From vending machine buffets to fast food — or even skipping meals altogether — your busy schedule takes a toll on your nutritional choices. You’re not alone in this struggle, either. Research has shown that many of us are simply too busy to eat right, sacrificing meal quality to save time and be more efficient at work.
Your intentions may be noble, but you might actually be shooting yourself in the foot by relying on foods that deprive you of much-needed energy.
Look at a car’s engine. Without high-quality fuel, the machine won’t run properly. It’ll sputter and stall, eventually breaking down much faster than it otherwise would.
The same is true for our bodies. We can somewhat function off a bag of chips and a candy bar, but we’re never going to reach 100 percent on that fuel. Eventually, we’ll suffer brain and body fatigue due to all sorts of issues:
1. Lack of Energy
A continuous flow of processed ingredients and refined sugar causes blood sugar and insulin levels to rocket around like a rollercoaster. This imbalance leads to cravings for more sugar, and the lack of real nutrients will lead to exhaustion. You’ll lose even more energy due to adrenal fatigue and imbalanced insulin resistance.
2. Poor Performance/Decreased Productivity
Have you ever gone into a “food coma” after a heavy lunch? Do the simplest cognitive tasks seem challenging after you’ve scarfed down a double cheeseburger? Poor eating choices that are meant to save time can actually cost you in performance and productivity because they lack healthy fats, quality protein, and vitamins like B12.
3. Weight Gain
A lunch of deep-fried potatoes, milkshakes, and questionable-looking burgers is obviously bad for you. But the downward spiral caused by poor eating is even worse. Your food negatively affects your energy, so at the end of each day, you’re more likely to collapse on the couch than head to the gym. This routine will eventually cause muscles to atrophy and your body to store higher amounts of fat (usually starting with the belly).
Knowing these consequences, it becomes clear that busy professionals need to find a convenient way to eat healthier. For many people, a meal delivery service is the answer.
How a Meal Delivery Service Helps
If your goal is to raise productivity and minimize your time in the office, eating healthy is absolutely necessary. But it isn’t always convenient to plan, purchase, and prepare each meal by hand. A meal delivery service ensures you always have healthy, low-glycemic meals readily available. This way, you have more time and energy to enjoy your personal life.
It’s also important to note that being “hangry” is a real thing; erratic blood sugar and insulin levels can affect your hormonal balance and make you irritable and unpleasant. Having readily available and low glycemic meals that are high in protein, fiber, and healthy fats will help better regulate blood sugar and insulin. This, in turn, helps you maintain better hormone balance.
By eating well, you increase your chances of being more productive and having a more positive, upbeat attitude. This equates to higher morale and a greater sense of accomplishment in the work you do.
However, quality food isn’t the end-all of a healthy lifestyle. You have to complement your healthy meals with an equally healthy lifestyle.
Complement Good Nutrition with Good Fitness
There’s an infinite number of ways to make fitness a significant part of your life, but for busy professionals, many of those aren’t feasible. Just as meal deliveries can simplify good nutrition, these few tips can simplify a healthier lifestyle, too:
1. Start with a Plan
Every successful result comes from a well-executed plan. Your health and fitness are no different. Set specific points in your day to eat your meals, and don’t push them off or skip them. Consistent meal placement throughout your day staves off starvation-based binge eating (usually on sugary foods for energy) and keeps insulin levels steady.
2. Snack to Your Advantage
Between your three main meals, have a quality snack that’s anchored in protein and paired with either a healthy fat (like raw nuts) or a low-glycemic, high-fiber source (like Greek yogurt with blueberries). Healthy snacking wards off the “hangry” monster, and should be planned two to three hours after each meal and two to three hours before the next.
3. Get Up and Move
The human body was made to run, jump, swim, and climb — not sit for hours on end. Every few hours, get up from your desk and move around. Take a short walk around the office, stretch for a few moments, or take a couple of flights of stairs. Remaining sedentary all day can negate the work you put into healthy meal planning, so find an active routine you enjoy, and make it a part of your daily schedule.
4. Avoid Drinking Your Calories
Avoid sodas and juices, each of which contains excessive amounts of sugar (between 20 to 40 grams, depending on the beverage). Even the sugar in your coffee can add up fast. Instead, get your calories from nutritionally dense sources, and rely more on water to quench your thirst. Water is vital for hydration, mental clarity, detoxification, and countless other daily body functions. If you need a pick-me-up in the morning, try organic tea or organic coffee, which are both high in antioxidants.
We all wish we could be more efficient at our jobs. But our bodies shouldn’t be a place for compromise. By focusing on healthier living, your other struggles will fall into place.
