May is Spring Into Fitness Month here at BCL! We are major proponents of the work/life balance and believe that a healthier you leads to being more focused and more productive in the workplace. We all know that coffee isn’t great for you, but every day around 2 PM we find ourselves reaching for that pot to get through our afternoon slump. All this month, we’ll be posting healthy alternatives to your 2 PM coffee pick-me-up. Why don’t you give this a try? 

Meditation

by Jenni Walkowiak

Neil has been pressuring me to start meditation for months now. Whenever I’ve complained about low-energy or feeling unfocused, he recommends I try to recenter myself through meditation. I figured it was about time I give it the old college try. 

Meditation gives the body a natural high by releasing happy hormones. It reduces stress levels, increases that calm feeling and productivity. It’s also been found by researchers to reduce blood pressure and decrease cardiovascular mortality (source). Caffeine, on the other hand, exaggerates stress and raises blood pressure to levels high enough to cause heart attacks and stroke. 

Thinking uses a ton of energy. This means that thinking too much can actually lead to fatigue (who knew?). A Harvard University study found that the average person spends about 47% of their day thinking too much– I’m surprised it’s not higher! So naturally, if you spend some time not thinking, you only stand to reduce the risk of falling asleep at your desk. Not to mention that regular meditation can help you sleep better at night. Sleeping well is by far the best way to battle midday fatigue.