Skipping Lunch? Your Doctor Wants You To Think Again

Skipping Lunch? Your Doctor Wants You To Think Again

By Allie Shah, Star Tribune (Minneapolis) (TNS)

The lunch break at work is becoming a relic of the past — a trend some doctors warn is making us unhealthy.

Just one in five Americans steps away from his or her desk to eat lunch, studies show. Working straight through the day without a break can lead to higher levels of stress, mental fatigue, physical exhaustion and eventually burnout.

“It’s really important that people keep in perspective the big picture — that they will really burn out,” said Dr. John Murphy, a family physician with Mayo Clinic Health System. “That lunch break is critically important.”

Midday breaks don’t have to be spent sitting and eating. Getting on a treadmill for a half hour, taking a few minutes to connect with family on social media or socializing in person with co-workers can offer a mental break from tasks, Murphy said. “Stress reduction is so important to overall health,” he said.

Other studies have revealed that connecting with co-workers on a social level is energizing. Taking a few smaller breaks during the day instead of one long break at noon also can protect the body and mind from the unhealthy effects of prolonged hours of sitting in front of a computer.

As for Murphy, he aims to take a break everyday and usually spends it by taking a short walk. He makes time for one other “healthy” activity on his break, he said — checking for the latest news on his beloved football teams.

©2016 Star Tribune (Minneapolis). Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Photo: Working straight through the day without a break can lead to higher levels of stress, mental fatigue, physical exhaustion and eventually burnout. (Photo courtesy Fotolia/TNS)

Advertising

Start your day with National Memo Newsletter

Know first.

The opinions that matter. Delivered to your inbox every morning

Charlie Kirk

Charlie Kirk

Rupert Murdoch announced on September 21 that he will be stepping down as chairman of Fox Corp. and News Corp. after a 70-year career poisoning global media with right-wing lies and hate. Fox is now in the hands of Lachlan Murdoch, whose track record at the company indicates he is even more grimly ideological than his father, serving as the main force backing Tucker Carlson’s on-air white supremacy and pushing the network to support Donald Trump’s 2020 election lies despite their financial consequences.

Keep reading...Show less
Bob Menendez

Sen. Bob Menendez

Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey isn't backing down as he faces a lurid set of corruption charges—complete with gold bars and stacks of cash—and many prominent Democrats have had nothing to say. That silence is troubling, but it’s also a departure from the previous time Menendez was indicted, when Democrats rallied around him. But Friday evening, the dam may have started to burst, with New Jersey Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy and the speaker of the state Assembly calling on Menendez to resign, along with Rep. Mikie Sherill (D-NJ).

Keep reading...Show less
{{ post.roar_specific_data.api_data.analytics }}