6 reasons why a desk lunch is a bad idea
If you’re constantly skipping your lunch break and eating at your desk, with the hope of squeezing in an extra hour of work, we have unfortunate news for you: this will not do you any good in the long run. Whether it’s a decline in productivity, rise in stress levels, or a whole host of mental and physical health issues, this Pacific Prime Dubai article outlines 6 reasons why a desk lunch is a bad idea so that you can start to develop healthy habits at work.
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1. You’ll be less productive
Multitasking is far from a superpower. Even if you’re a pro at reading and typing whilst taking a bite from your salad or sandwich, it doesn’t beat focusing on one thing at a time and you’ll see your overall productivity decline. This is because quality work is deep work, which is free of all distractions. And yes, that includes munching and grazing. It may feel counterproductive, but taking time off for lunch can actually make you more productive.
2. You’ll be more stressed
Are you overwhelmed by your workload? Do you feel like there aren’t enough hours in a day? It’s no wonder that you may be tempted to work during your lunch break and eat at your desk. While it may be harmless in the short run, be prepared for higher stress levels in the long run due to lack of focus (i.e. brain fog) and decreased productivity. Instead, use your hour-long break to help you switch off and relax. This can help keep stress, fatigue, and burnout at bay.
3. You’ll suffer from office syndrome
We’re all aware of the dreaded office syndrome. Sitting at your desk for long periods of time and staring at a computer screen can bring on the onset of sore joints and muscle pain, and lead to a whole host of problems elsewhere in your body. So it’s no surprise why eating at your desk is a bad idea, and why you should replace it with moving around. If you absolutely must eat at your desk, try to sneak in a few desk-based stretches whenever you can.
4. You’ll increase your long-term health risks
In addition to office syndrome, sitting for long periods of time can also increase your long-term health risks – including the risk of heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and shorter life spans – even if you exercise. If you’re looking for healthy habits to start this year, not eating at your desk and taking the entire lunch break to get some movement is perhaps the easiest and simplest habit to adopt.
5. You’ll be less creative
If you thought less productivity, more stress, and short-term and long-term health risks were bad enough, wait till you hear this – the monotony of eating at your desk can also lead to a lack of creativity and innovative ideas. You’ll just be staring at your screen with frustration. On the other hand, leaving your desk, heading out, and taking a break can give you inspiration when you return to your desk.
6. You’ll have less fun
Eating on your own every now and then is perfectly fine and can even help you recharge your batteries – especially if you’re more on the introverted side. However, doing so at your desk ALL the time means you’ll be missing out on much-needed social opportunities at work and your workday will be less enjoyable overall. So make lunch plans with your colleagues once in a while!
Fancy taking charge of your health? Get in touch with Pacific Prime Dubai today!
Avoiding eating at your desk is one way you can take charge of your health and wellbeing. Other ways include making full use of your company’s employee benefits offerings. This could be group health insurance plans, employee assistance programs (EAPs), and other wellness-related benefits like meditation sessions, healthy eating programs, and more.
That being said, your company’s group health insurance plan may not be as comprehensive as you’d like. What’s more, your group health insurance plan is also tied to your role in the company. As such, it’s worth securing your own individual health insurance plan. If you don’t know where to begin, you’ve come to the right place!
With over two decades of experience in the sector, Pacific Prime Dubai seeks to understand your needs and budgets, and match you to the right plan from top insurers. We also take the time to make sure you’re crystal clear about your policy, and provide heaps of support and assistance throughout your insurance journey.
Contact us today to get started!
With over 5 years of experience in the field, Suphanida spends the majority of her day synthesizing complex pieces of insurance-related information and translating this into easy-to-understand, engaging, and effective content across a variety of media such as articles, infographics, whitepapers, videos, and more.
Suphanida is also responsible for planning and publishing three whitepapers released annually by Pacific Prime: The State of Health Insurance Report, The Cost of Health Insurance Report, and The Global Employee Benefits Trends Report. Additionally, she handles the LinkedIn profiles of Pacific Prime’s Founder and CEO, as well as Global HR Lead.
Suphanida’s strengths lie in her strong research and analytical skills, which she has gained from her BA in Politics from the University of Warwick and Erasmus Mundus Joint MA in Journalism from Aarhus University and City, University of London.
Being of Thai-Indian origin and having lived, studied, and worked in Thailand, the UK, and Denmark, Suphanida also has a unique, multicultural perspective that helps her understand the struggles of expats and globetrotters.
Outside of work, she enjoys traveling to new places and immersing herself in different cultures.
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