Why Taking a Lunch Break is Important

The workforce has become all too busy trying to run after deadlines or to close that one big account that foregoing the one-hour lunch break has already become a norm. The catch? A lot of lunch break benefits have been forgotten as well. Yes, taking that break can do a lot for you.

If you still don’t believe us, we’ll list down the good stuff that you’ll get from taking that very well-deserved lunch break, which you’ve decided to skip so you can finish the presentation that your boss will probably sit on until tomorrow morning.

Your body will have a hard time functioning by midday.

We understand that you’re on a diet, but according to New York-based nutritionist Jacqueline Aizen,

“Overall, it’s really important to not skip meals. When you skip meals your blood sugar tends to drop, when your blood sugar drops you’ll experience fatigue, you’ll feel sluggish.”

You can still go on a diet without skipping this all-important midday meal.

Lunch will actually help you stay slim.

Taking our cue from the abovementioned benefit, taking your lunch will actually help keep you slim and sexy. The kicker is to eat a nutritious meal during the day so you don’t eat too much late at night. Also, stay consistent with your mealtimes so your body gets used to the sugar intake to maintain your energy level on a high.

Eat healthy.

We cannot stress it enough. Eat as healthy as possible so that your brain and body functions well. A double cheeseburger is never considered healthy especially because of its refined carbs. Yes, you got that right. Burgers will never be considered a full meal.

Snacks are good for you, too

Okay, so let’s say that you really do not have enough time to take a lunch break, what do you do? Snacking every so often is just as important so you don’t lose energy during the afternoon. Go for snacks that are high in protein to give you the boost you need.

The break can boost your creativity.

More than just filling the stomach with glorious food, lunch breaks are also important to stimulate your mental capacity and creativity. The change in scenery can help clear your thoughts and calm your mind. Professor Kimberly Elsbach of UC Davis Graduate School of Management says,

“We know that creativity and innovation happen when people change their environment, and especially when they expose themselves to a nature-like environment, to a natural environment, so staying inside, in the same location, is really detrimental to creative thinking.”

You get to be out of the office.

Now, if that isn’t a benefit enough that’s worth stimulating you to get up and go out, we don’t know what will. Consider what that 10-20 minute walk out of the office can do to you. You just might meet the girl of your dreams!

Skipping lunch doesn’t automatically mean success.

A majority of us has this silly notion that successful people don’t eat lunch. This insane way of working can cost you as much as 15-20 years off your life. That’s roughly 20% of your entire lifespan. You wouldn’t want to be one of those dudes who die young because they wanted to make a billion dollars before they hit 30.

Factor in the siesta.

A lunch break doesn’t have to include food all of the time. Sometimes, all you need is a 10-15 minute nap to recharge for the remainder of the day. Hmm, now that you think of it, the Spanish siesta is actually an awesome model to follow.