1 00:00:03,400 --> 00:00:07,560 Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio. 2 00:00:09,280 --> 00:00:15,120 Speaker 1: Good Morning. This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. 3 00:00:16,200 --> 00:00:19,800 Speaker 1: Today's tip is to use your lunch break to get 4 00:00:19,880 --> 00:00:23,880 Speaker 1: energized for the afternoon. You could think of yourself as 5 00:00:23,880 --> 00:00:27,920 Speaker 1: a character in a video game and power up at lunch. 6 00:00:29,800 --> 00:00:31,880 Speaker 1: If you've played a lot of video games over the years, 7 00:00:31,920 --> 00:00:36,360 Speaker 1: you have witnessed this phenomenon of powering up. Characters can 8 00:00:36,400 --> 00:00:40,360 Speaker 1: sometimes get extra abilities or become resistant to threats as 9 00:00:40,400 --> 00:00:44,320 Speaker 1: a result of encountering their power up substance. For instance, 10 00:00:44,360 --> 00:00:47,879 Speaker 1: and Super Mario Brothers, you want to absorb mushrooms. My 11 00:00:48,000 --> 00:00:51,479 Speaker 1: understanding from watching my kids play Fortnite is that various 12 00:00:51,479 --> 00:00:56,000 Speaker 1: power up items can restore their health and shields. Real 13 00:00:56,040 --> 00:00:58,000 Speaker 1: life is not a video game, but if you have 14 00:00:58,040 --> 00:01:00,960 Speaker 1: a long work day, you probably do need to power 15 00:01:01,040 --> 00:01:03,360 Speaker 1: up in the middle of it, or you will find 16 00:01:03,360 --> 00:01:06,319 Speaker 1: yourself at three pm flickering like a video game character 17 00:01:06,680 --> 00:01:10,480 Speaker 1: that's about to expire. I have certainly been finding this 18 00:01:10,600 --> 00:01:14,479 Speaker 1: myself as the weather has gotten nicer. I am challenging 19 00:01:14,520 --> 00:01:19,080 Speaker 1: myself to take a real lunch break. Ideally, I do 20 00:01:19,160 --> 00:01:23,319 Speaker 1: a few things first. I sit at the table to eat, 21 00:01:24,360 --> 00:01:28,760 Speaker 1: not at my desk. Usually it's leftovers from dinner, but 22 00:01:28,800 --> 00:01:32,160 Speaker 1: if we don't have leftovers, I will cook something so 23 00:01:32,200 --> 00:01:35,120 Speaker 1: I can have a real meal. On the days my 24 00:01:35,200 --> 00:01:37,280 Speaker 1: husband is working from home, we both try to take 25 00:01:37,280 --> 00:01:40,399 Speaker 1: a break at noon together. It's like a kid free 26 00:01:40,480 --> 00:01:43,880 Speaker 1: date in the middle of the day. Then I go 27 00:01:43,959 --> 00:01:46,199 Speaker 1: outside and sit in my hammock for a few minutes 28 00:01:46,480 --> 00:01:50,120 Speaker 1: and read something. It might be work related, but it 29 00:01:50,240 --> 00:01:53,600 Speaker 1: might not be too. Then I walk through the yard 30 00:01:53,640 --> 00:01:56,760 Speaker 1: and the woods behind the house. I take the same 31 00:01:56,800 --> 00:01:59,760 Speaker 1: trail most days and see how summer fills everything in 32 00:01:59,800 --> 00:02:04,000 Speaker 1: with green. I will admit that all of this takes 33 00:02:04,040 --> 00:02:07,920 Speaker 1: an hour a lunch shower, and I know that is 34 00:02:07,960 --> 00:02:09,760 Speaker 1: a lot of time in the middle of the work day. 35 00:02:10,960 --> 00:02:13,079 Speaker 1: On the other hand, I come back feeling powered up 36 00:02:13,080 --> 00:02:17,000 Speaker 1: for the afternoon. I'm ready to keep working until the 37 00:02:17,080 --> 00:02:21,200 Speaker 1: kids come home. Now, I recognize that my own ways 38 00:02:21,240 --> 00:02:24,600 Speaker 1: of powering up might not be available to everyone. But 39 00:02:24,680 --> 00:02:27,800 Speaker 1: the components of my lunch break are all known energy 40 00:02:27,880 --> 00:02:35,839 Speaker 1: and mood boosters. Good food, socializing, fresh air, reading for fun, exercise. 41 00:02:36,960 --> 00:02:39,760 Speaker 1: Wherever you are working, you might be able to pick 42 00:02:39,840 --> 00:02:42,799 Speaker 1: up some of these to help you power up. Can 43 00:02:42,840 --> 00:02:44,680 Speaker 1: you walk up and down the stairs of your building. 44 00:02:45,960 --> 00:02:48,560 Speaker 1: One study of people's energy levels through the day found 45 00:02:48,600 --> 00:02:51,160 Speaker 1: that folks who rated themselves as a three on a 46 00:02:51,200 --> 00:02:54,959 Speaker 1: ten point scale gave themselves a nine after five minutes 47 00:02:54,960 --> 00:02:57,919 Speaker 1: of bounding up and down the stairs. Now that might 48 00:02:58,000 --> 00:03:01,519 Speaker 1: seem like it couldn't be true that expending energy through 49 00:03:01,560 --> 00:03:05,720 Speaker 1: exercise creates more energy, but I promise you that is 50 00:03:05,760 --> 00:03:10,399 Speaker 1: what happened. You can also chat with a friend, make 51 00:03:10,480 --> 00:03:12,840 Speaker 1: concrete plans to meet up with your work best friend 52 00:03:12,919 --> 00:03:14,840 Speaker 1: at least a few times a week for a brown 53 00:03:14,840 --> 00:03:17,600 Speaker 1: bag lunch in the break room. If you are both 54 00:03:17,600 --> 00:03:21,440 Speaker 1: working from home, call her. Or you could meet another 55 00:03:21,480 --> 00:03:24,520 Speaker 1: work from home friend at a local dog park as 56 00:03:24,560 --> 00:03:28,600 Speaker 1: you get your dogs outside and get some exercise. Laughter 57 00:03:29,000 --> 00:03:34,480 Speaker 1: and connection always leave us feeling better than before. Even 58 00:03:34,480 --> 00:03:36,480 Speaker 1: if your schedule doesn't allow you to connect with a 59 00:03:36,600 --> 00:03:40,400 Speaker 1: friend who makes you laugh, look for other opportunities to 60 00:03:40,520 --> 00:03:44,680 Speaker 1: feel merry. Listening to a funny podcast or watching a 61 00:03:44,760 --> 00:03:48,560 Speaker 1: YouTube video of your favorite comedian can induce real belly 62 00:03:48,640 --> 00:03:52,440 Speaker 1: laughs that will certainly power you up more than reading 63 00:03:52,520 --> 00:03:57,920 Speaker 1: depressing headlines. Do that only in short bursts and ideally 64 00:03:58,240 --> 00:04:01,240 Speaker 1: when you are best able to deal with it and 65 00:04:01,320 --> 00:04:06,560 Speaker 1: whatever you do, make sure you eat something satisfying, not 66 00:04:06,720 --> 00:04:09,080 Speaker 1: something that's going to leave you in a food coma afterwards. 67 00:04:09,520 --> 00:04:12,200 Speaker 1: And I wouldn't recommend the three martini lunch of yesteryear, 68 00:04:13,160 --> 00:04:16,120 Speaker 1: but something with protein and healthy fats is probably going 69 00:04:16,200 --> 00:04:19,360 Speaker 1: to stick to your ribs longer, as they say, then 70 00:04:19,360 --> 00:04:23,440 Speaker 1: a doughnut and coffee. It can seem productive to work 71 00:04:23,440 --> 00:04:26,560 Speaker 1: through lunch shoveling something into your mouth as you said, 72 00:04:26,560 --> 00:04:28,760 Speaker 1: at your desk and being unable to say what it 73 00:04:28,880 --> 00:04:33,839 Speaker 1: was afterwards, but paradoxically, you will probably accomplish more in 74 00:04:33,839 --> 00:04:36,680 Speaker 1: the afternoon if you stop working for your lunch break 75 00:04:37,480 --> 00:04:41,240 Speaker 1: and use it to do something totally different. You power 76 00:04:41,360 --> 00:04:45,640 Speaker 1: up instead of powering through, and that can make all 77 00:04:45,680 --> 00:04:52,200 Speaker 1: the difference in the meantime. This is Laura, Thanks for listening, 78 00:04:53,400 --> 00:05:03,760 Speaker 1: and here's to making the most of our time. Hey, everybody, 79 00:05:04,000 --> 00:05:06,120 Speaker 1: I'd love to hear from you. You can send me 80 00:05:06,160 --> 00:05:09,800 Speaker 1: your tips, your questions, or anything else. Just connect with 81 00:05:09,839 --> 00:05:14,200 Speaker 1: me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at Before Breakfast Pod 82 00:05:14,920 --> 00:05:19,240 Speaker 1: that's B the number four then Breakfast p o D. 83 00:05:20,120 --> 00:05:22,960 Speaker 1: You can also shoot me an email at Before Breakfast 84 00:05:23,040 --> 00:05:26,400 Speaker 1: Podcast at i heeart media dot com that Before breakfast 85 00:05:26,560 --> 00:05:29,120 Speaker 1: is spelled out with all the letters. Thanks so much, 86 00:05:29,320 --> 00:05:37,440 Speaker 1: I look forward to staying in touch. Before Breakfast is 87 00:05:37,440 --> 00:05:40,680 Speaker 1: a production of I heart Radio. 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