No Afternoon Slump
A balanced lunch, ten minutes of walking and a glass of water. An afternoon with more energy.
For people whose energy drops after lunch. The program combines lunch, a short walk, water and an optional short nap, about 15 minutes a day in total.
A day in the program
Tasks, in order.
Times assume waking at 7:00 and going to sleep at 23:00. In the app, they shift to fit you.
Midday
- 12:30Add protein to lunch1 portion · Food · Every day
When you put your lunch together, add a palm-sized serving of protein and some vegetables to your plate. Meat, fish, eggs, tofu, legumes or quark all work.
A plate instead of counting. WHO recommends at least 400 g of fruit and vegetables a day; a serving of vegetables at lunch is an easy first part (WHO).
- 13:00Walk after lunch10 min · Movement · Weekdays
When you finish eating, go outside for 10 minutes or walk the hallways and stairs. Keep a calm pace, one where you can talk without getting out of breath. Weekends are for rest.
Short breaks. According to a meta-analysis, breaks of up to 10 minutes increase vigor and reduce fatigue (Albulescu et al. 2022).
Afternoon
- 14:00Drink a glass of water300 ml · Water · Every day
When you get back to work, set a glass of water next to your keyboard and drink it.
How much to drink. EFSA sets total water at 2.0 l a day for women and 2.5 l for men, including food, so about 1.6 and 2.0 l from drinks (EFSA 2010).
- 14:30Take a 10-minute nap10 min · Sleep · Every day
When your day allows it, lie down or lean back for 10 minutes with an alarm set. This task is optional; the 15:00 cutoff is a practical rule so sleep doesn't come too late in the evening.
Short is better. In the lab, a nap of about ten minutes worked best; after thirty minutes, grogginess came first (Brooks and Lack 2006).
General suggestions for everyday wellbeing, not medical advice. Adjust the tasks to suit you. If you have a health condition, are pregnant or take medication regularly, talk to your doctor before making changes.
What our programs build onSources
What the program builds on.
A serving of vegetables at lunch is the first part of the recommended 400 g of fruit and vegetables a day.
The afternoon glass of water follows EFSA's reference intake for water, not a fixed number of glasses.
The walk after lunch is a short break, and according to the meta-analysis such breaks increase vigor and reduce fatigue.
The tasks are tied to lunch, because a habit forms most easily on the same daily cue.
The nap is only 10 minutes, because that worked best in the trial, and longer naps brought grogginess first.