How eating lunch was ruining my day job
Matthew Cheah
Looking for collaborative Blockchain projects for Treasury & Markets | Innovation | Digital Champion
It’s 3 O’clock, staring up at the ceiling lights isn’t helping.
I feel my energy draining, I just wanted to close my eyes.
This is not insomnia, it is not sleeping hours.
It was 3PM on a Tuesday Afternoon, and all I wanted to do was sleep.
You have pretty much experienced this at least once in your life, or perhaps just way too often? You get this feeling after a good lunch that happened hours ago! That dreaded feeling that saps your will to move and be productive. That feeling that makes you reach out to your phone for something more engaging.
You know the words that describe the feeling.
“Coma”, a state of unconsciousness in which a person cannot be awakened.
Yes, we all know it feels that drastic!
After a period of time, I finally regained my momentum, I was back on the productivity train! By now, I had wasted 1/8th of my day, checking my phone 5 times, switching between browser tabs, looking at seemingly random things on my desk to arrange for the 10th time, listlessly performing actions that were anything BUT productive to my workday.
I had to make a change in my lifestyle. I hated the feeling, I was gaining weight. Is it because I had been skipping out on my exercise routine?
After reading through health articles and getting the reassurance from WebMD that I indeed had a serious illness. I found an answer. I was just consuming too much Carbohydrates! My diet did not have any semblance of balance.
I decided to follow the advice given to me, and start my healthier lifestyle. And I learned much from my 6 month journey to healthy living.
Sugar is thy enemy
We all should know the danger of sugar. If you don't, read this.
The list includes depression, lowered concentration, lack of energy, negativity … and many many more.
Of course you can see how this affects work productivity.
CARB IS SUGAR!
Long story short, without making you read through articles on the science behind carbohydrates and its link to sugar. Read the Harvard study here.
So in this way, sugar is present is almost everything we eat.
Be it the carb we eat as rice, noodles, potato, and bread.
Be it the sugar from obvious desserts, flavouring in our foods, sauces, fruits.
But one of the biggest yet unknown culprits that cause a big spike in our sugar intake – Coffee, our drink of choice for productivity, is a big part of our daily sugar intake. Be it any usual flavoured caffeine beverage, soft drink, almost every drink we consume during lunch has sugar in it. And it all adds up!
So why is it a problem? Remember the food coma episode I had earlier?
Excessive carbohydrates cause a reaction in the body which gives us a surplus of energy, and after a period of time, will cause an “energy crash”, or a sensation of fatigue, once your metabolism has burned all of the possible energy.
Your afternoon slump!
Getting sugar out of my life
Most of my sugar intake has been either reduced severely or removed completely on a daily basis.
No more sweetened drinks, just long-black or a latte (5g carb, 100ml - Milk, 1% fat).
Skipping on desserts, removing snack-time, and eating less carb.
Reaping the benefits
No more food comas
I was more positive during work
I was more focused and concentrated in the things I did
It was like a mysterious weight had lifted from my shoulders
NO MORE POST-LUNCH DISGUST
Start simple. Stay consistent.
- Reduce sugar in all your drinks, or if you are adventurous, remove it completely. Opt for black coffee, water, plain tea
- And cut your carb intake down a notch
- Stop eating lunch desserts
And hey, if you stop there. That is good enough. You will feel the difference. The myriad of health benefits, would bring you less financial burden down the road. But the main part of your day improves the most, the time you spend at work.
Start working healthy, why not start Today?
Seasoned Application Support; Customer Support Analyst; Technical Support Specialist.
8ySuch a Great article! love your quote "im not dieting, im changing my lifestyle! " ❤️
Operations | Logistics | Human Resources | Payroll Administration | Inventory Management | Bachelor of Science in Business Administration
8yThis is true. An unbalanced diet can definitely cause a crash in the afternoon. I would be careful about getting rid of your snack times, though. You can gain weight from not consistently feeding your body throughout the day. I have hypoglycemia, so food issues are a little more enhanced for me, but I still think this is good advice: 1.) Drink a glass of water right when you wake up (this helps hydrate your body after a good night sleep) 2.) EAT BREAKFAST! Eating too in the morning is not good because your body is still trying to "wake up." Just make sure you eat a balanced breakfast. 3.) Snack 1, Lunch, and Snack 2 should be about the same size. These meals are for sustaining energy throughout the day, not over-indulging! 4.) Dinner time can actually be bigger. The reason for this is that you still need some fuel to have your body make it through the night. I, personally, try to make my dinner 10 to 12 hours before I eat breakfast the next day. This is good for digestion, and considered "fasting." 5.)Turn off all electronics a minimum of an hour before you want to fall asleep. 6.) WATER, WATER, WATER! This is what I follow, and helped me lose weight, but this may not work for everyone.
OEM Director | NVIDIA | Artificial intelligence (AI) | Enterprise AI | Generative AI | Omniverse / Metaverse | Virtual Reality / Digital Twin / Quantum Computing / Blockchain
8yI wish sugar was good, can you share something about how good sugar can be pleaseeeeeee. Can't imagine life without sugar. But yes, I'm a "kosong" drinker.
Solution Sales Manager | Account Management | Red Hat and IBM
8yTime to remove the snacks in the office!!!!!
Head | Middle Office
8ygreat article! Definitely worth cutting down on sugar!