Company & Culture

Squat and Press! AppDirect Feels the Burn at Fit Team Workouts

By Kelsey Dunn / February 7, 2013

Sometimes there’s just no way to avoid it: Your work day turns into a full day of sitting in a rolly chair. We do have some fancy, back-friendly chairs in the office, but being sedentary for too long can really take a toll on your health, mood, and ability to focus.

There are plenty of ways to remind yourself to get up and moving during the work day, but it’s equally important to find ways to be active outside of the office. To encourage this, AppDirect offers a weekly fitness class for anyone on the team. The classes are held each Wednesday at a health club one block from the office.

These classes are a great perk and a real highlight to the work week. They offer the chance to be with your team outside of the office and work together towards a short-term goal: getting out of the class alive!

The class really is adaptable to any and all fitness levels. You chose the amount of weight you would like to use, and always have the option to take a break if you need it. The best part is the motivation you feel from having your team members right there with you.

The class instructor and trainer, Pat Savage, has got it down. He always plans out a fun workout that varies each week. The class begins with a quick warm-up, followed by interval training and a cool-down. With the lights off and heavy rock as our soundtrack, he guides us through the tough moves. An occasional "Let's go AppDirect" and "Get JUICED" are also usually needed to pull us through to the end. Before you know it, the hour-long class has ended and you have all accomplished something challenging together. It's never over until we complete our high-five victory loop around the health club.

Everyone leaves the Fit Team workouts feeling good and ready to tackle the rest of the week. Thursday usually starts with discussions on how long the muscle aches will last! But, they also make you feel a bit better on those days when you need to be glued to your seat.

Kelsey Dunn is AppDirect’s recruiting coordinator.