Lunch is the meal of the day that suffers the most from our busy schedules. Some skip it and don’t take a break at all, some hoover it up quickly in front of their screen, some get to 3pm before they even realise they haven’t had lunch yet. However, on 13th April it’s National Make Lunch Count day, and we are encouraging everyone to take a proper break and make your lunch time count.
So, we have reached out to the wonderful team at Open Mind to help us come up with some ideas on how to make your lunch break count.
EXERCISE
Taking a few minutes to move the body into the parasympathetic nervous system before eating has benefits around how your body is able to actually digest and take up nutrients. This is known as the ‘rest and digest’, opposite to the ‘fight or flight’. So when you are stressed, you are more likely in the ‘fight or flight’ mode, and your bodies resources are directed to parts of the body for survival (away from your digestive track), so even taking 5 minutes to go for a walk, do a breathing exercise before sitting down to eat can shift you into the ‘rest and digest’ mode.
EAT THE RIGHT FOOD
Make sure you are eating the right foods that will energise your brain and your body in the right way. Things like avocados, blueberries, carrots, whole-grains, bananas, seeds, nuts and broccoli are all superfoods that have scientifically proven benefits for the brain and body. Oh, and don’t forget to drink plenty of water.
HAVE A REAL BREAK
Don’t sit and eat at your screen. Allow some ‘me time’ and fill it with what you want to do.
GET A DOSE OF MINDFULNESS
Take time to check in with your body, how you are feeling mentally and physically. Doing some breath-work or meditation is a great way to reset and re-focus your energy for the afternoon. A study published in the Journal of Neuroscience found that people who meditate regularly had a much great capacity for mental focus compared to those who did not.
STEP OUTSIDE
Get outside and enjoy the natural light in nature. This will help to refresh your attention span.
CATCH UP WITH FRIENDS/COLLEAGUES
We all spend a lot of time with work colleagues, so connecting with them can help build a stronger team. Talking with colleagues over lunch can be a good way to let off steam, problem solve a task and unwind before tackling the afternoon.
Over the past few months, Story Events have been hosting a number of virtual wellbeing events which can be entirely bespoke to your company. Whether it be a single session, a virtual away-day or a wellness week, our creative events team will design a successful virtual wellbeing programme based on your companies requirements.
For more information on our Virtual Health and Wellness Events click here to view our packages, alternatively get in touch with a member of our team via email or call us on 02078709303, we would love to hear from you.
