You are walking into the break room to refill your coffee, and find that someone has brought in donuts or leftover Halloween candy. You haven't had breakfast, so what would it hurt to grab a donut and take a little candy for later?
A study from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention published in June found that people consume an extra 1300 calories/week at work from either vending machines or common areas like a break room and 70% of these calories came from free food or drink. Sadly, these calories were mostly void of nutritional value (soft drinks, brownies, candy, pizza, etc). Yikes! It only takes 3500 calories to make a pound, so no wonder we are struggling with obesity in our society.
Employers can help by providing nutritional and wellness education, as well as healthy snack options. The term "out of sight out of mind" is especially applicable to sugary treats at work. A break room is designed as a place to step away from the desk, and if that is needed, then stress may already be high and self-control may be at a low.
Try walking outside for 5 minutes instead, or if you really want to refill that coffee, take a set of stairs and a few hallway walks to get your mind in a good place so when you head into the break room you will be mindful of what will really help you succeed in your day.
