Why Nutrition is the Key to Your Work Performance

We’ve all felt the typical 3pm slump and what do we reach for? Usually something delicious and sugary to subdue our low glucose levels – a reward for all your hard work in the day, right? Well as much as you might already suspect it, those choices are ruining your productivity.

How many of us actually stretch every 20 minutes like we’re meant to? We’re all guilty of staring at a screen for 8 or 9 hours straight, eating lunch at our desks and choosing convenient food over nutrition. Here are 3 tips to help you make small changes that will greatly affect your overall work productivity and wellbeing:

Meal Prep

It’s quick and easy to buy a sandwich and a donut on your way to work, but a little organisation will mean you already have your meals ready for the week – all you have to do is grab it out of the fridge! Choose a day or two to prep for the week (i.e. Sunday / Wednesday) and organise your meals into lunch and healthy snacks.

* TIP: Invest in enough food containers to keep everything organised and fresh and make sure you factor in some snacks you can easily carry around in your bag *

Eat your MACROS

In a simplified form your macronutrients are split into three criteria – proteins, fats and carbohydrates, and every meal should consist of these to ensure your body is getting the nutrients it needs to sustain you and your brain at work. Your macros are individual to you and your BMI so you should use the following ideas as a general guide and track your own personal macros online or through apps.

Essentially your sections could be split into the following (a few examples):

  • PROTEIN: white meat; fish; red meat or vegetarian options beans (chickpeas, lentils, edamame, tofu etc.) Protein is important because they are a component of neurotransmitters in your brain that aid communication and concentration.

  • CARBOHYDRATES: complex carbs are ideal – rice, vegetables (sweet potato/ white potato etc.), beans, whole grains etc. Carbohydrates are essential because they help transport glucose to the brain which aids your ability to focus.

  • FATS: food such as avocados, nuts and seeds. Fats are necessary because our body can’t produce fats such as Omega 3 on its own, and this is needed to help in the absorption of vitamins such as A, D, E and K.

Don’t skip meals:

How many times have you run out of the door and missed breakfast or felt guilty about your sugary snack and missed a meal? You might think that you’re helping your body shed those last few kilos, but in reality, you’re forcing your body to go into survival mode and hang onto body fat to conserve energy. This slows down your metabolism, creating a cycle that is unhealthy for your body and the dropping of your blood-sugar levels will have negative implications on your internal organs as well. Clearly skipping a meal is definitely not consistent with a productive work day!

Similar tips and resources to promote physical wellbeing -nutrition to exercise and beyond, as well as all other aspects of employee wellbeing are still available on our  Asia Employee Wellbeing Week virtual platform until 12 November. Log on now and learn more about how to build a successful #LifeInTune!

 

About the Author: Written on behalf of Community Business by Samantha Mei Topp.