5 Tips for a Quickie – Lunch Workout

You only have around an hour for a workout during lunchtime, but you are nowhere near a gym. The traffic would kill you anyway, and so you are stuck in the office. What should you do?

Well, you could run up and down the stairwell for sure, but let’s refine it a little. Short bursts of high-intensity exercise will make your quick workout just as effective as any other. In fact, just a One-Hour Workout is all you need really. You don’t need to end up looking like a drowned rat, and a quick freshen up (even without a shower) will have you looking sharp again in no time.

Here are my 6 Tips for a Quickie – Lunch Workout:

1. Pack your Lunch

Pack a healthy sandwich of your choice, even a 100 plus and apple for dessert. All these things prepare you for the workout, and you won’t waste time going to the canteen when time is scarce.

2. Pack your gym Bag

Make sure your gym bag has wet wipes, powder, a brush for your hair. In addition to clothes, don’t forget shoes, water, and any other toiletries, a towel, make-up for reapplying, some body spray—just in case you work up a bigger sweat than you intended.

3. Plan your Workout

Here are my top workouts for the office and when time is short. They are effective and really help you rev up your metabolism eventhough you aren’t working out for a long time. Take your pick from the exercises below. Here are my favourites:

(a) Office chair dips 

One of the great quick workouts during lunchtime, is the chair dip. Use an office chair with wheels to increase the difficulty level of this one. A normal chair will also work but then you won’t exercise the front of you arms. Grab on to the edge of the seat and let the chair roll back as you go down. Stop when your upper arms are parallel to the floor. Pull that chair towards you to get back up again. Repeat! This can be quite a heavy workout and it’s easier with a chair without wheels.

(b) Burpees

1. From a standing position, jump as high as possible and land down on your feet with your hands on the ground.
2. Kick your feet back. For a moment you will be in a push up position and jump back up again as fast as possible.
3. Repeat for the required repetitions

(c) V-Up

1. Start position: Lie back onto floor or bench with knees bent and hands extended towards ceiling. Head should be in a neutral position with a space between chin and chest.
2. Leading with the chin and chest towards the ceiling, contract the abdominal and raise shoulders off floor or bench. Also raise legs up towards ceiling and attempt to touch your hands to your feet.
3. Return to start position.

(d) Basic Squat

To perform a basic squat,  bend your knees, sinking down towards the ground. Once you reach a level at which your thighs are parallel to the ground, stop lowering your body. Now, as you exhale your breath, use the muscles in your lower back to lift your body back up to the starting position. Do at least ten repetitions of the basic squat before taking a short break. Rest, and do another two sets of ten repetitions in order to achieve optimal results with the basic squat.

(e) Basic Lunge

To perform a basic lunge, start by standing tall with your feet spaced directly under your hips. As you inhale a deep breath step your right foot approximately three feet in front of your body. Bend the right knee and slowly drop it towards the ground. As you exhale your breath, use the muscles in your legs and rear to lift your body back up to the starting position, bringing your leg back under your body. Perform the same maneuver, but this time step out with the left foot. Do at least ten repetitions of the exercise before taking a short break. Rest, and do another two sets of ten repetitions.

4. Un-stink 

Lunch workouts are shorter in duration, you shouldn’t sweat much, but if you are pushing your intensity level, you may need extra freshening up. Have a towel handy to wipe yourself down in the bathroom. If you have some liquid soap even better. Wet wipes work well for me – you can just throw them away, and there is no need to rinse. Deodorant, lotion and body spray are never bad to have on hand.

5. Doll Up

Hygiene is one thing, but you also need to get corporate looking again. We are afterall professionals;) Brush out your hair, or if the work out made it limp, put it up in a professional looking bun or ponytail instead. I like to wash my face after working out, so makeup is a must. Reapply and voilà! you look gorgeous once more. Not only that, you are now sporting a healthy afterglow from your quickie – lunch workout!

Do you find it hard to get to a gym during office hours, and you have a particular routine you like for a quick lunch workout? Care to share?