Waiting to see the results of long hours logged at SPAC can be frustrating. Add in the difficulty of sticking to a healthy diet, and quitting your quest for a beach-ready body may seem inevitable. With summer approaching quickly (and spring quarter in full swing), it is important to look for ways to get the results you want with a little less effort.

Boost your regimen this spring by paying more attention to that important-to-eat but easy-to-skip meal: breakfast.

Fruit, yogurt, granola and nuts make a great pre-workout meal. Photo by Sunshine Rabbit on Flickr, licensed under the Creative Commons.

A recent study in The Journal of Nutrition showed that eating a breakfast with a low-glycemic index may help boost fat burning during exercise.

The Glycemic Index (GI) ranks carbohydrates in foods according to how they affect blood sugar levels. According to the study, low GI foods can help you feel fuller later in the day; study subjects who ate a low GI breakfast felt fuller after lunch than those who ate a high GI breakfast, even though both groups ate identical midday meals.

“The reason that a low-glycemic meal is more appropriate is that it keeps insulin levels lower whereas a high-glycemic meal will cause insulin levels to be higher,” SPAC trainer Jeff Bush said. “If insulin levels are high after a meal, it’s going to be doing its job, putting blood sugar into storage, but if you are going to do a bout of cardio exercise, we want it to be available for use during our exercise session.” Eating low GI foods will keep blood sugar available for use and help maintain endurance during a workout by keeping insulin low and blood sugar from plummeting quickly.

Irregular class schedules and inconvenient group meetings can make following any diet recommendations difficult. However, Bush and campus dietitian Megan Campbell have some suggestions on how to get a low-glycemic breakfast either on-the-go or when there is time to sit down and eat.

Mix it up: Combine protein into your normal breakfast meal.

Think outside the breakfast box: As long is the food has a low glycemic index, it doesn’t necessarily have to be a breakfast food — think last night’s vegetable pizza.

Snack on the go: Add peanut butter to a banana, or pair an apple with cheese. Or, eat half a PB&J to get fiber and protein.

Perfect the parfait: Add granola and fruit to yogurt, and top with nuts.

Blend breakfast: If you’ve got a blender, throw in some ice with yogurt and fruit. Add flax seed or wheat germ for extra nutrients.

Go natural: Avoid processed food and sweets before exercise. Be wary of energy bars; some are very high in sugar. Check the label.

Take your time: When you have some time, eggs are an excellent source of protein and have a low GI. Oatmeal is also a good choice: give it a boost with some fruit and nuts.

Foods with a high glycemic index aren’t necessarily bad and foods with low glycemic index aren’t necessarily always good, Bush said. There are appropriate times to eat both kinds of food. High glycemic index foods are good for after a workout, because that is the time that it is important for insulin to store blood sugar.

Eating well and fitting in exercise can be difficult in college, but beach season is just on the horizon. Maximize your efforts to make your dream beach body a reality.