MAKING THE MOST
OF YOUR LUNCH BREAK
If you work in Clydebank Business Park, you likely have a very similar experience to the other thousands of us when it comes to lunch breaks
Every day we see the same pattern
People, in their droves, making the walk out of the park to Clyde Shopping Centre or possibly another venue nearby, to pick up a meal deal or some other form of quick snack.
You may be lucky enough to work in one of the businesses that have in house catering. But even then, there is something to be said about escaping the view of the walls that encase you for a large chunk of your waking hours. Plus, getting some fresh air and exercise is clearly beneficial.
Are Your Habits Benefiting You?
Sometimes we just get into such a habit that we don’t even think about it.
But I’d invite you to take 2 minutes to reflect on how this break (which is there to allow you to regenerate and avoid burnout) is serving you.
- Do you feel less productive in the afternoon?
- Do you feel a huge dip in energy around 3pm?
- Do you feel you are in a drudge where your energy in general is low?
- Do you find it harder to concentrate as the day goes on?
- Is your willingness to go out at lunchtime weather dependant?
- Do you tend to buy foods that you can continue to work with at your desk (ie a sandwich or something else you can hold in one hand whilst the other is using the computer or your phone)?
If any of this sounds familiar, it’s likely you are suffering from the pattern.
A new, more beneficial, pattern
Rather than seeing your lunch-break as a time to escape work, how do you think it might serve you to see it as an opportunity to re-charge your batteries, improve your energy levels, undo the postural damage sitting at a desk is doing to you, remove aches and pains and generally improve the quality of life inside your body?
You could, very quickly, improve your energy, your zest for life both inside and outside of work, your overall health and feeling of well-being.
You’ll have more energy, stamina and strength to do more with your non-working hours too. Leading to a greater work life balance.
Unlocking an option that suits you
Depending on what you feel, upon reflection, is going to benefit you the most, there are several options open to you.
Here are a few you might consider:
- Get in a high intensity workout – You’d be amazed at the difference a 20-30-minute workout can achieve. Though it is important to get the balance right as too much intensity can be severely draining and counterproductive.
- Work on your strength – Your strength is the foundation of everything you do. From your general posture, whilst sitting or standing, to your performance in any movement-based activity. You don’t need to spend hours on this to make improvements. Train smart, not hard and do it with consistency and the results will be both amazing and long-lasting.
- Work on your movement – improving how you move, hold your posture or focusing on areas of pain or injury can make a staggering difference to your daily existence. Living with any kind of pain is always going to hamper your quality of life. Regular work to prevent pain is always ideal, but if the pain is already there, consistently working on removing will be more beneficial than just hoping it goes away.
- Don’t feed your body, fuel it! – Rather than shoving in convenience foods by doing what everyone else does, plan to fuel your system with beneficial nutrients rather than empty calories.
How to implement these options
You may read the above and think, “easy for you to say, but how do I fit that in?”
When you are working hard all day, suddenly winding down or switching to a self-interest focused activity is not easy.
It’s much easier to simply grab the convenience snack, open Facebook or Instagram, grab a book or something else that just lets you switch off.
And whatever is easiest is what you will always gravitate to if you don’t make a conscious decision to change.
Fortunately, there are solutions right on your doorstep.
Our facility is in the heart of the business park and we have solutions set up to address all these issues and many more.
Our Group Training Suite includes lunchtime sessions
These currently include HIIT Sessions and Strength Focused Sessions. And they are short, sharp sessions to ensure you can get in, train, shower and get back to work with time to spare to consume a quick, healthy food source (see below).
You can be sure your time won’t be interrupted by queuing for equipment. The ‘no crowds’ also allow us to ensure we can help you programme your time based on YOUR needs rather than a generic workout.
Our in-house Sports Therapist may require a little more of your time and require a post work appointment.
But you will not only have your aches and niggles worked on, he will give you exercises to work on whilst also informing the personal trainers of any areas you need to focus on moving or strengthening. That would then allow us to incorporate that information into our group training session plans or our programming advice on the gym floor.
But what about food?
The food issue may still feel a problem. And if you are doing this how will you have time to eat?
As with everything, there are several solutions you could consider:
- Prep your own nutritious meals at home.
- Use a meal prep company – We recommend Halliday’s Healthy Dinners. Use code DCS10off for a 10% discount with them and get the meals delivered to us to save the delivery charge and avoid having to wait in for the delivery.
- Grab a post workout shake and a square of dark chocolate (or a protein bar) – it’s not a meal, but it will be enough to start the repair process, keep you fuelled for a while and stop you feeling bloated and sluggish in the afternoon (just be sure to get your balanced nutrients in after work).
Need a more guided approach?
If you feel you need someone to work directly with you to overhaul not only your training but your approach to looking after yourself in general, we could look at one to one personal training or lifestyle coaching.
With over 27 years of knowledge and experience at your disposal from our core team, your well-being is in safe hands.
What Now?
First step would be to take a few minutes to really think about what you are doing now.
If it’s working for you and benefiting you, then great.
If not, have a think about what you would like to improve.
Then, either book in for one of our Group Training Sessions and just throw yourself into it.
You can email ahead with anything we need to know, to save you time.
Regardless of the changes needed, we will look to advise what is best for YOU and YOUR needs.
