The lunchtime mistake that is costing you time, energy, and your health
Time is a non-renewable resource, wherever you are, whatever the time of day. Try your best to plan it out and make the most of it.
Lunchtime isn’t excluded. If you work a 9–5 like most people, the typical 1 hour break should be considered one of the most important hours in the day.
This is your time to accomplish tasks that will help you achieve your goals, not the goals of the company you work for.
Make sure you have a plan for that hour and make the most out of every minute.
Using lunchtimes for exercise

With some forward planning and a good understanding of how to maximise workouts in a short amount of time,you can even have an effective gym session in your lunch-break, making you feel better throughout the afternoon, and freeing up your morning or evening for other responsibilities.
Follow these quick pointers to help ensure that gym session is effective.
1. Have your kit ready. This can be as simple as packing it the night before or keeping it close by, like at work, in your car, or in a locker at the gym.
2. Take lunch to work so you don’t get tempted by lunch out at resturants, or needing to food shop. Adopting batch cooking can really help here, and also help you plan out the whole week.
3. Find a gym thats close to work. Less time travelling means more time working out.
4. Schedule the workout and make sure its in your calendar. You are a) less likely to skip the workout if its planned, and b) less likely to have colleagues book meetings / appointments in over your lunch break.
5. Workout before eating. Working out on an empty stomach will force your body to burn fat for energy. You also wont risk having a full stomach or get that bloated feeling that will slow you down.
For more info on adopting a ketogenic approach check out my thoughts here. If you need a bit of help with this, try adding coconut oilto your coffee in the mornings for an added bit of energy and to kick start your fat burning.
What else should you consider?
Think about how you should plan your activities immediately after lunch. Scheduling a meeting or conference call right after lunch may end up causing you stress over the lunch hour or shortening your lunch hour in order to get back in time.

If you cant make it to the gym, use the time to accomplish personal errands, i.e do what you can’t do in the morning or evening.
Really try to be strategic and use your lunch break to accomplish some of those personal errands that can’t be handled before or after work, or on the weekends.
As a final note, make sure you have a system in place for letting people know where you are. This will allow people inside and outside the company to know when you will be back, how to contact you in an emergency or have an alternative point of contact. The main point of this is that It will help you relax and avoid checking your e-mail and messages during lunch.
Not following these simple pointers could be the lunchtime mistake that is costing you time, energy, and your health.
Check out my lifestyle page on www.mattsagenda.com for more intelligent living and self optimisation tips.
