Best time to exercise: why are lunchtime workouts so stressful?

Back in the mists of time (read: pre-2020) when we worked full-time in offices, training was a real pain in the ass. We were in the gym at 6.45am so we could go to Pret's for lunch and be at the pub by 6pm. It had to be because lunch breaks were so precious; Even if you had a gym in the same building, coming down, changing and showering meant the actual workout could only take 20 minutes.

I used to stare with horrible jealousy at the nannies and delicious mummies that would come out of the Virgin Active across from my office at 1pm. Imagine being able to do Pilates at lunchtime without having to keep an eye on the clock! If I worked out at lunchtime, I'd spend the first part of the afternoon with my keyboard still dripping after rushing from the weight room to the shower, from the gym to my building, and up three flights of stairs. It was brutal.

When working from home became a thing, it was really exciting. Gone were the days of killing yourself with presenteeism. The pandemic has allowed us to flow, walk and lift at noon, shower, make lunch and go about our work in peace. At least that's the theory.

Because working from home hasn't really eliminated the stress of lunchtime workouts—it just mutated the stress. Instead of breaking a sweat at the thought of being seen again exactly 60 minutes after leaving the office, there is now the fear of being offline.

The other day I went to gym class at 1:15 p.m. It's not my usual time to go (I train early morning/6pm) but it was the only time that particular session was available and I was looking forward to having a total break from the stress of the instant messages. Every time I've gone for a short run in the middle of the day, I also feel a lot more alert in the afternoon, so I looked forward to a calm and mentally focused day ahead.

As the session drew to a close, however, I found that it had just passed 2:00 p.m. The afternoon meeting was in 45 minutes and I was still on the burpeen. The cool down began and unlike the 7:20 class, the trainer did not give the participants the opportunity to skip the stretch. i was trapped I finally ran out of the studio at 2:10pm, still shaking from the intense workout, and when I got home I was 10 minutes past my lunch break. As I showered, my laptop balanced precariously on the sink, just in case someone messaged me.

I spent the afternoon at the meeting in silence, spooning in stew. All the panic of getting home and back to work on time had left me feeling more drained than ever. If a fit and healthy workforce is good business, you would think that more companies would value giving their employees extra time during the day to take care of their health.

Exercise during the lunch break makes us better at our jobs

And that's because there are real benefits to exercising in the middle of the day. If you hit the gym at 6:30am, you're often exhausted by 3pm, but a study from Leeds Metropolitan University found a strong correlation between daytime exercise and self-assessments at work.

The researchers got over 200 employees to exercise during the day and compare their job performance to the days they didn't exercise. They found that they managed their time more effectively and were more productive on the days they went to the gym. They also got along better with their co-workers and reported greater satisfaction at the end of the day.

Endorphin spikes around lunchtime also make us calmer at work, according to a study by Warwick University. It found that lunchtime exercise improved rest by nearly 30%, with employees reporting they felt better equipped to deal with stress.

This is how you make your lunchtime workout less stressful

So what's the solution? Well, it might be worth talking to your line manager about optimizing your working hours. Maybe you could take a longer lunch break and make up for it by starting work 10 minutes earlier (easier if you're still working from home).

In my case, one lunchtime workout a week is about as much stress as I can handle, but it's probably a good time management exercise. For example, I could have my lunch prepared – like in the office – before I go to class. My clothes could be laid out in the morning for a quick change after a shower. But most importantly, I probably think too much about how much people care if I reply to a Slack message right away or not. We must push for productivity rather than presenteeism; Lunchtime workouts may be the perfect tool for this.

By: Best time to exercise: why are lunchtime workouts so stressful?