Table of contents:

1. Tips for working out during your lunch break.
2. Benefits of working out during your lunch break.
3. Exercise options for workout out during your lunch break when you are short of time.

It is common to have an after-lunch lull and drop in energy. I find exercising during my lunch break gives me energy, boosts my mood, and allows me to refocus for the rest of the afternoon to work.

No matter how short your lunch break, fitting in a workout or run has numerous benefits to your mental and physical health.

Tips for working out during your lunch break:

1. A workout does not need to be long or a hard, sweat inducing session.

Commit to workout out during your lunch break, no matter how limited your time is. Remove any pressure or expectation to work out for a set amount of time.

Any exercise will have a positive impact on the rest of your day. Even a 10-minute workout will help set you up for a better afternoon.

2. Plan ahead

Ensure you have packed your gym clothing and shoes and have it easily accessible to help you maximise the time you have available to work out during your lunch break. Try to wear work clothes that are easy to change into and out of.

3. Focus on quality over quantity!

Shorts workouts are a great time to increase the intensity to maximise your workout. Consider including HIIT (High intensity interval training) or another workout suggested style suggested below to make the most of your time.

Benefits of working out during your lunch break:

1. Allows you to see a new perspective:

Working out during your lunch break allows you to consider the problems and tasks you may have been facing in the morning from a different perspective.

Time away from your desk, colleagues and office provides you with the time and space to consider different strategies and opportunities.

Running and working out release endorphins (feel good hormones) which can help you look at potential positive outcomes.

2. Lunch time reset:

If you have had a challenging morning, working out or running on your lunch break can give you a precious break and valuable time away to reset. The change of scenery, sunshine and fresh air can help to elevate your mood and reset your mind to positively impact your wellbeing.

Workout out on your lunch break can help break up the day, keeping you from feeling stuck in a rut of monotony.

3. Enjoy the sense of achievement:

Exercise is often on our daily list of ‘to-dos’. Finding time to work out or run after work can be a challenge with family commitments and other obligations.

Each time you fit a workout into your lunch break, you can feel a sense of achievement that you have fit a workout into your day.

4. There is no need to wake up extra early in the morning:

Some people enjoy morning workouts, but for others, it is a struggle to set the alarm early enough to fit exercise in before work.

5. Helps to create a better work/life balance:

Working out during your lunch break and scheduling your exercise as a non-negotiable commitment in your day helps to create a more positive work/life balance. Lunchtime exercise can help embed fitness and wellbeing as an important part of your day and can establish a routine where work and life are balanced rather than separate entities.

6. Can help control your sugar cravings:

Workout or during your lunch break can keep you from reaching for sugar as a quick fix to overcome the common after lunch lull. Exercising boosts your metabolism and energy levels and can help curb you reaching for sweet snacks through the afternoon.

7. Lower your stress levels:

The pressures of work can be source of stress during the day. Exercise helps to lower your levels of stress and has been proven to reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety.

8. Exercise is a great way to connect with your colleagues:

Consider enlisting your colleagues to join you with your lunch time workout. Connecting with you colleagues through movement and exercise helps to create a more meaningful connection with them.

Exercise options for workout out during your lunch break when you are short of time:

• HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training)

HIIT workouts combine quick bursts of cardio exercises and short rest and recovery periods.

• Cardio and weights workout

A workout that combines cardio and weights allows you to exercise all muscle groups in a short amount of time.

• Run/walk stairs

Running/walking stairs increases your heart rate and combines cardio and strength training

• Fast walk

If you are short on time, consider doing a fast walk instead of a high impact workout or run. This will minimise the amount that you sweat so you shouldn’t need to have a full shower before returning to work.

• Stretch at your desk

I know how easily time flies during the day, and how difficult it can be to take a break from your desk when you feel like you have too much to do to take a break.

Especially on these, taking a few minutes to stretch at your desk can keep the niggles, aches and pains away.

A slow stretch also allows you to focus on your breathing while taking a moment to get out of your head and into your body.