Anyone who lives and breathes fitness can testify to the multitude of benefits that daily exercise brings. Working out is a good way to maintain balance in your health and weight, improve mental well-being, keep your body in good shape, and strengthen your immune system to prevent getting sick. Surprisingly, some findings show that regular exercise is actually also helpful for boosting work productivity and efficiency.
So how exactly does exercising benefit you in terms of work efficiency and productivity? The brain is one of the important organs in the body and exercising can help increase blood circulation and supply oxygen to keep the brain healthy. With a healthy and functioning brain, you can experience increased levels of alertness and energy, better focus and concentration, reduced stress, better mental health, improved sleep, and confidence boost.
Part of having a healthy work-life balance is having time for yourself and your personal interests. This includes setting aside space in your schedule for weekly or daily exercise. A study done by researchers from the University of Bristol reveals the advantages of regular workouts and exercise to employees’ overall mood, wellbeing, and productivity in the workplace.
In the said study, the researchers evaluated employees and how they performed in the office without any physical activity and when they had exercise breaks. It was observed that on the days that they engaged in physical exercise, the employees had increased concentration, better work output, and higher motivation during the day.
Indeed, there is a significant connection between work efficiency and regular exercise. To better understand how exercise can improve your performance, here are some of the ways that exercise can benefit you on a workday:
While it can seem that working out can cause your body to exert more effort and movement, the tired feeling you’ll experience is only temporary. Gradually, you’ll feel more awake as the brain releases norepinephrine, a chemical that increases blood rate and provides energy to keep your body and brain functioning.
If you’re used to getting a cup of coffee for a pick-me-up in the afternoon, you might want to consider exercising as a form of work break. Even a quick 15-minute aerobic exercise to get your body moving will help awaken your senses and get you in a condition where you can better concentrate and finish your work.
The chemical norepinephrine is also responsible for maintaining blood sugar levels to supply energy for your brain. Exercising is recommended to keep a steady flow of blood and essential nutrients to the brain so you will have better cognitive ability and memory function as you take on challenging tasks.
People with regular physical activities are also suggested to have better brain health. In particular, exercising is said to affect and increase the regions of the brain that are involved in thinking and memory control such as the hippocampus.
It’s easy for an individual to have piled-up feelings of stress and exhaustion after a long workday. Many people say that exercising is a good way to release tension from the muscles to make you feel relaxed.
Regular exercise also releases important mood-enhancing chemicals like serotonin, dopamine, and endorphins which help drive away stress and make you feel happier and at ease. These can also help clear your mind to avoid brain fog so you can think better when you resume work.
Exercising on a daily basis also helps combat symptoms of job-related depression and work burnout. The activity helps release hormones which creates a healthier brain environment to stimulate the growth of brain cells and reduces inflammation.
In addition, the adrenaline that one feels as they engage in exercise helps to decrease the release of stress-related hormones. This gives employees an overall improved attitude towards their work and gives them motivation and willpower to do their tasks and activities. This also has a positive impact on work relationships and helps a person foster better connections with their colleagues and teammates.
Exercising has also been shown to have a positive effect on a person’s sleep habits and quality of sleep. Compared to an individual who doesn’t work out, active people can have a better and longer sleep time at night. This gives employees enough rest and allows their mind and body to recuperate so they have renewed energy in the morning. Likewise, exercising reduces the chances of experiencing sleep disorders like insomnia and reduces work fatigue.The Link Between Exercise And Brain Health And Function
Similar to how athletes regularly train and build their muscles, working individuals also need regular exercise to maintain a healthy mind and body. As people age, the brain becomes more susceptible to decreased cognitive function, memory skills, and risks of degenerative brain conditions.
Practicing an active lifestyle develops your overall health and wellness in the long run and lessens your chances of developing cardiovascular diseases and other physical illnesses. It also has a protective benefit to your brain since exercising keeps your heart pumping and increases the circulation of blood and oxygen to the brain.
Exercising also stimulates the release of proteins which provides nutrients to brain cells and encourages the growth of neurons. Neurons serve as an important foundation of the brain’s overall structure as it keeps you mentally active and focused in work and daily activities. It even delays the effects of brain aging and helps you stay alert by keeping your cognitive abilities stable and functioning.
Making time for exercise in your hectic schedule can be difficult but the trick is to set a realistic goal so you can focus and exert actual effort to get up and work out. You can even make a deal with yourself and prepare a reward at the end of every exercise routine. Here are some helpful tips that can get you started on a workday exercise routine:
Start your health and wellness journey with guidance from the experts at AmeriCare Physical Therapy. Our team of competent and licensed physical and occupational therapists can help you maintain peak work performance by making sure your body is in good condition.
AmeriCare Physical Therapy is committed to providing quality care to patients in need of physical therapy and rehabilitation. Through our healthcare services, we want to help individuals meet their wellness goals and achieve maximum mobility and function at work and in their personal lives.
