Our newest blogger is Brooke Alpert, MS, RD, CDN, a nutritionist and the founder of B Nutritious, a private nutrition counseling practice based in New York City. She’ll be bringing advice on how to stay healthy, fit, and centered during even the craziest of work weeks. And because every few days seems to bring new headlines about wellness and nutrition, Brooke will also help us separate the truly worthwhile discoveries from fads and questionable findings.
I have a two-year old, so I watch a lot of Nick Jr. on TV. There’s a promo I’ve seen more than my fair share of that has me thinking.
It has a few sections, but the best one starts in an operating room, with all the beeping and other noises you’d expect. A bunch of doctors and nurses are all huddled around what seems to be a patient. Once you get in closer, you see that everyone is playing with the swabs, the wooden sticks, the Q-tips, and the rubber gloves. Then you hear an announcer ask, “What if life was more like preschool? You’d have arts and crafts time.” Others parts show a bunch of rough-looking mechanics pausing for a story and office workers with eyes closed for nap time.
Maybe this commercial is on to something. Let’s break down what happens in preschool: play, snack, recess, and a nap. It got me thinking about what I recommend to my clients. I want them to sleep more, make healthier choices, exercise, and enjoy life. Not so different, right?
Of course, playing with paper clips or napping under your desk isn’t going to cut it with your boss, but perhaps there are some guidelines here that can be adapted to your work day.
Sleep: you wouldn’t expect a preschooler to function well on very little sleep, so why would you try to do it? Set a reasonable bedtime for yourself and stick to it. Preschoolers need around 12-13 hours of sleep a day, including a nap. Most adults don’t need anywhere near that much, but they still generally do need a true eight hours every night. Keep in mind that less sleep means that your body will produce more of the hormone ghrelin, which leads to weight gain.
Snack: Three-year-olds need a snack to get them from lunch to dinner. And who could blame them? Six hours between meals is too long. For your snack, keep it simple and grab a yogurt, an apple, or a handful of nuts (FYI, a serving of nuts is about 23 almonds).
Recess: Ever seen a bunch of kids during recess? It’s like wild animals being let out of their cage. Get moving throughout the day whenever possible. Go pick up your lunch, walk around the block, and go to your colleague’s desk instead of emailing. Any movement will get the blood flowing–just move every day and do it in increments if time is a problem. Ten minutes here, five minutes there, and over the course of the day you can rack up 45 mins of activity.
Do you wish life were more like preschool? How so?
