Lunch break, as its name suggests, was originally designed as your time for lunch. But life is so much more than food and work, and we need to reframe our assumptions about this part of the day. Whether you work as a full-time employee or you are a freelancer, why not challenge yourself to spend your lunch break in a new, creative way at least once a week? In fact, you can organize an office-wide weekly challenge and compete against your coworkers as to who is going to have the most unusual lunch break.

Here are a few true and tested ideas that are great alternatives to a traditional lunch break:

Go to a museum or a gallery

Have you visited all the museums in your hometown? Even if you have, you can browse their websites for interesting temporary exhibitions or world-famous treasures visiting for a limited time only. You get bonus points if you visit a super strange exhibition at lunch.

Тreat yourself to a massage

Get rid of the annoying back stiffness that has been screaming for treatment for weeks. If your afterwork schedule is too busy, make an appointment for a massage at lunchtime. There is nothing as refreshing as an hour of bliss in the middle of your working day. If you have a close friend among your colleagues, you will do them a favor if you give them a massage gift voucher.

Listen to a podcast

Just find a sunny green spot and load your favorite podcast on your phone while you eat lunch.
Listen to a podcast

Catch up with an old friend

We are all busy and often neglect the most important things in life, like our friendships. A quick lunch with a long-forgotten friend can be the spark that will remind you why you used to hang out together so much before. Just like that, you have a new-old friend.
7 fun things recommended by coworker to do during your lunch break

Tour de France

An hour of cycling is an energizing way to burn a few calories, to explore more faraway parts of the neighborhood than you can usually reach walking, to blast your favorite music in the headphones or to simply escape to a quiet park. If bringing your own bicycle is too difficult, rent one for an hour.

Go on a date

Creativity is the driving force of successful relationships, and tiny little dates during lunchtime can be surprisingly beneficial for your relationship. Choose an activity that you both like or take turns surprising your other half with something that is completely new to them. Go to an ice cream parlor, watch short movies, ride a ferris wheel, go to the zoo or join an art class – whatever makes the two of you happy.


Book a wine tasting session

This one is to be practiced only if you have a really cool boss (like mine) who would do the same during their own lunch break. Wine tastings at lunch are both recharging and a bit tricky, as the amount of wine that will make you tipsy depends on many factors, such as your overall health, the weather, what you had for breakfast, etc. Just choose a day with no important meetings in the afternoon.

There are so many fun activities to explore during your lunch break, especially if you find yourself in a new city that’s begging for you to wander around. Do you have a favorite way of spending your lunch break that we haven’t mentioned? Comment below!