19 May 3 Exercise Tips for Hospitality Workers
If you work in hospitality, you’ll know it involves long days and long nights on your feet. The last thing you probably feel like doing is exercising.
Yet, have you thought what a lack of exercise could be doing your body? If you’re a ‘hospo‘, here are some of the key reasons why you need to exercise more:
1. Stress – you work in an industry which can be extremely stressful. Difficult customers, demands of owning a small business and coping with the long hours can increase your stress levels. Exercise can be the best natural remedy to help reduce the effects and improve your mental health. It’s also a great way to take some time out and not have to talk to anyone! It is important to look after yourself, especially between work. We all know that work is important and so is the idea of self care. Dealing with customers can be quite stressful, which is why restuarant businesses are doing everything they can to make this a little easier. With the help of Restaurant POS Systems, this should eventually take away a level of stress that you may be feeling while working in this environment.
2. Sleep – many times hospitality workers have terrible sleeping patterns because of strange working hours. Exercise in your “off time” can help improve the length and quality of your sleep and help you feel less wired after your shift.
3. Life expectancy – a study showed that those who worked in tobacco and alcohol related businesses have a shorter life expectancy than others. Exercise can be on the most important ways to add years to your life.
So what exercise do you do when you actually have no time or energy?
Simple, you need to find exercises that can have the most effect in shortest amount of time.
Top 3 Exercise Tips for Hospitality Workers
1. Keep Motivation High
As we explained, it can be hard to keep exercising when you least feel like it. That’s why it makes our number one reason even more important. That reason is motivation – finding it and keeping it.
To keep your motivation on track consider the following:
- Set goals that are achievable e.g. I want to lose 2kgs by a certain date, I want to commit to exercise three times a week, I want to complete a fun run by Christmas. Make sure these goals are achievable and measurable.
- Find something you enjoy and you are more likely to stick to it. No point in running on a treadmill for hours if you hate it! Instead why not join a sports club or a local exercise class.
- Find an exercise buddy! Nothing is better than having an exercise or sports partner to keep you on track and keep you accountable.
2. High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)
What is HIIT? A HIIT session involves a selection of exercises each of which are performed in rapid succession for 30 seconds, with a minimal rest period between of no more than 10 seconds. Throughout all the exercises you should be working at 80% minimum of your full capacity.
The great aspect of a HIIT workout is that it is meant to be short and sweet. Warm up, go hard in the exercising, cool down and then you are finished.
Just a word of warning, this type of physical activity is aimed at those who have a moderate level of fitness to begin with. You will need to start with one circuit of the seven-minute program three times a week on non-consecutive days. After a couple of weeks up the number of circuits to two. Then two-to-three weeks later, increase to three circuits.
3. Boost Your Core
Did you know that from your cores comes your power and strength to look after all the other muscles?
Those who spend a lot of their time standing on their feet can often complain of a bad back and stiff neck, this can be down to bad posture as well as not engaging your core.
Looking after your core strength is pretty simple, just make sure you do a few strengthening exercises in front of the TV when you have a day off or get home from the word day.
What exercises are best? Try these to start off with.
So essentially, it doesn’t matter if you are a barista, barman or sous chef – it’s time to have a look at your activity levels (not to mention any excess drinking and smoking) and set some achievable goals and start moving. Remember, it’s not about running a marathon just yet, it’s about getting your body active!
Click here for more information on How to Exercise Right for Hospitality or contact your local accredited exercise professional.
