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Andrea / Tuesday, December 2, 2014 / Categories: Health Workplace Healthy Habits Breakfast Start your day with breakfast. Whether it is at home or coming in a bit earlier to eat in the staff room. Breakfast is really important to get your appetite going. Eating a planned breakfast also means you are less likely to hit a mid-morning slump and head to the local café for something that you really don’t feel like eating but think it will give you a pick-me-up. Breakfast can be as simple as a couple of bits of toast. Add some form of protein for example hummus, peanut butter or other nut butter spread. An oat based muesli is a great option. Oats are really good for heart health and they keep you sustained for longer. Eat something that will satisfy and help you feel full. Adding milk or yoghurt to your breakfast boosts the protein to keep you going for the next couple of hours and boosts calcium intake. Add some fruit and your favourite beverage for a great start. Lunch Lunch is again another opportunity to fuel your body and provide it with enough energy to get you through the afternoon. When preparing or buying your lunch try to aim for a third carbohydrates, a third fruit/vegetables and a third protein. Some examples of this could be leftovers from last night’s dinner (rice, vegetables, meat) or a sandwich (bread, tomato, lettuce, cucumber, sliced chicken/egg). Eat until you feel satisfied and comfortably full. By eating a satisfying meal you are less likely to snack on less nutritious foods throughout the day. Snacks It is normal to get hungry between meals. We usually need to eat every 2-3 hours. This is individual, of course, but it is not something to feel guilty about. Instead plan for these just like you would a meal. Include a protein choice such as nuts, roasted chickpeas, hummus, egg, cheese or yoghurt. Include carbohydrates such as wholegrain crackers, piece of cake/biscuit or small sandwich. Add some fruit, as varied as you like. By including snacks into your day you will avoid getting home, being starving hungry and feeling like you could and would eat anything in sight. The aim is to arrive home with still enough time to prepare dinner before you feel like you need to eat again. This way you are more likely to avoid overeating in the evening. Breaks At the end of each hour take a moment to stretch or walk a circuit around the office or go and get a drink of water. It doesn’t matter what you do as long as you step away from your desk and move. Whether you choose to eat something or not mid-morning and afternoon, you still need to take a break. Move away from your desk and take ten minutes to refocus. This doesn’t mean checking your emails, as this is not allowing your eyes or your body to change position and rest. By taking this time out you will feel more refreshed and better able to carry on with your work and avoid going home exhausted at the end of the day. Fluids Fluids are just as important as food. This doesn’t mean you have to drink two litres of water every day. It does mean that if you are thirsty, go and get a drink. Water is best. Tea and coffee count towards your total fluid intake as well but try to limit coffee to 1 -2 cups per day because of the caffeine. Energy drinks give you the opposite of energy so my recommendation is to avoid them altogether. Energy drinks give you a brief artificial lift but will leave you feeling worse than before once the effect has worn off. There is no benefit to these drinks. Instead have a protein snack and some water. Your body and mind will thank you for it. Some days you will be thirstier than others. Listen to your body and respond accordingly. Exercise Exercise is great for our health but it also makes us feel better as well. Taking some time during the lunch hour to walk around the block is a great way to clear your head, breathe in some fresh air and leave you feeling energized. Walk briskly enough to be breathing slightly more than normal. It doesn’t have to make you sweat and you don’t need to get changed to do it. Just head outdoors and enjoy the brisk Wellington wind. The main point about exercise is that it’s not supposed to be punishing. If you can find something you enjoy doing then you are more likely to keep doing it, because you want to rather then you ‘have’ to. It may take some time to know whether you enjoy something or not and enjoyment may increase as your fitness and ability increases. You never know what you will enjoy until you try it. If you leave work most days feeling tired, sore muscles and/or headachy then this is your body telling you something needs to change. What steps can you take to help feel better today? Previous Article Food for Health and Wellbeing Next Article Role Reversal with a Fussy Eater Print 3356 Rate this article: No rating Tags: Work, nutrition, health