When The Clock Strikes: Five Reasons Not To Skip Your Lunch

Sitting at your desk with a sandwich, bottle of water and a lazy 30 minutes of Facebook, Twitter or last night’s Corrie is not good for your sanity or your waistline.

When the clock strikes lunch hour you should leave the office and make the most of your free time.

Give your head and body a chance to get some space.

Believe us, your body will thank you for it.

If you read nothing else today before lunch, read this. It will change your lunchtime attitude in just 30 seconds…

The five reasons not to skip your lunch break:

1. You Will Eat Less

Eat at your screen and you’ll eat twice as many snacks throughout the day than if you get up and eat away from your desk. Researchers have advised us that our brains don’t register what we eat when we are distracted by something else. To learn how to concentrate more on what you eat and how it can benefit you, check out our guide to the new ‘anti-diet’, the mindful way of thinking.

2. You Will Be A Happier Lady

Getting out of work for an hour to meet a friend or spend some time alone is not only beneficial for your body, it is essential. The worst thing you can do is keep any stressful feelings about work to yourself. The pressure will build up as the day goes on and in time, this could impact on your own relationships with your friends and family. Getting out of work on a sunny day will also top up your vitamin D levels. This will impact on your serotonin levels and boost your resistance to the health blues.

3. You Will Have A Healthier Body

Sitting on our backsides all day can take its toll on our health and fitness. You will burn 350 calories less than the desk workers who fidget all day, get up to walk around and leave the office for lunch. It is also no coincidence that the waiting rooms at physio clinics are packed with office workers. Whgat our back hates more than anything is sitting in the one position for too long. Every time we stand up to walk, the spinal discs relax from the compressed state and relieve themselves of the pressure.

4. You Will Shrink Your To-Do List

The longer you work without a break, the less productive you become. The day you feel too busy to take a lunch break is the day you will definitely need one. If you use your lunchtime wisely and go for a quick walk or a burst of fresh air, you’ll improve your motivation levels by 41 per cent and your concentration by 21 per cent.

5. You Will Improve Your Digestion

The faster you eat, the larger the particles of food are that hit your stomach and the more likely you are to suffer from acid reflux. You are also more prone to gulping in air when you’re eating fast and this can create uncomfortable trapped wind later. Take your time eating. If you chew each mouthful plenty of times, you will both aid digestion and avoid over-eating.