The team at UK Active found that the average adult spends more time on the toilet every week than exercising and eight times longer watching TV than they do working out. Hey, we're all for catching up on the latest Bake Off, but even those of us with the most hectic working lives have 30 minutes for fitness.
TAKE 30...
If you're struggling for time to squeeze in a spot of physical activity, we've outlined a few ways you can get your workout done in 30 minutes...
Hit The Studio
A group fitness class isn't only a fun way to get your sweat on, many of our classes offer a full body workout, giving you the maximum benefit in the time you have.
Try a class such as BodyPump which features the scientifically-backed 'REP Effect', keeping your body burning calories for long after your workout is done. Win!
Lunch Hour Lift
Ditch the desk at lunchtime and enjoy a group Personal Training session with your colleagues!
A lunch hour workout is a great way to stretch out crumpled back muscles that have been hunched over a desk all morning. Plus, you'll get a boost of energy to help you tackle the rest of your day!
Grab A Buddy
We’ve all been guilty of skipping a gym session in favour of a spot of sofa time. Hey, we all like to catch up on the latest Netflix boxset! Though make the commitment with a friend, and you’ll be less likely to duck out for fear of letting them down.
Having a gym buddy makes you accountable to someone else, so your achievements on the gym floor are no longer just for you… they’re for your buddy too. And that includes showing up in the first place! So plan a gym session with your bestie before you head home from work, and you'll miss the rush hour traffic too!
Banish The Boardroom
Organise meetings outside and get down to business in the great outdoors. Fresh air is great for upping your concentration levels and getting the creative ideas flowing. For team meetings, make it a walk rather than a sit down do. Best for smaller groups, (unless you want the rest of the building to wonder why the whole office is pacing the car park!) walk and talk to get your steps in and the heart pumping.
A Little Healthy Competition
Be the office fitness planner and start a sports team or workout group. Lunchtime football in the local park, a 30 minute team powerwalk when that 3pm lull hits or a sporting challenge to raise funds for a local charity.
30 MINUTES. 30 BENEFITS.
Get your heart pumping and your body moving for just 30 minutes a day, and you'll bag the following benefits...
- Enjoy a full body workout
- Minimise your risk of heart disease
- Burn calories to aid your weight loss goals
- Reduce stress by increasing the 'happy hormones' in your body
- Stretch out sore muscles caused by sitting at a desk all day
- Improve posture (which also makes you look trimmer!)
- Boost energy levels helping you to focus more clearly
- Improve memory. Just 30 minutes of exercise can increase the production of cells in the brain responsible for memory and learning
- Improve self confidence
- Reduce high bloog pressure
- Work your lungs to help with asthma or breathing difficulties
- Get a better nights sleep, for longer too!
- Expand your social circle by meeting new fitness friends
- Reduce symptoms of back pain and weak joints (Pilates is a great option for back pain!)
- Prevent Type II diabetes
- Increase bone density to help treat or prevent osteoporosis
- Make everyday activities easier with functional training
- Speed up sluggish digestion
- A great way to treat depression and anxiety
- Improve agility and co-ordination
- Strengthen key muscles to improve balance and prevent falls
- Turn back the clock. Just 30 minutes of exercise arouses the brain and slows down degeneration of the central nervous system, which leads to slower reaction times and poorer coordination
- Develop muscle toned for more defined abs, thighs and glutes
- Help overcome addictions such as smoking
- Enable your mind to feel more relaxed
- Improve your productivity and get more done with your day
- Look younger - all that blood circulation is great for the skin!
- Increase your metabolism for better fat burning
- Improve upper body strength to make carrying and lifting easier
- Wind down afterwards with a sip on something chilled in the Village Pub & Grill!
30 minutes... done.
And to reward your efforts...
Enjoy Afternoon Tea by Candice Brown, two for £30. Or wind down in the evening with steak and frites for two with a glass of Malbec for £30. Plus, tuck into a delicious Sunday Lunch and enjoy 30% off your food bill.
Get set for the sociable season with a range of beauty essentials or relaxing massage treatments to soothe sore muscles, with 30% off any spa treatment.
How will you be spending your 30 minutes of fitness for National Fitness Day? Let us know on Facebook or Instagram! #FitnessDay @VillageGym #VillageLife
(Coventry and Aberdeen are excluded from this Open Weekend.)
👤 Siân Peak is an official blogger for National Fitness Day.
