Sports instead of a canteen
For seven years Katrin trained regularly at noon.
For Katrin (33) this is definitely the better alternative. The marketing project manager has been going to the gym regularly for seven years for seven years. Twice a week yoga or gymnastics are on her program instead of schnitzel or noodles. "I can not do that, sitting in the cafeteria every day at noon, after the sport I just feel better and I can work more concentrated", she says and disappears in a good mood in the classroom. It is 12.15, Katrin expect 45 minutes "Gym Plus" in the "MeridianSpa" in downtown Hamburg.
Dongqing is too tired for sports in the evening.
The Meridian has been offering lunchtime courses for four years in the Hamburg City Studio. "The offer is aimed specifically at professionals. The city center location and the proximity to publishers and offices is ideal," said press spokeswoman Maren Vinke.
Among the women working in the surrounding offices is Dongqing (33). She comes to the equipment room at one o'clock in the morning with a towel and a water bottle. "It's not healthy to just sit at your desk all day," she says. In the evening, the controller is often in the office until 7 pm or longer. She is too tired for training. For two and a half years she goes to the gym for lunch - she trains about 40 minutes almost every day.
Diana enjoys the silence during training at lunchtime.
Diana (26) continues to power a few devices. As a freelance hairdresser, she can freely arrange working hours. She enjoys doing sports during the day: "At lunchtime it is not so crowded, you have your peace and you do not have to wait long for free equipment", she says. Afterwards she feels fit and feels like talking to her clients again.
Is the training during the lunch break a new sport trend? The German Sports Studio Association (DSSV) does not believe in it: "For the lunch breaks with 30 to 60 minutes are simply too short for us," says DSSV spokesman Refit Kamberovic. In the US it is common practice to train at noon, but there are also the breaks longer.
Katrin and Dongqing pass the lunch break for training. Both need only go to the gym for a few minutes. "All in all, including showers, I spend about an hour each time here," says Dongquing. Sure, there's not much time left for lunch. With her and Katrin, there is often only a quick salad at the desk.
Nevertheless: Sport at noon is not suitable for all working people. For the personal trainer Jörn Giersberg (Cologne) and Cyrus A. Rahman (Hamburg) training at lunchtime is not an issue. Their clients - including many doctors, entrepreneurs and media people - are either physically active before or after work. "For our clientele it is probably difficult to get out of the working process during the day", suspected Jörn Giersberg.
Even with the sports clubs you get a shake of the head to the answer, if you ask for courses during the lunch break: "Most halls are rented, at lunchtime, this is not possible because they are then usually occupied by schools," explains, for example Speaker of the Bavarian State Sports Association.
Nevertheless, more and more professionals also want to work out at lunchtime. Especially gyms in inner-city locations are increasingly meeting this demand. Around 20 of the 107 clubs of the "Fitness Company" now offer courses at lunchtime. The club started in Hamburg's Europa-Passage, which opened in spring 2007. The half-hour Lunch X-Press courses arrived there so well that clubs in other cities followed suit. Now you can get up there at noon with cycling courses, fat burners or stomach, legs, butt for the afternoon fit. The course times are deliberately kept short. The reason: "Exercise during the lunch break should primarily bring energy." If the training session lasts too long, the participants are broken afterwards, " explains employee Nina Wimmer.
A big fan of midday sports is Silvia Guidi de Knappe, owner of "Ladys First, Fitness & Pilates" in Munich. It has been offering a half-hour course on Reformer, a Pilates exercise machine, every Monday afternoon on this summer. "I can promise you that you train all muscle groups with 30 minutes on the reformer," says the studio owner. The reformer training is ideal for the lunch break, you train very intensively in a short time and do not sweat.
If you want to do something during the break and do not want to go to a gym, you will also find it at company sports clubs and adult education centers (VHS). There is usually a bit more leisurely at lunchtime: "Backyard and relaxation exercises are mainly offered in company sports - for people who sit a lot" says Uwe Taonnier, President of the German Sports Association.
The VHS Eschweiler (near Aachen), with its 30-minute course "Movement for the lunch break" aims primarily at compensation. "The participants can participate in the exercises in normal clothing," explains Mechthild Lüneborg, who is responsible for health at the VHS.
But Mechthild Lüneborg is aware that not all people are keen on doing sports during their lunch break. For that she has another tip against the midday low: "Just go outside and move in the fresh air".
Where are some fitness offers?
Did you also feel like doing sports during your lunch break? Here you can search for offers in your city:
- www.dssv.de
- www.citiysports.de
- www.vhs.de
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