In the business of day-to-day life, many people are getting creative to sneak noon-hour fitness into their days.
The weight room at West Shore Parks and Recreation can see as many as 50 go through its doors on a weekday lunchtime, said Krysty Webster, fitness and wellness programmer at WSPR. “It’s a convenient time for people to fit (a workout) into their day.”
Dave Betts assistant superintendent of Sooke School District tries to get to the gym about three times a week.
“It’s a great stress reliever. I wish we had a gym at our office, it would make things a lot more convenient,” Betts said.
Another weight room regular is Tini Dhaliwal, a supervisor at the Canada Post depot in Langford. She chooses to spend her lunch hour on cardio machines.
“It’s a waste of time sitting at a computer when I can be active,” Dhaliwal said.
Dhaliwal works out six times a week, four of those on her lunch breaks. If it’s not possible to make it to the gym on her break, Dhaliwal just finds an alternative.
“I go for a walk if I have less than an hour break,” Dhaliwal said, adding she always wears a pedometer to keep track of her steps.
For the West Shore recreation centre, most of its midday clientele opt for drop-in programs.
“We have tried to offer classes (at noon) but haven’t had much success. People don’t want to commit to a program,” said Denise Foster, fitness and wellness coordinator.
Most gyms, fitness studios and private fitness and marital arts clubs don’t offer lunchtime programs due to lack of interest. But for CrossFit Vancouver Island owner Dave Warbeck, his noon hour classes are packed each weekday.
“It’s a fast workout,” said the Langford gym owner. “It’s a full 50 minutes of work, and there is no wasted time. There are people that show up here at 12:01 p.m. and need to be back at their desk at 12:59 p.m.”
The structured classes bring in anyone from contractors to office workers to RCMP officers.
Matt Hauage owns a contracting business and schedules his appointment to ensure he can come to the CrossFit gym.
“I always make sure I fit this in. I love it. If I wait until the end of the day, I find I get to bogged down.”
RCMP Const. Claudia Wytrwal, of the Vancouver Island integrated major crime unit, comes during her lunch break to keep fit and relieve stress.
“It breaks up my day,” Wytrwal said. “I need to be in shape for my job, and this helps me do that.”
Wytrwal’s unit covers all of Vancouver Island and she’s on call 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. “I try to sneak in workouts when I can,” she said.
While some people work near urban gyms, others are employed in rural areas and are still fitting fitness into their work day.
Staff at the District of Metchosin have been staggering their lunch breaks so they are able to fit brisk walks along rural trails.
Laura Guzauskas, building department clerk, recently jumped back into the habit of lunch hour walks. For about a year and a half Guzauskas was very diligent about her walks and even managed to lose 25 pounds.
On an average day, Guzauskas, walks about four kilometres of more, mostly along the Rocky Point Road trail.
“There are different trails around here, and we can pick different walks for a different intensity,” Guzauskas said. “There are lots of walking trails, so we pick ones close to the office.”
At the District office staff are given only 30 minutes for a lunch break, so they either plan for a 30 minute walk or combine a 15-minute coffee break into the with their allotted time so they can walk for longer.
Working out mid-shift has improved Guzauskas work and her mindset. “It refreshes you,” she, said. “I’ll eat at my desk so I can go for that walk.”
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