Can a lunchtime workout improve your afternoon?

Words by BSBG Media Team, Wednesday 18 September 2019

In a recent article published by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) in England, employers are strongly urged to provide encouragement for staff to workout on their lunch break.

As the argument goes, a large proportion of people in the world today are in need of a change in their lifestyle for the sake of their health and wellbeing; exercise more, eat better, and seek relief in the calmness of natural surroundings. However, finding the time for a workout when there are so many exciting social occasions, new Netflix series commissioned on a weekly basis, and chores to be done, is not easy. So what if we were to treat working out as a part of our working routine, incorporated into our weekdays?

Brewer Smith Brewer Group (BSBG) Brand Manager Charlotte Vaughan is one who embraces a visit to the gym on her lunch break. “I find a lunchtime workout gives me a newfound energy and clears my mind,” Charlotte says. “It’s like hitting the reset button, a great way to relieve tension and manage stress. I mix it up, but at the moment I’m doing circuits, short explosive workouts. Just 20 or 30 minutes, leaving enough time for a quick shower and some lunch before starting the afternoon.”

Improved energy levels and wellbeing

Bypassing the relaxing lunchtime sandwich to instead go and burn off some calories on the treadmill for half an hour or so, may not immediately sound like everyone’s cup of tea, but by incorporating this into a daily routine it could really make a difference to energy levels, health and wellbeing. Or at least that’s the message from NICE. “If more companies encouraged their workforce to be more active, they are more likely to reap the benefits of having engaged employees who are more productive and are less likely to take time off sick,” Professor Gillian Leng, deputy chief executive and director of health and social care at NICE suggests.

It’s a message that BSBG Partner Andrew Bereza fully supports. In fact, every lunchtime Andrew himself can be seen running the streets that surround the BSBG Headquarters in Dubai, despite the sometimes extreme temperatures outside. “To get the best out of yourself you have to remain active,” Andrew says. “The work we do at BSBG does involve a lot of stationary work – whether that’s in meetings or at our desks. It seems only logical to me that our lunch hour should be utilised, and should represent a complete departure and relief from how we spend the rest of our working day.”

BSBG’s Dubai headquarters at Dutco House features an in-house gym, complete with showers and changing facilities. There is also a branded gym across the road in the adjacent mall. Exercise is made accessible to the 160+ BSBG staff working in Dubai, although going to the gym isn’t the only way to re-energise on a lunch break.

“I choose to go running, but I think that any activity which provides some relief or a change of scenery is hugely valuable,” Andrew continues. “Take a nice walk, eat a sandwich in one of the local parks with some colleagues, or sit outside one of the cafés with a good book. Really make the most of the hour you have. Come back refreshed and ready to attack the afternoon!”

BSBG Media Team

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