8 Healthy Lunch Break Ideas

With so much to do and so little time, most of us tend to spend our lunch break stopping over the computer while munching on an ready-to-eat sandwich or check and reply to the emails or skip it completely because the work pressure is too much. Most people squeeze the lunch hour to just 10 minutes or to nothing at all and eat their food over their computers. Our work-centric society thinks that a break is just a waste of time, but in reality, this small and insignificant break is extremely important for enhancing your level of productivity and refueling and re-energizing yourself. It not only makes you a happier person, but also improves your overall health. In this article we are going to list a few ways in which you can make your lunch break more healthy and fruitful.

8 Healthy Things to Do During Your Lunch Break

Get Up from your Desk - Staying at your work space and eating while working on your computer is the worst thing you can do to your health. Research shows that sitting at your desk for too long increases the risk of a number of health concerns such as obesity, hypertension, diabetes and abnormal cholesterol levels. So, utilize the breaks at work effectively - get up from your chair, walk to another room in order to have your lunch or get outside for some fresh air to lift up your body and spirit. Taking some time off also helps to clear your mind.

Take a Walk:

If you are allotted an hour for lunch then utilize it to the fullest. Devote 30 minutes to a walk or light physical activities and the rest of the 30 minutes to eating a healthy meal rather than munching on a burger or donut. Even 30 minutes of walking helps to maintain healthy body weight, prevent or manage various health conditions such as heart disease, high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes, strengthen your muscles and bones and improve your mood.

Work out:

One of the best things that you can do for your health during the lunch breaks is to exercise for 15 to 30 minutes. The 30 minute workout during lunch break is quite popular with health conscious individuals. Lunch hour workout not only helps to lose weight and maintain healthy body weight, but also boosts up energy supply so that you don't feel sluggish post-lunch. It also helps to increase creativity and boost the mood. Exercise promotes the release of feel-good chemicals in the brain that helps to alleviate depression and anxiety. It works as a distraction that takes your mind off worries and negative thoughts related to work.

Catch Up with Colleagues and Friends:

Catching up with your colleagues or friends is a great way to utilize your lunch at work because it allows you to break the monotony and socialize. The benefits of socializing are much more profound that we believe. Sharing experiences and jokes and interacting with people helps to relieve work related stress, enhance intellectual stimulation, protect the brain and reduce the risk of dementia.

Take a Power Nap:

Now a days, most offices provide private set ups for their employees to take a quick snooze. A power nap not only gives a quick energy boost, but also confers serious cognitive and health advantages. Power naps alleviate our sleep deficits, boosts the brain, improves the capacity of creative problem solving and logical reasoning. Short naps improve our mood and help to get rid of sleepiness and fatigue. It is also beneficial for our heart, blood pressure,stress levels and even weight management. Just set your cell phone alarm for 30 minutes or less so that you don't over-sleep or wake up feeling groggy.

Meditate:

Meditating at work might seem like a farfetched idea it has been proved that there are numerous health benefits of meditation and muscle relaxation.Meditation balances the systems of the body and helps to alleviate stress and anxiety. It also helps to relieve chronic pain, muscle strain, boost the mood and improve immunity. Meditation also brings about positive changes in brain activity in the areas involved in attention, working memory, attentiveness and conscious perception - all of which help to improve performance and productivity at work. The best thing is you can practice it right at your desk or in the rest room.

Stretch:

Get up from your seat and stretch your limbs and body. The best thing about stretching is that you can do it anytime and anywhere. It helps to improve flexibility and range of motion and reduces the risk of muscle strains, soft tissue injuries and joint pains. It also improves balance and coordination and corrects poor posture caused by sitting in a hunched position. Stretching improves the alignment of the spine and enhances blood flow to the muscles there by reducing muscle soreness.

Enjoy your Food:

Last but not the least, do what you are meant to do during the lunch break. Don't skip the food and starve yourself in order to be a hard worker because you will be weighed down by headaches and light headedness by the end of the day. Treat yourself to some healthy foods such as a green salad, roasted chicken, fruit salads, veggie smoothies, etc. rather than munching on pizza, burgers, sandwiches, donuts and muffins. Occasionally go out for lunch at your favorite restaurant with your colleagues and splurge on a fancy meal.

So, now that you know how to utilize your lunch hour in order to enhance your overall health, follow these tips and improve your productivity. But if you still feel clueless about how to spend your lunch break in a healthy way or want to know some healthy lunch ideas for work then you can get in touch with a dietitian who can guide you in a more effective manner. If you are looking for experienced dietitians in Delhi, at sehat.com you can research and choose from a list of expert dietitians.