5 Workout Shortcuts

Looking to get the most out of your lunch hour workout? Halve your workout time without sacrificing results with these time-saving tips.

1. Use your journey to the gym as a warm-up.
   If your walking pace is brisk enough it counts as a cardiovascular workout in itself. You’re primarily using large lower body muscles such as your glutes (buttocks), quadriceps and hamstrings (thighs) and calves, hence the big calorie-burn. Also, if you’re already warmed up after your walk to the gym you can go straight into higher-intensity activities such as running on a gradient on the treadmill.
2. Try doing two short bursts of activity during the day, instead of one long one.
   Two 20-minute intense workouts on different areas can be more beneficial than trying to do all the exercises in one go.  You often can’t keep up a high intensity level for long periods of time whereas with two shorter workouts you can.
3. Do sweat-free workouts in your lunch hour.
   Pick less sweaty workouts for during your lunch break so that you don’t have to factor in a shower after you’ve finished. Pilates, yoga and even a low intensity BodyPump class shouldn’t leave you too sweaty, so you can forgo that time-consuming shower.
4. Train with a friend so you can ‘exchange’ machines.
   If you head for the weights area with a friend you can take it in turns to use resistance machines; that way you won’t end up queuing because you’ll be doing a straight swap!
5. Workout at your desk.
   Exercises such as Pilates-style tummy pulling-in and bottom squeezes can be done at your desk giving you extra minutes for working out. To tighten and lift the buttocks, stand straight and hold onto a chair with one hand, then lift the leg that’s furthest from the chair into the air so that your knee is at a right angle. With your toes pointed, take your knee out to the side and gently pulse up and down for 5 seconds before returning your knee to the centre. Then repeat on the other side. Do a total of 4 repetitions on each leg.

Article by Diet and Fitness Expert Laura Williams

Image from Flickr by Adifansnet

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