Take lunch outside to improve work performance

Be Bodywise: Reduce stress, improve work performance and health by taking lunch outside.

Are you tempted to eat lunch at your desk, take the briefest of breaks or not take any lunch break at all? You are not alone. However this habit, as you are entitled by law to take proper lunch breaks, may actually hinder your health and work performance. Removing yourself from your desk and actually stopping to eat can actually enhance your creativity, work output and health. At Bodywise this is actively encouraged and it really works.

For a start, the best power-lunch should include all three major food groups – carbs (yes carbs) from vegetables and/or whole grains; a protein such as lean meat, eggs, beans or nuts; and a healthy fat like olive oil or avocado. Carbohydrate is the brain’s primary fuel, however protein and fat have distinct roles helping our brains to think straight as well. Humans, like all mammals need a constant supply of energy to function optimally. For ions these food groups have literally fuelled our brains from infants to old age. Humans, like all mammals need a constant supply of energy to function optimally.

Second; there are many other performance advantages to stepping away from your computer and going outside. Some fresh air, sunshine and a walk will improve mood, stimulate circulation and metabolism, release tension in muscles and those of your eyes involved in staring at a computer screen. This time out will even reduce your stress hormones that can keep us on edge and awake at night. Even getting close to a window with a view will help. The best break will be found in a park surrounded by nature. This is the natural habitat for humans.

So make an appointment with yourself, and maybe a friend or work colleague and head for the great outdoors. For time efficiency, make an extra meal at dinner and place straight into a container to become a soup or salad for the following day. No cueing, starchy bread or expensive lunches need to be endured any more.

Taking a purposeful lunch break will refresh your creative thinking and productivity, your relationship with your colleagues and best of all yourself. This truly is a constructive and Bodywise lifestyle choice.