Exercising on your lunch break . . .

I was talking with a friend the other day about our lunchtime workouts and this came up in conversation-cleaning up afterwards. I don't have a long enough break to shower, so I pretty much put on fresh deodorant, change my clothes, and use one of those facial cleansing wipes and consider myself ready to go back to work. My friend was horrified. She said she'd rather not exercise if she didn't have time to shower afterwards, I know it is gross but honestly I need to get some exercise in then so what am I supposed to do?

How many of you take 30-60 minutes to exercise on your lunchbreak? And of those of you who do, what's your "cleanup" routine afterwards (if you aren't lucky enough to have time to shower afterwards)? Tell me I'm not alone!

Mon. Oct 8, 11:30pm

It's better to exercise than not and it lunch is the time go for it! I'd say the rule is just: don't be too fragrant as the afternoon goes on.

I don't exercise at lunch, but I do after work and sometimes I have commitments that cause me to skip the shower. I just sponge off with a washcloth and wipe my face and do a quick touch up with power and deoderant. I'm fine with it. At no other time in history have we been so hygene-obsessed as we are now and I do think folks go a little overboard. So I came from the gym - as long as I look neat and presentable and don't stink - who's business is it if I shower or not?

You are definitely not alone.

Monday, October 08, 2007, 11:53 PM

I'm completely in the other camp on this. If I exercise, I do so to get properly sweaty - that's the only way it's going to have any effect. I always shower afterwards and I have to say that I think it's repulsive that other women at my gym just leave without doing so. I used to do exercise at lunchtime and worked for half an hour to an hour later in the evening in order that I could take a 1 1/2 hour lunchbreak in order to fit the shower in as well as the exercise. I don't think it's at all fair on the others in your office for you to be sweaty / drying off in the afternoon. It really does smell, no matter what others may tell you.

Tuesday, October 09, 2007, 7:25 AM

Some people sweat more than others, some people do more sweaty exercise than others, and also, some people work in closer proximity to others! If I worked in a call center, shoulder-to-shoulder with other people (for instance) I would worry about whether I smelled. As it happens (a) my workplace itself smells bad because of the type of work and (b) I have my own office and often spend the whole afternoon & evening working with the door closed -- I could go out and roll in manure like a dog, and who would know?

Anyway, my point is that the shower-or-not thing is individual. No general rule. I used to exercise at lunch and basically walked through the shower to rinse off before I changed clothes.

Tuesday, October 09, 2007, 7:49 AM

Taking a shower is what I most look forward to after a good sweaty workout. I workout in the morning or when I get home so that I can enjoy that experience fully. Just wiping is not good enough for some people who are prone to face and body acne

Tuesday, October 09, 2007, 8:16 AM

Any exercise is better than none, and sweat is not some indicator of how hard one is working or whether or not one is benefitting from their workout.

Enjoy your exercise and if lunch works and you are comfortable then who is anyone to criticize? Do what works for you and your health.

Tuesday, October 09, 2007, 10:10 AM

If you can't shower, use baby wipes for your body and something else for your face. Dab on some fresh deodorant and you are out the door!!!

Tuesday, October 09, 2007, 11:58 AM

I've figured out that I start getting sweaty around the 17-minute mark of a medium/medium-high intensity workout on the elliptical. I get sticky before that, but I start dripping around 17-20 minutes...so I stop after 15 minutes and switch to the weights (which I'd love to work up a sweat doing, but never seem to manage). Then go back for another 10-15 minutes on the elliptical. It's not ideal, I don't even like feeling "sticky", but it works for my situation and I get my 45 minutes of exercise in.

Tuesday, October 09, 2007, 12:21 PM

I frequently exercise at lunch. I'm really really busy and sometimes that hour in the middle of the day is BEST used by exercising...my co-workers gather in the break room and watch Who Wants to be a Millionare...I mean, who is using their lunch break more effectively?

I don't always shower, but return to my desk after a towel off, splash of water on my face, etc. It isn't gross really, sweating is natural and you don't stink immediately if you are putting on clean or gently worn clothes. I'm sorry if your friend is "horrified," but using the lack of shower as an excuse NOT to exercise seems lazy to me.

Tuesday, October 09, 2007, 4:27 PM

I work with a bunch of hippies (I use the term affectionately) who smell anyway, so if I smell after a workout I just fit right in.

Tuesday, October 09, 2007, 5:13 PM

LOL 5:13. that was funny!

Tuesday, October 09, 2007, 6:34 PM

OP here-4:27, I'm not using anything as an excuse to not exercise! I never said that I was considering skipping it. I also workout after work too so I'm far from lazy (and work another job on the weekends). My priorities are my health and fitness not whether I stink or not. I'm just interested in hearing what others do.

Tuesday, October 09, 2007, 8:04 PM

help me ,I am very uncomfortable to take shower after gym

Okay I am like 40lbs overweight and I find it really hard to shower after gym ,when I have all fit girls running around almost naked.
Does anyone has the same experience??

Tuesday, November 27, 2007, 2:41 PM

PP, I'm sure not all the girls running around are fit. Look around for real - I'm sure every one of them has a body hang-up that they are not happy with. Everyone is too busy worrying about themselves to really look around anyway.

Just put a towel around you (and some flip flops! Eww, gym shower floors!), walk to the shower, pull the curtain, then take off the towel. No one will even see you.

If it makes you more comfortable, you can buy towels that have elastic at the top - almost like a mini-dress - and then you can practically udress/dress underneath it. Or, you can use a hair clip, etc., to effectively do the same thing with a regular towel - clip it closed - if you have trouble having it stay up with the normal tuck-in.

But really, just realize, as you are thinking of your body and how it looks, that's exactly what others are thinking - about themselves. They aren't concerned with what you look like; they are concerned with what they look like. My guess is they don't even notice you, or anyone else.

Tuesday, November 27, 2007, 2:49 PM

I workout at lunch most days and I guess I am one of the fortunate ones because I have a park 5 minutes from the offce and we have showers at the office I normally put in 45 minutes of a workout and take 25 to shower and get changed. I also go into work early to make up that time. If I don't have time for a shower I use the towelettes or babywipes to freshin' myself up with.

Tuesday, November 27, 2007, 11:45 PM

OP, I don't think 4.27 was referring to you when she used the word "lazy", I think he/she meant your friend who said she wouldn't exercise if she couldn't shower.

Wednesday, November 28, 2007, 8:23 AM

I find that I can shower very quickly if I do not wash my hair. It's doing my hair afterwards that takes so long. So I put it up in a ponytail and then put a showercap over (I'm short, so it's hard for me to keep my head totally out of the water) and then I'm in and out in like 2 seconds - later up and rinse off. Hair out of the showercap and ponytail, clothes back on. Almost the same time as using the wipes, etc. Just a thought for those of you who like to shower.

Wednesday, November 28, 2007, 10:22 AM

You're definitely not alone. I decided that since I usually ate my lunch at my desk, I should use my lunch hour to at least walk. I mentioned it to a co-worker I knew was always looking for ways to exercise and it's now grown into a small group of five. We walk outside if it's nice, but work out to a "power walking dvd" inside, which can get a bit sweaty. We do keep fans going in the room to help. Since showering isn't really an option for any of us, I guess we're all okay with it!

Wednesday, November 28, 2007, 2:30 PM

I work out at curves and they dont have showers and neither does my office, so its no shower or no workout. I just dont make them my intense workout, I talk to a friend and atleast I am raising my heartrate andworking the machines, I just dont run on the recovery boards. But since I recognize that it isnt very intense I do something more senenous on other days.

Wednesday, November 28, 2007, 11:26 PM

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