Hill+Knowlton Strategies

In many agencies, the words ‘lunch break’ will draw either a blank stare, a cry of disbelief, or a shriek of horror as though you have muttered an obscenity. Working in public relations can often bring massive stress, high pressure environments and impossible deadlines. The idea of an hour-long break over lunch may seem foreign to many who think that a bowl of cereal at 12.30pm can keep them switched on and motivated through the day.

I am a huge advocate of the lunch time hour of power. I often find the need to release the stress that comes with the job by hitting the pavement for just 30 or 40 minutes. Feeling fresh air and the heart pumping will not only relieve tension and anxiety, but keep you focused through a long afternoon.

As a tech lover, I enjoy using my phone to not only track my fitness  and progress, but also to push myself harder each time. Of course, a music player will give you a beat to keep you going, but there are now a plethora of mobile apps out there that can map your run, monitor your heart rate, count calories, give dieting tips – the list is endless with new, innovative apps being developed all the time. I’m currently testing out which GPS tracking system is the most accurate to monitor how far and how fast I run. Nike+ GPS is my current app-of-choice; it not only tracks my run, but can push me harder with mid-run cheers to beat my previous time. The App Store’s Health & Fitness category has countless dynamic apps like this that can help anybody get healthy and fit.

It turns out I’m not alone in connecting physical and digital. The other day I stumbled upon this infographic that shows there are plenty of fitness fanatics out there who share my sentiments of using technology to maintain a healthy lifestyle. It turns out 74 per cent of respondents say that technology helps them achieve their healthy lifestyle.

Many people may read this and think that I must be crazy to leave my desk at lunch time, that there’s just not enough time in the day, that it’s just too difficult to find the motivation.

Want motivation? Watch this