Six Ways to Spend Your Lunch Break

Posted on 26 July, 2017

Us humans can be creatures of habit.

This is well reflected in the way we choose to spend our lunch breaks day-in, day-out. Our precious hour – which seems to move faster than most – can easily be filled with the same activity as the previous day’s, and the 200 before that. Before you know it, you’re spending every lunch hour hunched over food at your desk, working away. It doesn’t have to be this way! With a little effort, you can spend your lunch break in a way that will leave you refreshed and energised (rather than exhausted) for the rest of the afternoon. Here are a few things you can do to put your lunch hour to good use:

Catch up with a friend

Catching up with someone, whether they be a work colleague or a friend, is one of the best ways of filling a lunchbreak. Not only can it provide the healthy distraction we need from work, it can help nurture a valued friendship.

Actually take a break

While staying at our desks and working on that task with a looming deadline may be tempting, we could be hampering our future productivity if we don’t take a proper break. While there are some perks to staying in front of the computers over our lunchbreak, including the ability to guiltlessly scroll our Facebook feed at work, it’s probably better to completely sever ourselves from our computers for one hour of the day. Your body and mind will thank you for it!

Write a letter

The ease of communicating via technology means we’ve slowly forgotten the value of writing to loved ones. Whilst this is a sad development, it makes the act of physically writing to someone more valuable and the receipt of a written letter more exciting. Writing to someone we love, whether it be for a birthday, anniversary or just because, is a great way of spending a lunch break.

Exercise

Sitting at a desk for eight hours can take a pretty heavy toll on our bodies. An hour is definitely long enough to fit in an exercise session, whether it be a quick jog or some yoga. Leaving time to change and shower is perhaps the bigger obstacle faced here, although it’s pretty amazing how quickly we move when we’re under a time constraint. You’ll feel rewarded not only through exercising, but by knowing you’ve managed your time efficiently!

If you want to get up and moving during the lunchbreak but don’t want to get changed, a meander around the block is a relaxing way of breaking up an extended period of sedentariness.

Learn a new skill

It may require practice over conservative lunchbreaks, however learning a new skill could be a good habit to get into, not to mention a fun and productive way of utilising that free hour during the working day. Learning the basics of a language is an example of something to work toward – we love the app Duolingo, which has a huge range of languages available and turns learning into a fun game – there’s also silent mode so you can spare your colleagues from overhearing you. There are also plenty of online courses that you can take- why not learn something completely new and different, or up-skill yourself in a field relevant to your work? Alternatively, you could just keep chipping away at that book you’ve wanted to read for ages!

Eat

Not only is it important to eat a nutrient-dense meal for lunch (and in turn give your brain the best possible chance of functioning at its peak), it’s nice to feel inspired by the food you’re eating. Frequently changing what you eat or where you eat may provide more joy than you’d expect!