Tag Archive for: eating environment

3 Ways to Create A Positive Eating Environment at Work

With our perpetually busy schedules, it can be impossible to carve out some time to enjoy a nice meal. Often mealtime is sandwiched between meetings or may even be during a meeting. It used to be that when I was at work, I ate at my desk and returned emails and phone calls in between bites of my lunch. This ultimately worked against me.

 

I found that I wasn’t taking the time to appreciate what I was eating. My meal became a background activity while I did more work. I didn’t take the time to listen to what my body’s hunger and fullness cues were, I was just mindlessly eating what was in front of me.

 

When I realized that this is what I was doing, I knew that I needed to make a change. Every day I carved out 20-30 minutes in my schedule for lunch. During this time, I walked away from the desk and sat at my kitchen table to eat lunch so I can focus on the food I was eating. Only then was I able to appreciate my meal and listen to my body’s fullness cues.

 

Creating a positive eating environment does not have to be a burden. When work is busy, taking an extra twenty minutes to eat can seem impossible, but it doesn’t have to be. Those 20 minutes should be a time to refocus yourself and can be a much-needed break from work. You can pack lunch ahead of time, as not to waste time waiting for your food to be prepared. Then, take the time you need to eat your meal and decompress.

 

Here are 3 ways you can create a positive eating environment

 

  1. Step Away from the Desk 

Most people are now working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic. Whether this is the case for you, or you are still going into the office, do your best to step away from the desk to eat. If not, it’s all too easy to just turn to the computer monitor and keep working through your lunch break. Find a nice bench outside or a table in the kitchen and have a sit-down meal. Create an eating space separate from work.

 

  1. Turn off All Distractions 

 When you’re away from your desk, treat it as a true break from all work distractions. Don’t check email or text. Do your best to turn off those distractions and focus entirely on the meal in front of you. Any work issues will surely be there when you return to your desk.

 

  1. Don’t Talk Shop

 If you decide to eat out with a coworker, commit to not talking about work. You have left your workspace and deserve a nice refrain from all the stress involved there. Refocus the conversation to something positive.

 

I realize these tips are probably things you’ve heard before. But the question is…are you consistently doing them?

It’s often NOT a lack of knowledge that trips people up. It’s LACK OF CONSISTENT BEHAVIOR.

So, which tip above will you commit to this week? Let me know in the comments below.

 

How Your Eating Environment Can Positively Affect Your Appreciation of Your Food

How often do you actually take the time to appreciate the food that is on the plate in front of you or in your mouth? The food that is giving you fuel to power through your day and energy for your workouts?

 

For most of my clients, not often at all.  Until they start working with me:)

 

That used to be me too. I would schedule clients throughout my workday, barely leaving time for me to take a lunch and/or dinner break. When I could squeeze the time in, I would hurry and eat something and get right back to work.

 

For those of you who know me well, I work with clients both in person and online. I have a home office which is separate from my house (we constructed the lower level with a side entrance into an office), so when I go to work in the morning, I am really “going to work”. There are many days when I don’t step foot back into my house until the evening. This means, I would eat lunch at my desk.

 

Here’s the problem with that scenario. At my designated lunch break, my assistants would give me work to review, phone calls to return and emails to respond to. I would eat my lunch and quickly get to the tasks that needed my attention before I started seeing clients again for the afternoon. Well, I was not appreciating my food at all. There was so much going on around me, that I wasn’t able to take the time to really savor and be mindful.

 

I quickly realized this has to change! As I started teaching intuitive eating and mindful eating to my clients, I too began practicing these principles. The first change I made…to go upstairs to my kitchen and sit down at the table and eat my lunch. I look out my beautiful bay windows at the trees, focus on each and every bite and achieve great pleasure in my food.

 

Wow, what a difference this has made in my mind and my body.

 

Many people tell me “I don’t have time to do that” or “mindful eating takes too much time. I have so many things I need to do”.

 

Ahem, excuse me. I am just as busy. And, you know what? Eating lunch in this manner doesn’t take me any more time than eating at my desk while multi-tasking. I still start my afternoon client sessions on time. BUT, I appreciate my food much more, and my body is energized and fueled and happy!

 

Try it.  And, let me know how you feel afterwards.

 

And, for added fun, snap of photo of your eating area and share it with me on Facebook.