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Daily Thrive
WORKPLACE WELLNESS
By Jon Vredenburg, MBA, RD, CDE, CSSD, LD/N
Lack of time is typically the number one excuse people will claim for not getting enough physical activity.
The lunch hour provides a great opportunity to maintain
some level of fitness amidst our busy lives. Although emerging
from a mid-day workout dripping with sweat may be
great for maximizing the heart rate, it can be bad for business.
Thankfully, it is still possible to stay active at lunch, without
needing to take the rest of the day off for cleaning up.
“If people want to work out during their lunch hour but
don’t want to get hot and sweaty, I recommend staying
indoors,” says Ellen Crook, a personal trainer with the San Jose
Country Club. “The most important thing is to get up out of
your desk and get moving.”
Crook suggests walking may be the most practical way to stay
active, but knows that it is not always the most reliable way to
avoid the outdoor heat. Seeking areas around the office or nearby
complexes and shopping centers can offer an air-conditioned
venue to get moving.
“Walking laps can help you increase your daily step count,”
adds Crook. “A good daily goal to shoot for is 10,000 steps per
day.” For the average person, this would equate to about 5 miles
per day, and although walking speeds vary achieving a 15-minute
mile can be a reasonable expectation. Walking after a meal
has also been known to help with digestion and can be helpful
for managing blood sugar spikes in those with diabetes.
Crook also advocates working on flexibility with low-impact
exercises such as yoga during the lunch hour. Yoga offers an
array of benefits, including stress management which bodes well
for the working professional. “Yoga is a great exercise. It is slow
paced and typically won’t make you sweat too much,” Crook
says. There are many types of yoga but the Bikram and hot yoga
classes are the primary types that feature heated studios, and
therefore can be counterproductive to avoiding sweat. If yoga
classes are not available, Pilates can be another option.
Sweating is part of the recipe for calorie burning, but adding
a shower to an already tight lunch schedule makes it even
tougher to get away from that desk. “The relationship between
exercise intensity and perspiration is relatively linear. The harder
you exercise, the more you sweat,” Crook says. “The muscles
will heat up from exercise, and your body sweats so it can cool
down from the sweat evaporating.”
Lunchtime fitness should be part of a comprehensive wellness
approach. Although you may not be able to engage in the level
of training that can generate a big calorie burn, it is not a reason
to avoid moving. “Every little bit of exercise throughout the day
can add up to a great workout,” she says. After all, getting moving
during lunch often fights the one thing that really adds to our
waistline — more time spent eating.
10 First Coast Health Source August 2016