Lunch break exercise ideas
When you spend a lot of time working in an office, it can be hard to fit some movement into your lifestyle. Staying active is beneficial for not only your general fitness but your mental wellbeing and the happier you feel the better equipped you are for the working day. We’ve put together some lunch break exercise ideas so you can feel your best no matter how little time you have.
There are lots of ways to get your steps up every day, but two of the easiest to incorporate into your day-to-day life are walking to work and going for a lunchtime run. If you’d like to get into running but you’re not sure where the best route is, take a look at our list of the best places to run in London. Challenge yourself to a 5k or just do a simple jog to get your heart racing. A benefit of working at IQL is that it can be easier than ever to integrate movement into your day with a walking meeting. Break up your busy day by taking your colleagues out into the fresh air and host a meeting through Endeavour Square.
IQL’s proximity to Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park is great for people looking to incorporate more exercise into their daily routine. Hire a bike and cycle around the park or visit the Lee Valley Velopark to ride where the Olympians competed in 2012. Choose the membership that sounds best for you and make it a commitment you can stick to. Cycling is a great way to get moving, especially as an alternative to running, so make it your goal this year to get on a bike again – no matter how long it’s been since the last time.
The London Aquatics Centre is another ex-Olympic venue, where you can head to the 50m pools on a day pass or a membership and squeeze in a few lengths on your lunch break. If an early morning swim suits you better, the pools are open from 6:30am on weekdays so you can head straight to the office at IQL in no time after your session.
Swimming is one of the best low-impact sports, so no matter your age or fitness ability you’ll be able to feel the benefits.
If you really can’t spare half an hour away from your desk one day, look into some stretches you can do while in your office chair. BUPA has recommended some of the best stretches you can do to ease some back, shoulder, or neck pain that will take 5 minutes to complete but do you a lot of good. Try a shoulder shrug or a neck rotation and find your afternoon work that bit more comfortable.
A fantastic benefit to working at IQL is the on-site showers, so even if you work up a bit of a sweat doing your lunch time exercise you can just hop in the shower and head back to your desk refreshed and still with time to grab a bite to eat. To find out more about the office spaces at IQL, take a look at our Workspace pages.