) Help them build their nutrition and healthy lifestyle tool box!

Smoothies fall into step 2.

There are many different strategies student athletes can learn to have more ease in their morning routines and to quiet the mental chatter that is often the cause of much of their anxiety and stress in the day.?

But when it comes to food, one of our favorite strategies to encourage student athletes to experiment with are smoothies.?

• They are basically pre-digested and while that may sound gross, it reduces the strain on the digestive system.?
• They can be sipped on over a period of time so as not to strain a sensitive system.
• They can be taken on the go to be enjoyed a little bit later when the aversion to food has passed.
• They can be LOADED with nutritious foods that maximize energy and nutrients for the day.
• There are a variety of ways to adjust flavors and consistency to the liking of the athlete.
• They are easy to make to encourage young athletes to start being more independent in the kitchen.?
• To save even more time, smoothies can be prepped in advance so making them literally requires 3 steps. Dump in frozen fruit and veg, add milk or water, turn on the blender.?BOOM.

Grab 15 amazing smoothie recipes here.?

We know that how our day begins sets a powerful tone for the rest of the day. When student athletes start their day struggling to eat, feeling sick and then carrying a sense of 'not doing it right' through the day, this really does impact how they feel.

We can change this!

Breakfast might indeed be the most important meal of the day, for more reasons than we initially considered.

Whenever you are ready, there are a few other ways I can help you.

• Our 6 week interactive nutrition program takes student athletes through a unique, 4 pillar system; removing barriers to eating well and moving them from disinterested in nutrition to inspired to fuel well. If you are curious, let's chat.
• If you are a Coach who wants to have meaningful conversations with athletes about food but is feeling intimidated, check out our new 'Coaches' Nutrition Playbook'. Curriculum for organically building nutrition into your performance culture without athletes dreading diets and food lectures. Email me here. [email protected]
• If you are a sport program director and want to provide your student athletes with a more holistic sport experience that includes nutrition, check out GUTS here.
• And make sure you follow along here on LinkedIn for weekly tips on how we are changing the student athlete experience with nutrition.

Until next week.

Diane