Five Ways Fitness Can Improve Productivity

We all want to be more productive, breezing through that to-do list, increasing our creative thinking, and effortlessly multitasking. With these goals in mind, we push ourselves harder and harder to achieve that competitive edge.

But maybe there’s another way? What’s missing from your routine? Could fitness be it?

If you exercise regularly and stay fit, you understand there are more advantages than weight loss or staying in shape. Exercise and productivity go hand in hand. 

Let's explore how fitness can supercharge your productivity. 

Boost Efficiency

When you exercise, you are also increasing blood flow to the brain. A protein called BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor) is triggered by exercise and is associated with boosts in cognitive abilities. 

One study carried out by Jim McKenna, Professor of Physical Activity and Health at Leeds Metropolitan University, showed that a group of workers who had exercised were more productive and had improved time management skills than those who had not. 

Regular exercise of course leads to improved physical fitness, which in turn increases energy. Moreover, exercise promotes cardiovascular health and wellness, which simultaneously strengthens your immune system and reduces how often you’re off sick.

Boost Confidence 

Due to the release of feel-good chemicals like endorphins, exercise has been shown to have a positive impact on body image and mood. There are many ways that exercise enhances self-esteem and confidence; for instance, aerobics can improve mental positivism, while Yoga and Tai Chi can enhance your sense of self-worth.

Similarly, regular exercise can have a profound impact on anxiety, depression, ADHD, and lots of factors that influence self-confidence. Furthermore, the feeling of accomplishment that you get upon meeting your fitness goals is a massive boost to confidence and it imparts a sense of control over your life. 

Stay Focused

For individuals whose work involves complicated tasks and analysis, staying focused will create an enormous difference in performance and productivity.

Exercises can be done at the workplace without affecting your working hours, such as walking during your lunch period or taking the stairs instead of the elevator.

Regular fitness activities feed the muscles and stimulate the brain. Exercise keeps blood, glucose, and oxygen levels high, which your brain needs to focus and concentrate. Additionally, exercise has been shown to increase the volume of brain areas connected to memory and learning. 

Combat Fatigue

As shown in one study, workers’ fatigue is a significant problem due to high-demand jobs, long hours, disruption of circadian rhythms, and interrupted sleep schedules.

Fatigue can be reduced with exercise, which encourages the release of endorphins that naturally boost your energy levels and that lead to better quality sleep. 

Boost Mental Well-Being

Another way fitness influences the quality of your work is by enhancing your mental state. Stress can zap you of the psychological and physical energy needed to carry out your day-to-day tasks. When you are stressed, your body feels it. Whether with tense muscles, painful headaches, or a sore neck, stress takes a toll on the body. Research has shown that when experience discomfort, you can lose up to 5.5 hours of productivity every week (in a 40-hour week).

Regular exercise has been found to decrease tension and to elevate and stabilize mood. With physical activity, a person’s muscles relax, and tension is mitigated throughout the body. When you deal with stress constructively, it can lead you to be more open and confident, and to improve your relationships with others. 

Wrap up

Exercise improves not only well-being, but also time management and work output. Therefore, regular physical activity is one of the most important things you can do for your holistic wellbeing as well as for your career.

Everyone can experience the health benefits of physical activity – age, abilities, ethnicity, shape, and size don't matter. In short, if you do not exercise regularly, you’re hampering your ability to do great work and, in turn, to live your best life.

If you liked this article, you might also like these articles on how to reduce fatigue, increase your motivation to work out, and train when you lack willpower. 

Author Bio:

Himashree Hazarika is a digital marketer at Vantage Circle, an employee engagement platform, and Vantage Fit, an all-in-one corporate health and wellness solution. She is a yoga enthusiast. She is very passionate about writing articles related to health, diet, weight loss, yoga, and fitness.