How do you work out on lunch breaks?

kiela64
kiela64 Posts: 1,447 Member
edited December 24 in Health and Weight Loss
I know other people do gym classes and work out during the lunch hour, but how do you work out, stretch, AND shower before getting back to work in under an hour?! What workout do you do? How are you clean? How are you not late? I’m really confused by this. Whenever I work out I’ll do say 30min on the bike or treadmill, but maybe also 15-20min of stretching, and 5min to change, 5 min to use the washroom, 15-20min to shower, dry, etc I’ll be there like minimum 2h. Am I missing something? Lol. I would love to use my time better but I’m confused by this!

Replies

  • lmew91
    lmew91 Posts: 88 Member
    Sometimes I go on my hour break; the gym is like 5 min from my work. I change, walk on the treadmill for about 35 min, then change back into my work clothes. It's basically just to get some movement and steps for the day; I don't really sweat at all. I wouldn't attempt a "real workout" within the hour because I wouldn't have time to do much before I had to shower.
  • jelleigh
    jelleigh Posts: 743 Member
    I work at a hospital and they have a small gym onsite. I go down, do 30-40 min, rinse really fast in the showers and get dressed again. I'm typically red faced for awhile after but I'm back in time. If you are working out frequently, you don't need to kill yourself every workout and be a total wreck. Moderate workouts will still have some benefit. I know some people who just go jogging outside around their workplace and then dry off and get dressed again.
  • Redordeadhead
    Redordeadhead Posts: 1,188 Member
    I don't stretch for 20 minutes and it doesn't take 20 minutes to shower.
    lmew91 wrote: »
    Sometimes I go on my hour break; the gym is like 5 min from my work. I change, walk on the treadmill for about 35 min, then change back into my work clothes. It's basically just to get some movement and steps for the day; I don't really sweat at all. I wouldn't attempt a "real workout" within the hour because I wouldn't have time to do much before I had to shower.

    This is a good idea, you can do something of moderate intensity for just half an hour. Or even walk outside if you can. When I go, I don't stretch for 20 minutes and it doesn't take 20 minutes to shower (more like 5).
  • Go_Deskercise
    Go_Deskercise Posts: 1,630 Member
    So I currently live right across the street from my work. I go home, feed the dogs and eat while they are eating, then I change, go take them for a walk/jog, come back, air dry or towel off and change, re-apply some deodorant and then head back to work. I've never had a problem with feeling clean as I don't go so hard on lunch break workouts that I sweat profusely.

    In about a month I will be in our new house and unable to do this.
    My current plan is to bring gym clothes with me to work so I can run in the business park loop.
    No need to go super hard and sweat like a maniac (I save that for after work) :smile:
  • ChickenKillerPuppy
    ChickenKillerPuppy Posts: 297 Member
    I take longer than an hour so I compensate by staying later. I couldn’t really run on the treadmill and shower in an hour. But it’s worth it for me bc I like going in the middle of the day rather than after or before work. I’m a lawyer at a large-ish office where no one is micromanaging your comings and goings during lunch so I’m lucky that it’s not an issue for me.
  • ElizabethKalmbach
    ElizabethKalmbach Posts: 1,415 Member
    I warm up by walking FAST over to the gym (12 min), I do my heavy lifts in the lift cages (15 sets/30 min), have a rinse in the shower, and then cool down by fast walking back to my office (12 minutes). I do my smaller accessory work at home in the morning before work. I do not need a squat rack or biceps curls or crunches or stretching. Plus, static stretching before lifting is not helpful. I do my stretching and foam rolling for relaxation before bed.
  • tcunbeliever
    tcunbeliever Posts: 8,219 Member
    I walk at lunch time...in the summer I change clothes (no shower)...the rest of the year the temperatures are such that I don't get sweaty enough to worry about changing clothes or showering...stretching is in my cube after my walking is done.
  • DancingMoosie
    DancingMoosie Posts: 8,619 Member
    The other day we were given a long lunch break. I wore my leggings to work already, so I didn't have to change. I went to the weight room, did my routine (takes about 35-40 min) then came back and ate. I only lifted, and it was cold, so I only did a quick wet wipes clean up afterwards. The weight room is at work, so my walk was just to the other building.
  • jeagogo
    jeagogo Posts: 179 Member
    I'm lucky to work in an office where the work you do matters more than the hours spent in the office, so when I work out during the day it's usually 75-90 minutes away from the office for a gym class and quick shower. If I want to do a weightlifting workout on my own I'll try to go later in the afternoon so the gym isn't quite so full of the lunchtime crowd.
    I do meal prep and bring my lunch to work so I almost always work while I eat.
  • oceangirl99
    oceangirl99 Posts: 161 Member
    Well, I eat my lunch at my desk and if I couldn't do that, I would allow myself 90 seconds to eat lol. I run at lunch and I don't have time to shower..... I wear deodorant, and eventually my sweat dries and my red face returns to normal and nobody would ever know. My co-workers are used to it :) I wouldn't run at lunch if I had a meeting with external people afterward though.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    I barely work up a glow, let alone sweat, when I am lifting weights in a well air conditioned gym, so did not need to shower after that. (My ex husband, on the other hand, dripped buckets.) I did need to take a long shower after swimming, and wasn't back in less than an hour, so made up the time.

    These days, my long lunches are spent hiking and I'm gone 75 - 90 minutes. But I can come in early, work late, and work on weekends. In fact, I frequently do all those things, so it's only fair I get my mental health time at lunch.
  • kiela64
    kiela64 Posts: 1,447 Member
    Thanks everyone!

    Basically I’m getting that you either are blessed with lower sweatiness than I, or you’re very fast at changing & showering. I try to move quickly but the whole process seems to take 10min to change & use the washroom before & at least 15 to change, shower, dry off, and change back into my clothes after. Then a 5min walk to and from the gym, it seemed like I wouldn’t have time! Maybe it gets speedier over time! I will definitely go for walks though, once the weather is less violent. I still get a little sweaty though. 😬

  • LisaTcan
    LisaTcan Posts: 410 Member
    ElizabethKalmbach wrote: »
    I warm up by walking FAST over to the gym (12 min), I do my heavy lifts in the lift cages (15 sets/30 min), have a rinse in the shower, and then cool down by fast walking back to my office (12 minutes). I do my smaller accessory work at home in the morning before work. I do not need a squat rack or biceps curls or crunches or stretching. Plus, static stretching before lifting is not helpful. I do my stretching and foam rolling for relaxation before bed.

    This is pretty much my exact routine. I do this 2-3 times during the week and add in one longer workout where I also do HIIT on the weekend.

  • nicsflyingcircus
    nicsflyingcircus Posts: 2,899 Member
    I get 30 minutes unpaid lunch break in a 12.5 hr shift. I typically will spend my 30 minute lunch walking briskly and then after a little bit, eat standing up in the tiny nutrition room behind the nurse's station, lol.
  • ElizabethKalmbach
    ElizabethKalmbach Posts: 1,415 Member
    kiela64 wrote: »
    Thanks everyone!

    Basically I’m getting that you either are blessed with lower sweatiness than I, or you’re very fast at changing & showering. I try to move quickly but the whole process seems to take 10min to change & use the washroom before & at least 15 to change, shower, dry off, and change back into my clothes after. Then a 5min walk to and from the gym, it seemed like I wouldn’t have time! Maybe it gets speedier over time! I will definitely go for walks though, once the weather is less violent. I still get a little sweaty though. 😬

    It's winter in Wisconsin, so I wear my workout clothes under my work clothes as "long johns." I arrive at the gym and strip off my outer layer in 20 seconds like freaking Superman in a phone booth, then start my workout. Changing after takes slightly longer, but not by too much, because while I sweat a fair amount, I don't wash my hair at the gym. I put it up and leave it up all day and only shampoo about once a week to preserve my unnatural purple hair color. :wink: I just run into the shower, soap up, rinse off, dry and throw my clothes back on - sans gym clothes layer.
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
    ElizabethKalmbach wrote: »
    kiela64 wrote: »
    Thanks everyone!

    Basically I’m getting that you either are blessed with lower sweatiness than I, or you’re very fast at changing & showering. I try to move quickly but the whole process seems to take 10min to change & use the washroom before & at least 15 to change, shower, dry off, and change back into my clothes after. Then a 5min walk to and from the gym, it seemed like I wouldn’t have time! Maybe it gets speedier over time! I will definitely go for walks though, once the weather is less violent. I still get a little sweaty though. 😬

    It's winter in Wisconsin, so I wear my workout clothes under my work clothes as "long johns." I arrive at the gym and strip off my outer layer in 20 seconds like freaking Superman in a phone booth, then start my workout. Changing after takes slightly longer, but not by too much, because while I sweat a fair amount, I don't wash my hair at the gym. I put it up and leave it up all day and only shampoo about once a week to preserve my unnatural purple hair color. :wink: I just run into the shower, soap up, rinse off, dry and throw my clothes back on - sans gym clothes layer.

    My sister does that when she doesn't have meetings with clients. She wears workout clothes under her warmer clothes in the winter, and goes to work in workout clothes in the summer and takes an extra shirt with her.

    I work from home so I make my own hours, but I have never stretched for 20 minutes, more like 5 minutes of dynamic stretches before running. When I have an urgent project with long work hours I workout for 15-20 minutes. It's not all or nothing. 20 minutes is better than 0 and it's the consistency of the habit that counts.
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,692 Member
    I walk on most of my lunch breaks ... so that's just a matter of changing my shoes and heading out the door.

    When I run, it takes me a few minutes to change, then I run for about 30 minutes, and a several more minutes to clean up and I'm back at my desk.
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