Can you picture a better you—energetic, flexible confident—simply feeling better? How about having a healthy heart, strong bones and less stress and living longer? Imagining is easy; living healthier is harder. It means making the right choices. One important choice is exercising on a regular basis. And how are you supposed to fit a regular workout routine into your busy life? Many Morgan County residents choose to exercise during the lunch hour.

Bruce Richardson is one such resident. Richardson is an agent with State Farm Insurance on South Indiana Street. He visits Core Fitness Club two to three times a week for strength training. Richardson has been working out most of his adult life, but has been attending Core during lunch for the last two and a half years. Richardson enjoys the flexibility of his job allowing the hour or so during lunch and the fact that Core is “just down the street.”

Richardson says with a wife and two children there are always distractions and things he would rather do when he gets home. He likes having the time after work to attend “one of the boy’s games, go out to dinner with the family or whatever” and he enjoys not having to sacrifice either family time or exercise.

Richardson says that it is hard making himself workout on a regular basis. “The hardest part is walking through the door.” Does Richardson consider the workout a chore? After a short pause, he explains, “a labor or love …when the endorphins get released and the muscles are pumped, it’s a natural high.” The feeling that he has after walking out the door is “euphoric.”

What advice does Richardson have for someone who does not exercise on a regular basis? “There will always be 1,000 distractions or excuses not to start something. You owe it to yourself. You’re not getting any younger.”

That’s why Janet Smith, the Training Manager at Nice Pak in Mooresville began a regular workout routine five years ago. Smith chooses her lunch time to workout because she is an early morning riser. “I like to get up early, get to work and get my day started. When I leave to go home I am done for the day. If I were to stay here for lunch, I would just eat at my desk and not get any exercise.”

Smith and three workout buddies walk three miles at least three times a week. Having someone else to workout with is “very motivating” and holds her accountable. “I don’t think I would do it alone.” The four of them will alternate during the winter months between the Pioneer Park and Core Fitness.

It also helps that Smith’s employer, Nice Pak, encourages employees both locally and at the corporate level to live a healthier life. The company has a wellness committee who sponsors weight loss and fitness activities throughout the year. They have sponsored 5K run/walks and “Biggest Loser” competitions. Currently, they are participating in the Super Bowl Fitness Fanatics competition. Participants are randomly divided into two teams, Indianapolis Colts and New York Giants. A large football field is prominently displayed in the employee break-room for all to see their progress.

Nice Pak receives cheaper rates on their health insurance because they are involved in a corporate wellness program. Typically employees who exercise regularly are more active and more productive. They miss work less due to illness and the overall morale of the office is better.

Stacy Nelson with Barbara B. Jordan YMCA in Martinsville coordinates wellness programs for Nice Pak and other businesses around the county. There are many options available—the gyms, the city parks, YMCA, or “leaving your desk to talk to a co-worker verses emailing is better than doing nothing.”