Many companies offer amazing work perks – free food, bring your pets to work everyday, free massages, nap pods. You name it – some companies offer it. While all of these perks are great and might keep many employees happy and at work longer (this is true…), sometimes it’s the simple perks that matter.
One such perk is a fitness center located conveniently in the office building. Yes, a fitness center.
I always preferred to workout outside of regular work hours and at a private gym. The thought of working out and having to shower in the middle of the work day sounded too time consuming. Plus I am not a big fan of common showers. I get grossed out too easily. This is very true. I am not even exaggerating. I would go to the gym either before work (this lasted for a very brief period in my life when I had a short commute) or more often after work. Even after a long commute, I was proud of myself for being consistent in going to the gym in the evenings.
But when I moved to Atlanta, I said why not give the fitness center at work a try. Or as its called The Wellness Center. The fitness center was offering free gym passes and hey who doesn’t like free stuff? This was my first introduction to a work fitness center. (Well I did go the fitness center at the company I interned at in the summer of 2015 but let’s chalk that as a blip on my radar). I wanted to maximize my free passes so I tried out various classes that were offered from resistance training to yoga to pilates. And in the past year I’ve widened my workout routine to include Bootcamp, Lower body and Abs class and most recently I’ve tried Spin class, which I now love. Many companies have fitness centers but do not offer classes. For someone like me, I would rather go to a class and have someone walk me through a workout then figure out how to push myself on the treadmill or weight machines. And the instructors are great – they push everyone who attends class, make the workout fun, and play great music. This last point is key to a successful workout.
Not only were the classes and instructors fantastic, but the cost is only $25/month with NO joining fees. I couldn’t have found a better deal anywhere else. But to make this work, I had to slowly get over my fear and reluctance to use public showers, but now I’ve become a pro.
What I discovered about working out during the work day is that it gives me energy to ride out the afternoon 3pm lull. I don’t need an extra cup of coffee to get me across the finish line. And my evenings are freed up to do other activities such as writing this blog. If you’re lucky enough to have a company fitness center, give it a try. Pencil in gym time or if classes are offered, block out your calendar and treat these classes as work meetings. This will ensure that you actually make it down to the gym without finding excuses to skip going to the gym. Find that inner willpower to develop the good habit of working out at least 3-5 times a week. And I can attest to the fact that you will feel more refreshed and alert during the day. I drink my two cups of tea but beyond that, I don’t need anything else to keep me awake.
Companies don’t need to always be fancy. If they focus on providing employees with great perks such as a fitness center WITH awesome classes and awesome instructors, employees will be HAPPY and more PRODUCTIVE.
Added Bonus: the fitness center is a great place to make friends and escape the office politics!