The team at Rome2rio kickstarted the year, like most of the world, with a resolution to be better, fitter and healthier versions of ourselves. We have long talked about ways to keep healthy, from lunchtime exercise to stand up desks and even yoga in the park (which has not happened… yet).
The boost we needed in our quest for heightened fitness levels came in earlier this March, with a small group of Rome2rio ‘athletes’ taking part in weekly HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training) sessions that have been, unsurprisingly, a hit! For the uninitiated, HIIT is a broad term for workouts that involve short periods of intense exercise alternated with recovery periods. One of the biggest advantages of this type of workout is that you can gain maximum health benefits in minimal time – efficiency’s our name, and fitness is our game!
Every Friday at lunchtime, we head down to the local park to get our blood pumping and stretch our muscles – this is before we actually start our workout. A typical session involves some cardio to get the heart rate up, core exercises so you can feel the burn everytime you laugh, and serious lunge action for all those ‘leg day’ lovers. Everyone’s favourite – burpees – are a constant feature, along with an ever-expanding array of moves like squat jumps, mountain climbers, butterfly kicks, push-ups and planks over a (sometimes) very long 30-minute period. We started out with a group of 10 and the numbers have stayed steady; clearly, our team believes in the ‘no pain, no gain’ theory.
Getting some lunchtime exercise has been a massive endorphin boost for everyone, along with building team rapport, increasing productivity levels and being a welcome break from sitting at a desk all day. As a bonus, Melbourne has been enjoying an extended summer so it has been a wonderful way to enjoy the sunshine and connect with nature as well. Some midday exercise has been touted as improving overall mental health levels, and we can definitely vouch for that.
We’re now four sessions down, with another block of six to go before we become all-star athletes. All aboard the train to Ab Central!