A sandwich while you catch up on emails. A microwave meal as you update a spreadsheet. Or a cereal bar on your way to a meeting. Does this sound like your lunchtime routine? If so, you’re not alone; many workers are dining at their desks every day rather than leaving for a proper lunch break. Taking time off, it seems, is still an office taboo in some workplaces, with employees blaming increased workloads, looming deadlines, and the pressure to show their dedication to the job as reasons for powering on through lunch. But making the most of your entitled time off can improve your physical and mental wellbeing and even increase your productivity at work! So, if you’re still chained to your desk past 1:00 pm, read on to find out about the importance of lunch breaks at work, and what you can do to make certain you get one.
Improve Your Diet
The type of food you can easily eat at your desk often comes from a vending machine, or at least isn’t very healthy. Anyone who has tried to eat an apple quietly at their computer knows how difficult that can be! Let alone how self-conscious you feel digging into a tuna salad or vegetarian curry in a shared office space. A sandwich on sliced bread is a safe choice, but not the most nutritious lunch. By making a conscious decision to eat away from your desk, you have more freedom to plan healthy meals ahead.
Practice Mindful Eating
Not only can you eat more nutritiously away from your desk, but more mindfully too. Mindful eating involves eating slowly, without distraction, and with an appreciation for the tastes, smells, and textures of your food. It encourages you to only eat when you are hungry, and until you are full, often leading to better digestion and even weight loss. It’s difficult to eat mindfully in front of your computer with emails arriving in your inbox! Instead, try to enjoy your meal at least as far away as the break-out area or, better yet, go outside and take a walk afterwards.
Reduce Aches and Pains
Sitting for hours crouched over your desk can lead to back and neck pain, while fluorescent lighting and stale office air is surely headache-inducing. Use your lunch break as an important opportunity to get up, walk around, and stretch your spine and muscles. Even if you don’t do any actual exercise, just moving around will release pressure and reduce discomfort, plus it will give your eyes a rest from screen time. If you make an effort to leave the building, you’ll also get a welcome blast of fresh air, natural light, and vitamin D!
Get Active
We all know the benefits of regular exercise, but between work, family commitments, and commuting, it’s often tricky to find the time. But your hour off during the day provides a window of opportunity to get active! Just 30 minutes on the treadmill, leaves you 20 minutes to shower and change, and 10 minutes to eat. If your office doesn’t have a gym, perhaps you can suggest they set up a yoga class where everyone brings their own mat. Or even going for a short, brisk walk around the block can boost your energy and help you to de-stress!
Be More Social
Your lunch break is also the perfect time to make and nurture relationships. You don’t have to talk about work, but just having lunch with your coworkers may lead to new friendships, better communication, and a stronger team. It’s also a chance to catch up with people outside of the workplace – you can call your mom, catch up with a friend, or remember to write and send that birthday card! Just having a chat and laugh with others will help you reset and get ready to tackle the afternoon!
Boost Your Productivity
The reason why people skip lunch is that they think they have too much to do. But taking a rest from work can actually boost your productivity! Humans are not designed to focus without a break for hours and hours on end. Taking a proper break will give your brain and body a chance to rest and reboot and prevent that mid-afternoon slump. Not only this but scheduling a lunch hour automatically gives more definition to your day, letting you break up your workload into chunks to complete before or after lunch.
Run Errands
Everyone has their own personal to-do lists, so why not use your lunch hour to run those mounting errands! Whether it’s going to the bank, scheduling a doctor’s appointment, or picking up your dry cleaning, it’s surprising how much you can fit in. Even the average wash, cut, and blow dry takes just 45 minutes. Ticking off even personal items can give you a sense of achievement, and reduce your general stress levels, so you are more capable of work in the afternoon. It also means you’ll have more time to relax during the weekend!
Learn Something New
Use your time wisely and you can upskill, learn a language, or nurture a new hobby at lunchtime. Look out for classes in the office, short talks at nearby museums and galleries, or just download a podcast. For something more crafty, why not take up knitting or crochet, which many people find therapeutic. Or, simpler still, read a book in a nearby park or cafe! Fantasy and historical novels are perfect for some much-needed escapism into other worlds.
Remember your lunch hour is rightfully yours so make the most of those precious minutes. Just step away from your emails and do whatever you want to do!
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You know in Europe, like in Germany & France, employees take 90 minutes lunches! I read an article by an French intern who was here locally working and he commented on this lack lunch hour Americans we allow themselves. I was lucky when I worked at a flower shop that was owned my a Frenchman who insisted we take a whole hour for lunch. I always left and did so. That’s so invaluable just to be able to breath and relax away from the other employees and pressure of the job. I really believe employers should not only allow at least an hour for lunch, but also insist upon it, because people are greedy and rather sacrifice their health rather then clocking out for 60 or even 30 minutes. I’m well acquainted with young Army and Air Force active duty and they’re worse! They don’t even give their people lunch hours sometimes and if anything, might let them run to the dining facility for a take-out. We in America are just unhealthy about lunch times. (So, Zazzle, do you give your employees a full 60 minute lunch hour and encourage them to get out of the office?)
Thanks for the great insight, Beverly!
We’re lucky here at the Zazzle headquarters to have a beautiful outdoor area where we can get some fresh air while enjoying our lunches.
If finding time for a workout during your lunch break seems impossible, give the scientific seven-minute workout a try. It really does take just seven minutes, but it s high-intensity so you ll still feel it.