Exercise At Lunch

Regardless of how busy your day is, everyone has a lunch break. Exercising during your lunch break can therefore be a great way to fit in some extra exercise time into your day.

However because most lunch breaks are only one hour long, you have to make every minute count if you want to use this time to get a good workout.

If you do want to exercise during your lunch break, it is generally best to do exercises which won’t cause you to sweat very much as this will save you time having to shower and change your clothes.

Here are some exercises you can fit into your lunch break, and which will also leave you with plenty of time to get back to work.

Swimming

Swimming is an excellent form of exercise because it gives you a full body workout, and because you are in water, you are not putting any pressure on your joints which means that there is a very low risk of you injuring yourself.

If you want to swim during your lunch break then it is best to do so only if you have short hair, or are able to prevent your hair from getting wet. Otherwise it will take you a long time to dry off and get back to work.

Walking

Walking is great for exercising the calves, thighs and buttocks and you won’t get as sweaty as you would when running.

You don’t have to go far when you walk, so you can easily get back to work with plenty of time to spare.

In addition to this, walking outside is also a good way to boost your vitamin D levels, although it if is cold and wet outside then you would probably want to stay indoors.

Walking outside can be an enjoyable experience because it gets you outdoors, but you can also exercise indoors on a treadmill.

The good thing about using a treadmill is that you can exercise whatever the weather is like, but you are likely to grow bored of this very quickly. So whenever possible try to walk outside and get some fresh air.

Weights

Lifting weights will help you to increase your muscle mass, boost your metabolism and help you to burn fat.

The good thing about lifting weights is that it doesn’t result in you getting very sweaty, which means you can do it quickly and then get back to work.

The downside to lifting weights is that it can cause injury, or make an existing injury worse, if you lift the weights incorrectly or lift more than you are capable of.

Yoga And Pilates

Yoga and Pilates can help to improve your strength and the flexibility of your body, whilst also improving your muscle tone. And they do this without making you sweat, which means you don’t have to take a shower afterwards.

In addition to this, both are also excellent at reducing stress levels which can be a real bonus if you are having a bad day.

The downside to yoga and pilates is that they are not very effective if you’re trying to lose weight.

So if weight loss is what you are after, then you would be better doing a 30 minute running session rather than a 45 minute yoga session, and then using the extra 15 minutes to have a shower and get back to work.

How to Make Lunchtime Exercise Work for You

• If it is possible do so try and take your lunch break at midday or 2 p.m., as this will help you to avoid peak hours at the gym.

• If you want to exercise at the gym during your lunch break, choose one that is near to you so that it doesn’t take you long to get there and then get back to work.

• If your gym provides you with clean towels make use of them instead of taking your own.

• If you avoid exercising because you feel that you are too busy to leave your desk, remind yourself that exercise will help to increase your productivity by increasing energy levels and reducing stress.

• If you don’t feel like exercising during your lunch break, remind yourself that by doing it now you will be able to go straight home after work and relax for the rest of the evening.