5 Reasons Not to Skip Your Lunch Break

Does lunch time slide by in a haze of absent-minded munching or getting work out of the way? Don’t let it! Here are some strong reasons to give lunch time the respect and time it deserves. If you utilize your lunch break to eat, work out, bond with friends, or all of these, look at the benefits you will get:

You will eat fewer snacks. Research shows that mindless eating while doing something else makes us overeat.  The American Dietetic Association did a study that yielded a worrisome statistic: more than 70 percent of Americans eat at their desk several times a week.

You will eat safer food: The desk is and should be just that—a work surface. Use it for eating food, and you risk getting bacteria in your system. Microbiologists say work desks have been found to contain up to 400 times more bacteria than toilets do! And work surfaces make an easy hangout for the cold and flu virus,because many workers come to office despite nursing an infection.

You will be in a better mood: If you step out in the sun and walk to a soup and salad place for lunch, you get your quota of Vitamin D, which helps beat back winter blues and helps your bones, too.  If you go out for a bite with a friend, you give yourself an opportunity to de-stress. And as a result of that short break, you go back home in a better mood, making family happy, too!

You will be more productive: A refreshing—and filling—break kickstarts sleepy brain cells and boosts productivity. Try eating regular lunch during the day, and you are sure to get more work done. Also, a Bristol University study says a short workout during lunch break is seen to improve motivation levels by about 41% and concentration by 21%.

You will improve your digestion: If you snack and nibble ‘mindlessly’ instead of eating a proper lunch, you are likely to gulp in more air and eat faster—both of which can play havoc with your digestive system. Bloating, acidity and constipation can result. So, take time to enjoy a good, wholesome lunch.

You will give your back a break: Getting up every now and then helps decompress your spinal discs, making your back very grateful. A walk during lunch break helps flex the hip muscles, which can gradually get shorter from sitting for long periods. Deskbound works also have a higher risk of getting diabetes, so make sure you get up and move often, especially during lunch break!