How to Eat Breakfast:

Healthy running meals for "not a morning person" people

Your alarm goes off at 5. You pull on your running clothes in the dark, press go on your Garmin, and make it back in time for a shower, coffee, and your first meeting. Suddenly it's lunchtime and you're ready to eat anything that isn't nailed down. You're also probably edgy, frazzled, and missing the peace you found mid-run. What happened?

Who needs breakfast? You do.

If you want to feel good, perform well, and get enough calories in during the day to support a super active life, breakfast is your friend. (I'm not here to debate the merits of intermittent fasting-- can it help certain people achieve certain goals? Maybe. Is it a long term healthy strategy for most athletes? No. Is it a diet fad? 100%). Bottom line? For active people looking to be healthy and perform their best, breakfast isn't optional.

Everyone needs some AM fuel, and morning exercisers have to think about fueling their workout AND their day.

That can be a lot to figure out before sunrise. Especially if you're not a naturally perky morning person. Don't worry. I got you.

Why you should eat before a morning run

Yes, fasted training can have some benefits-- sometimes, when done deliberately and carefully, as part of an overall plan designed to support adaptation (see a solid review of the science here).

For most of us, though, the risks aren't worth it, and the benefits won't really move us towards our goals. Fuel is good. You'll feel better and have a lower risk of injury (there's lots of evidence here-- like this and this). Women, especially, seem to suffer hormonal consequences from failure to fuel-- but everyone and anyone can.

What, when, and how you should eat before a morning run

So you should eat something before a morning run.

It's tempting to roll right out the door, but if you're going for anything longer than thirty minutes, fuel up first.

Don't overthink it! If you're short on time, hydrate, grab a quick bite before you get dressed and do your warmup (you ARE warming up, aren't you?), and be on your way. If you've got a little time, some coffee might be nice too (especially if you need to get things, ahem, moving).

That quick bite should be mostly carbs and be easy to digest. Like:

• My personal favorite-- half a banana (or go to town and have the whole thing!)

• A piece of toast with peanut butter and/or jam.

• Can't handle that? Try two dates.

• Want even easier? Half of a stroop waffle or gel.

• Even a few swigs of sports drink will do if food feels impossible.

It really is that easy. Try it and see how you feel on your run and for the rest of the day.

If you're not dashing out the door first thing, you've got more wiggle room-- with a few hours to digest, you might have your main AM meal before you go. But still try to keep it on the low-fiber side unless you know you can handle it-- save the roughage for post-run.

But what if you're trying to lose weight? Why would you take in calories when you're trying to burn calories? You'll run better. You'll be less likely to get injured (and thus stop exercising). You'll be less hungry (or hangry) later on-- so you probably won't take in more total calories, anyway. If you need or want to reduce total calorie intake, consider doing it separate from your training-- this will allow you to recover better and avoid the risks of within-day calorie deficits. Try cutting out that beer with dinner or that second handful of office m&ms, instead.

Make like a hobbit and have second breakfast

Good news: that quick bite you grabbed before your pre-dawn run wasn't all you get for breakfast. You get to have second breakfast now!

If your run was long or intense, pay special attention to getting enough calories. Even if your run was chill, you should eat a balanced meal with protein, carbs, and fat.

Eat enough now and avoid crashing and burning (or falling face-first into a box of bacon-maple donuts) later.

Sounds great, but for those of us who got up before the sun and put in some miles, then jumped from cooldown straight into the shower (you did cool down, didn't you?) and raced the clock to get to work on time, a balanced meal can seem like wishful thinking.

But you can do it! You're not relegated to a) starving, b) pop-tarts, or c) the drive-thru. A little pre-planning is your friend here. And once it's a habit, you'll never go back. Here are some do-ahead, set-it-and-forget it breakfast options:

Healthy post-run AM meals (even if you're strapped for time)

• Freezer burritos. This is a make-ahead option (Sunday meal prep, anyone?) that you can eat all week. The key to a successful freeze is to leave out anything with too much moisture (skip tomatoes). My favorite version is vegan (roast sweet potatoes, chiles, and onions, add black beans with spinach plenty of seasoning, throw in soy curls). If you eat eggs, scrambled eggs are perfect in there. Cheese (or vegan cheese!) can be delightful. Wrap 'em in a whole-grain tortilla. Roll up in foil. Put in a gallon zip-lock and freeze. Take one out to start defrosting when you head out the door. It'll be ready in a few microwave minutes when you get back! I sometimes throw one in my bag and heat it up when I get to work if I'm really short on time.

• Steel-cut oats. These take a while to cook-- unless you pre-soak them. The night before, add oats and water or almond milk (3:1 ratio) to a pot, bring to a boil, and turn off the heat. Pop it in the fridge overnight and take it out when you get up. Put the heat back on when you're done with your run and they'll cook in 10 or 15 minutes while you do your hair or whatever. Then add nuts, seeds, fruit. . . whatever you like. Eat it now or reheat at the office. You can do this basic strategy with cold overnight oats, too-- just use rolled oats, and skip the stove.

• Smoothies. Want to make this extra-easy for the morning? Portion out your ingredients in advance and store them in bags in the freezer. Then you just dump and blend. Star smoothie ingredients include spinach (high nutrition, low flavor), frozen banana, berries, frozen cauliflower (adds creamy texture), white beans, chia seeds, nut butter, and maybe protein powder if you need an extra boost. Mix in veggies and fruits you like. If you're short on time, take it to go.

Make AM fuel a habit

Hopefully I've convinced you that you need fuel in the morning-- before AND after an early run. Once you're on board, the key to making it work is to make it easy to do when you're in a rush. This means making sure you have what you need on hand, reducing the number of choices you need to make, and getting a few things set up either over the weekend or the night before. So pick your poison, prep it ahead of time, and thank yourself later! Track how you feel and perform when you're adequately fueled-- you might be amazed.

Save this one for later. . . once you’ve tried it, you’ll be looking for breakfast ideas!