Wired UK – September 2019

ENERGISED OFFICE

Time is in short supply. In the deluge of emails,

red-dot notifications and deadlines it can be almost

impossible to find the hours, let alone the motivation,

needed to stay physically fit. More than a quarter of

the world’s adults aren’t active enough, a study in the

Lancet Global Health journal found in September 2018.

Thankfully, there’s no need to spend hours running in

all weathers. NHS guidelines for adults are 150 minutes

of moderate exercise a week, or 75 minutes of vigorous

exercise (or a combination). All you need is a lunch

hour – and in many cases not even a full 60 minutes –

to improve your health and get away from your desk.

First, goals: people need to know if they’re aiming

to run five kilometres, feel stronger and healthier, or

lose weight. The next step is how to achieve it. “Fitness

programmes tend to be about getting someone from

point A to point B, and most people will already have

an idea of their point B,” explains Nike trainer Luke

Worthington. It’s determining point A that is crucial.

He recommends visiting a professional, but if cost

or time reasons are a deterrent, Worthington says it is

possible to do this alone. All exercise is made up of seven

types of movement: squat; hinge; vertical push and pull;

horizontal push and pull; and the lunge. Combining all

these into an exercise routine will ensure a full workout.

Group exercise classes such as Barry’s Bootcamp,

SoulCycle and Peloton have grown in popularity, and

Instagram, YouTube and Silicon Valley have helped ILL

UST

RA

TIO

N:^ R

UN

E^ F

ISK

ER.

SP

OT^

ILL

UST

RAT

ION

:^ NE

AS

DEN

CO

NTR

OL^

CEN

TRE

PH

OTO

GR

AP

HY:

GE

TTY

;^ AL

AM

Y

This is the easiest

way to shake

off drowsiness,

Lawson believes.

...but blueberries

and dark chocolate

may aid memory.

If you’re feeling

stressed, it’s best

not to drink more

than one cup a day.

EAT YOUR WAY

TO STAYING ALERT

IN THE OFFICE

Drink water

Brain foods

are a myth...

Easy on the coffee

Forget the energy drinks and boredom

munchies – it’s time to wake up to the

latest nutritional thinking on work fuel

Feeling sluggish in the

office? Chugging back coffee

or Red Bull is not the answer.

The easiest way to stay alert,

according to nutritional

therapist Fiona Lawson, is

keeping your blood sugar level

stable, otherwise you risk

“getting into hormonal chaos”.

The way to do this is eating

fibre, protein, healthy fat and

complex carbohydrates – AKA

a balanced meal. But when

should we eat? This is where

“chrononutrition”, devoted to

perfect eating times, comes in.

One recommendation is to

make sure you eat breakfast

• as long as it includes the
  essential nutrients. “It helps
  to regulate your appetite for
  the rest of the day,” Lawson
  says – while recognising that
  some people feel more alert if
  they’re fasting in the morning.
  According to Daniel
  O’Shaughnessy, who runs The
  Naked Nutritionist blog, three
  meals per day are useful, but
  the important thing is to eat
  only when you’re hungry: “If
  you eat because you’re bored,
  re-evaluate if that’s hunger.”
  According to Lawson, a
  glass of water is the best way
  to shake off sluggishness


• but if only coffee will do,
  make sure it’s an after-meal
  drink. “On an empty stomach,
  the caffeine is going to hit
  your bloodstream much
  more quickly,” says Lawson.
  “And that will mess with your
  blood sugar.” Gian Volpicelli

WORK SMARTER

09-19-WSExerciseFood.indd 50 22/07/2019 14:12