Are you crunched for time or looking to commit to daily fitness? Lunchtime can be an optimal time frame for a workout. Before you begin randomly exercising, decide what your overall goal is, then form a plan.
Step 1: Decide on a Specific Goal
Is your goal to complete a challenging workout in a short amount of time? Do you want to get stronger? Lose weight? Reduce stress? The first part to any successful workout routine is setting specific goals. Then you can design a plan with a specific objective. You can always tweak your routine and allow room for flexibility once you've established the habit. But to start, it's important to have clarity on what it is you want to achieve.
More: How to Make Clear Fitness Goals
Step 2: Decide if a Fitness Buddies or Working Out Solo Is Right for You
Option 1: Are you more motivated and accountable when work out with a friend? If so, rally up a co-worker or two that will commit to a workout on specific days of the week. Share the overall goal to attract people that align with your plan; be it strength training, core training, fat burning or stress relief. If your goals are in synergy, you'll have a greater return on your time investment.
Option 2: Organize a group workout at the office. Ask your supervisor for permission to set up 1 or 2 weekly lunchtime workouts. Statistics have shown an increase in productivity, wellness, reliability and overall confidence in job performance for those who participate in good health practices at work. Travel To Go, a San Diego based corporation offers one-hour fitness classes twice a week lead by an outside training company. Troy Nunez, Vice President of Operations says, "We want our employees to enjoy being at work and offer them fitness workouts as a company benefit."
Option 3: Are you the lone ranger in your quest to get fit? Do you find yourself surrounded by pizza in the lunchroom, candy and smokers? Don't despair. You can take your fitness to the level you desire even in the most challenging environments. The key to your success will be in your resourcefulness. An outside fitness group or support system can be an extremely helpful tool to keep you on track. Employ their support and share your challenges with them for feedback.