We all feel as though we’re pressed for time, most of us have a full-time job, some of us have pets or families to look after, some of us have studying, or another job on top of that.
Whilst there might not be enough hours in the day to accomplish absolutely everything that we’d like to get done, but there is enough time to make yourself a priority. Whether you want to get a better night’s sleep, shed a few pounds, move about more, or eat more healthily, these are all things that you can work towards in your lunch break.
So, set aside five or ten minutes and let your pause in the middle of the day revolutionize your life.
Make Time For Movement
If your goal is to move more then finding a little time in the middle of the day to put that plan into action is one of the most helpful things you can do. It can be very tempting to eat your lunch and then sit at your desk for the remainder of your break, especially if you’re feeling full and a little sleepy.
That’s why it’s important to get the exercise in first. Although this five-minute filler yoga practice is designed for poker players, they’re not the only ones who can benefit from it.
The fact that it’s only five minutes long means that anyone with a busy working day can squeeze it into their lunch break. In fact, often the five-minute rule means that once you start, you’ll want to keep going past the five-minute marker.
You can apply the five-minute rule to all sorts of areas of your life where you struggle for motivation. For example, tell yourself that you’ll study a new language for just five minutes per day. It feels a lot easier to tackle than half an hour, but you’ll be surprised at how often you keep going once you’ve motivated yourself just to start.
Squeeze in a Walk
If yoga feels like a bit of a stretch too far, then why not try a walk instead. The benefits of getting outside and getting some fresh air are huge. First of all, if you ever find yourself struggling to sleep at night then it might be because your brain is exhausted, but your body isn’t yet.
Many of us have very sedentary jobs that require a lot of mental input, so moving our limbs is important to try and create an equilibrium between body and mind.
As well as being great for our mental and physical health, walking can be useful in and of itself too. Perhaps there’s an errand you need to run during the day, instead of driving there or catching the bus, walk to do it. If you know you won’t make it there and back in time then cycle instead. Wherever possible try to get to places under your own steam and you’ll soon notice yourself getting fitter and sleeping better.
Wave Goodbye to That Fast Food Habit
Caption: Meal prep doesn’t have to take long and will make a big difference to your expenditure as well as your waistline. One of the biggest changes that we can make to our lunch break actually takes place long before lunch happens.
Making lunch for yourself every single day is a new year’s resolution that many of us make, but very few of us stick to and the reason is simple. Nobody has the time for it. So, instead of trying to drag yourself out of bed early to make lunch every single morning, just do it once a week. There are lots of great meal prep ideas that will keep for a week in the fridge or even the freezer.
So if you can find yourself as little as an hour each week, then you can make all of your lunches at once and feel smug about it for the whole working week. Plus, if you’ve already got lunch ready then you’ll be far less likely to fall victim to fast food cravings when lunch hour rolls around.
