Leaden fatigue at work? A simple rule helps to circumnavigate the performance slump. Peak performance at the lunch hour? Bad timing. After all, creativity and concentration peak for most of us between ten and eleven o’clock. After that, the performance curve drops and the body needs a break. According to the DAK health barometer, one in ten of us forgoes the rest we deserve – for lack of time. 60-30-10: With this ideal measure, employees can specifically switch off and quickly recharge their batteries.
60 percent: Take off with power food
A little more than half of the lunch break should be planned for a meal. But please no hearty food! “Heavy food makes the digestive organs work at full speed. Our brain, however, switches to economy mode,” says nutritionist Hanna-Kathrin Kraaibeek. Her tip: “Optimal fit-makers are lean meat, fish and above all vegetables and salad. They contain important vitamins as well as minerals that get the mind and body going again.”
A pleasant side effect: eating de-stresses. Provided you chew slowly and don’t get distracted. If you can’t find the time for an extensive lunch in the canteen, you should still treat yourself to a meal. Pre-cooked meals at home or sandwiches are a quick, healthy alternative in this case.
30 percent: new vigor for tired limbs
In the morning still dynamically started into the day – at noon already limbs as heavy as lead? No wonder: a rolling stone gathers no moss. “Exercise during the lunch break protects against back and neck pain and boosts circulation,” advises Kraaibeek instead. Just under a third of the lunch break should therefore be planned for a small fitness program. If you have an hour, for example, you can go for a 20-minute walk in the fresh air. Only a 15-minute break? Then the rule is: open the window and stretch and stretch your body for four minutes.
10 Percent: Downshift and relax
In the U.S., so-called “power napping,” the short nap at work, has long been established. Thus, reaction time and performance are proven to be many times higher after a nap. In Germany, however, this has not yet caught on.
Alternatively, a short relaxation exercise can give you new power: Simply close your eyes, breathe in deeply through your nose and out through your mouth. Do the whole thing four times in a row and then start again with a clear head, full of verve.
A sample lunchtime routine:
| Lunch break | Food | Movement | Relaxation |
| 1 hour | 35 minutes lunch in canteen/restaurant (with side salad) | 20 minutes walk in the fresh air | 5 minutes power napping |
| 1/2 hour | 20 minutes walking to bakery or supermarket (rolls, fruit, yogurt) | 8 minutes jogging up stairs and once around the building | 2 minutes yoga exercise, e.g. “tree” |
| 15 minutes | 10 minutes Packed lunch | 4 minutes Stretching and stretching at the open window | 1 minute close eyes and breathe deeply |
