You’re reading Move, the nudge we need to get active, however makes us happiest and healthiest.
Working from home, for many of us, gave us an active interest in, well, getting active.
At some point most of us realised that we weren’t moving enough and did our best to incorporate more exercise into our WFH schedule. And two years in, that daily walk, or run, or HIIT workout in the living room has become routine.
But as public restrictions have eased, we’re now being asked to go back to the office en masse. And our fitness regimes may suffer as a result.
Sure, your step count will be going up but you can hardly fit in a Yoga with Adriene session or cardio workout in the middle of an office day (unless you have an office gym, you lucky thing).
So, how do you maintain your exercise levels? We spoke to Dom Thorpe, a top-ranked fitness coach for people with disabilities and chronic illnesses, who had some words of advice.
Train prior to work
Thorpe says: “If you can face it, get up early and bash out an exercise session before you leave for work, or hit the gym on the way to the office. This gets it done and dusted so you can focus on whatever it is you need to throughout the remainder of day.”
Off-peak hours
“If you’re the boss, or you have a flexible boss, try and do a gym workout or exercise class in the hours between 9am and 12pm or 2-5pm. These will be the hours when the gym is least busy and you’ll be able to work out stress free.”
Your lunch break
“It may seem like a heavy workload means you can’t take a lunch break, but take a lunch break and you’ll still get the same amount of work done. So use that time to attend a nearby gym, exercise class or simply go for a walk in the park. Beware that gyms can be busy at this time of day.”
Commuter fitness
“Save money on transport and/or parking by stopping a good distance away from the office and walking/running the rest of the journey. This can be done on the way to work or on the way home. There are even services which will deliver your work gear for you while you run to your destination. You may even fancy throwing in a few push ups or lunges en route to mix it up.”
After work
“If you have the dedication and can put up with the busiest period of the day, you can hit the gym after work. My first tip would be ‘don’t go home first’. You’ll end up slumped on the couch for the evening. My second tip would be make sure your gym is conveniently located. The harder it is to get there, the less likely you are to go.”
In the office
“If you don’t mind people looking at you with a confused face, you can perform a series of exercises in the office. Lunges, crunches, sit to stands from your office chair, push ups on your desk or the floor, tricep dips in your chair. Make sure you consider your colleagues and avoid training in your stinky old gym kit. Plus always have some deodorant handy.”
Move celebrates exercise in all its forms, with accessible features encouraging you to add movement into your day – because it’s not just good for the body, but the mind, too. We get it: workouts can be a bit of a slog, but there are ways you can move more without dreading it. Whether you love hikes, bike rides, YouTube workouts or hula hoop routines, exercise should be something to enjoy.
