How to Revolutionise Your Lunch Break Workout
Don’t have time to work out in the morning? Feel you’re always too tired by the evening? And absolute hate returning to your desk a sweaty mess midday?
We feel you. Finding the ideal time to workout is tough. Here’s how we’re transitioning the lunchtime workout from ultimate fitspo fantasy, into everyday reality.
For too long, the midday workout has existed an idealistic dream, fit only for those with flexible hours or the frustrating tendency to take an extended lunch break.
That said, a lunchtime workout is bursting with benefits. For we refuse to exempt ourselves any longer, we’ve taken the time to fine-tune its functionality in our everyday lives.
After all, who could say no to the following gains (excuse the pun)?
Breaking a sweat at lunch is great for:
Improving overall productivity
After a day-time sweat session, cognitive function is said to increase by approximately 5-10%, enhancing our overall ability to problem solve, to work creatively and to focus for the remainder of the afternoon. Say goodbye to the 3pm slump and hello to day-long productivity!
Enhancing your mood
One of the key reasons we work out is to experience those feel-good endorphins, right?! When we have an effective workout mid-day, we release positive neurotransmitters, which encourage improved feeling of wellbeing. There’s nothing better than a good mood for tackling challenges that await us back at the office!
Creating more free time
The reason many of us struggle to upkeep a consistent gym routine lends to the fact it simply doesn’t work for us! We return home from a long day, and for many of us, the tasks have only just begun. Kids or not, there’s making dinner, washing, spending time with our partners and various other obligations that keep us away from the gym. Heading to the gym in the middle of the day relieves us of any evening guilt, and also frees up this time to do everything else on our list… or, to simply enjoy ourselves.
Letting off steam
If something has happened in the morning at work, particularly if it’s caused us to feel stressed or anxious, one of the best ways we can refresh our mindset for the afternoon is by lifting your heart rate! Hitting the gym or going for a brisk walk helps us to channel our energy, promoting enhanced work progress, even in the case we’ve experienced a setback.
These benefits confirm that quick workouts should be integrated on our lunch-break! The single downfall that often acts to turn us off, however, is the idea of returning to our desks, permanently attached to the sweat that was.
It’s time we overcame the single obstacle standing in the way of us, and our fitness goals.
Be Over-Prepared
The trick with lunchtime workouts is understanding that whilst they can be integrated, they are also a luxury.
At the end of the day, whilst you’re at work, work is the priority.
So if something comes up that means your lunch break is pushed back, then so too is your workout.
A way to utilise the spare hours that do arise comes down to being over-prepared.
Even on the days you don’t necessarily plan to work out, bring your gym bag anyway! You never know when you might have enough time to sneak in a cheeky workout.
The unforeseen desire for a lunch-hour workout may also come from events that occur in your working morning.
An over-prepared fitness fanatic never returns to their desk feeling uncomfortable, for they’ve always got a towel, a drink bottle and deodorant on hand.
Be over prepared and you’ll never have to suffer the discomfort of deciding to be active with your lunch break! From now on, we bask in the benefits of a great workout only!
Cold Showers
If you’re able to, take the opportunity after your workout to jump in a cold shower! Not only will this awaken and reinvigorate your body, it’ll also help to cool down your body’s temperature at a faster rate.
Avoid a flustered, hot return to your desk, by shocking your body back to its normal temperature instead.
Studies have highlighted a direct correlation between cold showers and increase in white blood cells.
These act to fight off bugs and early-stage illnesses throughout our body. Few of us are new to the plethora of benefits that come with cold showers. From depression relief to increased body fat burning, cold showers do it all!
Who could say no to calorie burn, weight loss, immunity boosting and revitalisation all at once?!
Dry Shampoo
If you don’t know already, dry shampoo is a fitness guru’s best-kept secret! When you lack sufficient time or access to a shower post-workout, this is the next best option.
Dry shampoo is the ultimate solution for avoiding greasy hair, and for returning to your office in a presentable manner.
It’s also the secret to getting ready in a short period of time! No one has the time to wash and dry their hair in the finite period of a lunch break, right?! We’d rather be working out!
The lunch-time workout is great for enhancing our daily mood, productivity and brain function! Ensuring the routine is functional and up-keepable comes down to being seriously organised and maximising your surroundings.
Whether that’s access to dry shampoo, or if you’re lucky, a cold shower! So what do you think? We say, it’s time to get those mid-day endorphins pumping
Want to read more?
Here's some more articles similar to this one.
How to Become a Teacher’s Aide in New Zealand: Start a Fulfilling Career in Education
Teacher’s aides support classroom learning and teaching by interacting with students, both one-on-one and in small groups. If you’re passionate about education and childhood development, being a teacher’s aide may be just…
by Erin Stewart
How to Grow a Workplace Culture of Lifelong Learning: Flip Assumptions for Innovative L&D
Lifelong learning is critical to surviving, let alone thriving in the 21st-century economy. Here’s how NZ leaders can grow a culture of connected lifelong learning. We live in a rapidly changing world….
by Adele Cochrane
Study Nursing In New Zealand: A guide for potential students
Nursing can be an incredibly rewarding career that will allow you to care for those in society who need it most, and the benefits are significant, both financially and otherwise. It requires…
by Adelaide Morse
Latest Articles
How to Become an Executive Assistant: Advice From an EA
Life as an executive assistant is fast-paced, exciting, varied and can bring in some pretty competitive coin. And with no linear career pathway to this role, opportunities to start a job as…
by Laura Squair
How to Become an Office Administrator in NZ: Salary, Job Description, and What to Expect
Office administrators are essential members of any well-run business. With flexible work opportunities and no formal entry requirements, office administration is perfect for anyone looking for a stable career path. An office…
by Sabrina Sutton
The Top Pathways to Becoming a Cybersecurity Specialist
Cybersecurity is a thriving field that benefits from a diverse workforce. This means there could be an avenue for you, whether you have absolutely no experience in cybersecurity, have a general background…
by Hania Syed
