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
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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