Make your lunch break healthy
Every day at work the routine is the same: between noon and 2pm the canteen beckons, often with a diverse choice of dishes.
While this option is both tasty and convenient, there are many other ways to spend one's lunch break.
Workers with long breaks can use the time for physical activities. This provides a good counterbalance in sedentary jobs, according to Meike Henning, a health-management expert for the German Olympic Sports Confederation.
Simply taking a walk is plenty of exercise, she says. Outdoor physical activities also boost blood circulation and alleviate stress.
Still, most employees do not want to forgo eating lunch during their lunch break. Office workers who do eat lunch should largely avoid deep-fried or breaded food, though, advised Antje Gahl, spokeswoman for the German Nutrition Society. For lunch she recommends a small salad on the side with a low-fat dressing of vinegar, oil or yoghurt.
"To accompany the main dish, a good choice instead of chips, potato croquettes or hash-browned potatoes would be boiled potatoes, wholegrain rice or noodles," she said.
Gahl said it was fine to eat meat once or twice a week, but she recommended replacing a warm main meal with a large salad once a week and also adding fish to one's diet.
People working for a company with a canteen can eat there in good conscience, she added, noting that "besides the variety of available dishes, the prices are naturally an advantage".
Taking a short nap during one's break is also a possibility. Many companies have long recognised that a "power nap" can enhance employee performance.
No bed is needed - the office chair suffices, said Juergen Zulley, a sleep researcher and professor of biological psychology at the University of Regensburg.
The nap ideally lasts 10 to 15 minutes, after which concentration and creativity levels are higher, according to Zulley, who said that people who regularly took afternoon naps also lowered their risk of cardiovascular disease.
Falling into a deep sleep is counterproductive, however.
"The siesta shouldn't last longer than 30 minutes," Zulley said, otherwise it is difficult to regain alertness.
