5 TIPS FOR A BETTER WORKDAY
Is your battery running low at the end of the workday? Like many of us, you start your day off strong, checking off tasks one by one, but after lunch, you start to feel yourself fade away. So how do you kick this afternoon slump, and maximize your day? Here is a list of 5 tips for having the Endurance to get you through the day.
SLEEP AT LEAST 7h/NIGHT.
Sleep is essential to having enough energy throughout your day. 7h/day is considered a minimum.
Why? Here is one of many reasons. Adenosine is a substance that contributes to mental fatigue. Throughout the day, the levels of adenosine in your brain increase, and during the night the levels decrease to their starting-point, if the amount of sleep is sufficient. Caffeine e.g. coffee, eliminate the effect of adenosine, which then makes you feel more energetic, and this can be a temporary relief when feeling tired. Remember, over time, coffee can't replace sleep.
REMEMBER TO HYDRATE.
About coffee, a cup of coffee during your break is not enough to hydrate your body sufficiently.
Studies show that dehydration of 1-3% negatively affects many of the brain's functions e.g. bad temper and concentration. Dehydration of 1-3% means 0.5-2 liter for a person weighing 68 kilograms. This is an amount that you easily lose during a day just through sweating and breathing.
EAT REGULARLY AND PLAN YOUR MEALS.
Everyone knows that eating well and healthy contributes to higher energy levels.
The challenge is how to make this work in your everyday life. This is where regularity and planning come into the picture. Here is how: Decide during what times of the day you will eat. Stick to these times as much as well as you can and try to nor deviate any more than 30 minutes. Plan ahead, what, and where should you eat? Schedule your eating times like it is an important meeting. Your health and energy levels are your most important resources, so why not prioritize your eating times?
IMPROVE YOUR FITNESS.
A good fitness level, as a result of regular physical activity, has a long-term effect on, for example, memory.
You don't need to be an elite athlete to reach these effects. For example, the World Health Organization (WHO), recommends at least 2h 30 min of physical activity every week. There are also some instant effects of physical activity. Your ability to hold your attention improves straight after cardio training. This brings us to the next tip, active breaks.
TAKE ACTIVE BREAKS.
Active breaks mean taking a break from work and including some sort of physical activity in your break.
One way to get active breaks into your workday is by using Smart Break. The exercises are designed by a physiotherapist specialized in workplace physiotherapy. This concept has shown a positive effect on both mobility and the motivation to workout during your free time. 86% of users in a case study at Jyväskylä University said that Smart Break increased their energy levels. I often workout twice a day, but I can still see positive effects from taking active breaks throughout my workday. Active breaks are for everyone, no matter if you are active or not during your free time.
Do you wanna try to implement active breaks during your workday?
Book a 20-minute meeting and we will tell you more!
