15 September Keeping Fit At Lunch Or After Work September 15, 2020By ICI Administrator Aspire 0 By David Lindsay, High Performance Coach, Keymote Speaker, Former Athete, www.davidlindsay.com.au We all know the benefits of exercise but struggle to find the time or motivation to fit it around our busy schedule. One way to combat this is to include a session within your work day, either before work, lunchtime or after work. Recruiting work colleagues will add to the enjoyment as well as have non-fitness related benefits when you’re all back in the office. Check out two quick sessions you can add to your schedule TODAY! This may come off as something that isn’t your normal lunchtime activity, but if you have a shower at your work, or somewhere you can use, this can potentially be one of the best ways to spend your lunchtime. I have seen the benefits first hand of people training together during their lunchtime or after work and I will share some of these benefits with you before I get into a few different sessions you can use. When people train together they tend to develop a friendship and trust that wasn’t there before. This can be across departments or up and down the chain of command, and they all have positives. People are willing to do more for their fellow workers that they like than ones they don’t, and if they become good friends, they will often do more for their mates than they will do for themselves. If they get outside and move during their lunchtime they will come back revved up and ready to attack the afternoons than if they were sitting at their computers throughout this same time. Energy is one of the rare things that the more you use (smartly) the more you get. If they are active and stay hydrated during their sessions they are more likely to eat healthier than if they were to sit at their computer. This will have many ongoing benefits with their health, but instantly it will stop the 3pm sugar slump. The following activities can be done as an individual or with 2 or more people. If you can regularly get a group together why not try a sporting challenge, or even a soccer or touch football game, something different that will get you moving, thinking and most importantly having fun Session 1 If you aren’t warmed up first go for a little jog around a park and do some simple squats and push ups to get the body moving. Remember we never go into anything 100%, we gradually build up to it. We want to do things effectively yet safely. Set up: Have 2 spots 30m or so apart. You can use a tree, a bench, a towel, a water bottle, whatever you like as the markers. Both people are going to be at the same marker. Get person A and person B Person A is going to run to the marker and back to where person B is doing push ups. Person A then does push ups until person B gets back. Then person B does squats with person A runs up and back. We get the idea how this is going to work. I will give different exercises for the person to do while the other is running up and back Bench dips, or ground dips Step ups (on the bench) or lunges Crunches Burpees or Star Jumps Plank hold. Hold push up position with your stomach pulled in and flexed Reverse Crunches Do these in a circuit for 3 or 4 laps, or until your time runs out. As you progress the runs should become sprints. If you find it too easy simple extend the distance you are running Session 2 This is to be done on a field if possible or set out a large square or rectangle with markers. If you have multiple people run single file and every time you reach a corner the person at the back runs to the front. Again start off slowly and with a jog to get to the front, and gradually increase the time. Do this for 5 minutes one way then 5 minutes the other. Set up exercises on each corner. Push Ups, Back Extensions, Squats and Crunches Sprint 5 lengths, which is a lap plus 1 length and perform 15 of that particular exercise. Then get up and run another lap plus 1 and continue until you have done the entire 4 exercises 2 times over (if time persists). If there is a large discrepancy of fitness levels simple adjust the amount of reps each person does, or wait until the slowest person gets to the marker before the fitter guys count, then you all get up and go for the sprint at the same time If necessary take time to keep hydrated, and ensure to eat something healthy after. This is a great exercise to encourage positive communication amongst staff. So long as everyone is doing their best that is all we can hope for. 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