The Workday Workout—It CAN Work!

You thought all those health goals would be easier once you went into business for yourself. After all, how hard could it be to eat healthy at home? And if you make your own hours, won’t they naturally include time for a morning yoga class?

Yeah, right.

Contrary to expectations, many of us find the work-life balance becomes harder to achieve once we own a company than it was when we were mere employees. Suddenly, that killer project is more than an item on the boss’ priority list, it’s fundamental to our success and we can’t seem to escape to the gym.

The usual advice is to get exercise over with first thing, but sometimes mornings aren’t viable. Kids’ AM schedules, early deadlines, and lack of sunlight when the alarm rings are real deterrents. In my case, “first thing” is my best writing time, and I’m loathe to give it up, as doing so puts me behind for days when things are rocking. This explains, in part, how I once again fell off the healthy wagon and why I decided to explore the potential of working out during work hours. And wow, was I pleasantly surprised when I looked into it!

Seriously, researchers say that people who devote work time to exercise are more productive, so they get more done while logging fewer hours at the desk. And there’s anecdotal evidence from journalists who’ve tried it to bear this out. Some pundits even suggest consistent AM-exercisers add workday activity just to reap the benefits.

Achieving more goals into the same timeframe, without compromise? I’m in! So I checked out what the experts say to see if I could make it happen. Their advice includes:

• Scheduling it. Unsurprisingly, if it’s not on the calendar, it’s unlikely to happen. Making an exercise appointment, complete with binging reminder, increases success.
• There’s no time to dawdle, so it’s important to have the workout pre-planned. And you can’t forget to account for the time required to look (and smell) presentable again, either!
• Eating around it. Lunchtime is a common choice, but that makes refueling a challenge. Instead of a midday feast, experts say to try two snack-size meals, one an hour or so before the sweat session and another soon after.
• Cooling down. Most of us need a transition between killing it with the kettlebells and killing it in Excel. Fifteen minutes of easier, post-workout tasks can help ease back into the right mode. Some people will even have Alexa read their emails while they stretch near their desk.
• Ramping up. We’ve all heard it, but if time is short, intensity needs to be high. Save the long, slow distance run for the weekend and work on some intervals.
• Sneaking it in. When a full workout sesh isn’t an option, try to get in a few moves. A handful of squats or a couple dashes up and down the stairs are always better than nothing.
• Walking the talk. There is no reason to lounge through phone calls. Standing up or pacing can help break up all the sitting we do, and it’s still possible to keep a presentation, agenda, or sales outline in sight.

Add me to the pile of anecdotal evidence in favor of this approach. Breaking up the day with a walk here and a training circuit there, I come back to my keyboard with a flurry of ideas. The word count doesn’t drop, the work hours don’t increase, but I get to tick that exercise box on my list, too. Just don’t laugh if you catch me boogieing around my office while I brainstorm. That totally counts!