Top
Tips on How to Exercise in Order to Increase Your Work Productivity
Working day in day out, nine ‘til five, five days a week for the
vast majority of the year can be exhausting – particularly if you work in a
high-pressure or creative environment where you’re required to think
innovatively on your feet at all times. Sometimes it feels like you’re so tired
out from work that you don’t have time for anything else, whether that be
socialising, exercising or taking up a new hobby. But did you know that
exercising can actually help you to increase your work productivity? Yep,
that’s right. Here are some top tips on how you can exercise well in order to
increase your productivity at work.
Is it a Direct Science?
Before we get started on how to go about
it, you’ll probably be wondering what the direct correlation between exercise
and work productivity
actually is. Well you’ll be glad to hear that there are studies that actually
have proven that exercising regularly made people not only more productive at
work, but they actually achieved more too. In one particular study it was found
out that on days when an employee would have worked out, their concentration
was twenty one percent higher, they were twenty two percent more likely to
finish all of their work on time, they were twenty five percent more likely to
work through without taking unscheduled breaks, and they felt more motivated to
work by a whopping forty one percent. With statistics like that, who could
argue that being fitter doesn’t make you better at your job? Now, where to get
started?
Start with the Mindset that Less is More
Knowing the benefits
of exercise, chances are you’ll fancy yourself as lacing up your running
trainers, and going out to run a 10k straight away. Unfortunately however, when
it comes to exercising, this isn’t the case.
If you’re starting from a high point of
fitness, then yes, fair enough push yourself to the maximum level you can go
to. However if you’re starting from a low point of fitness, the best way of
getting into it is by starting off small and building up over time as your
fitness progresses - remember that any change, no matter how small, is good
change. The last thing you want to do is do too much in the early days and
either injure yourself or put yourself off exercise altogether! Sometimes, slow
and steady really does win the race.
Enjoy It
Try and
find a form of exercise that you actually enjoy doing. Although you’ll want to enjoy it, also remember that it’s
inevitable that you’ll probably sweat a lot, get a stitch and have to catch
your breath – but it’s worth it for that feel good feeling afterwards when the
endorphins are rushing around your system! Try out a few different classes, and
see what’s right for you. Whether you like the tranquil strengthening of yoga,
the intensity of a bootcamp work out or you find your enjoyment in lifting
weights, the more you enjoy it, the more likely you are to make it a regular
occurrence.
Don’t
Put Barriers Up
Remember
that you are capable of anything you put your mind to – so don’t put barriers
up! Do you think your yoga teacher started off as flexible as they are now, or
that the weight lifter in the gym was born being able to lift the heaviest
weights available? The answer is, no. A lot of the time it’s a mindset, and if
you continuously tell yourself “I can’t”, then it’ll stay that way.
Of course
it takes hard work, and as previously mentioned you’ll want to ease your way
into things, but if you never try then you’ll never know what you’re capable
of. Even if your running career starts with you doing a couple of laps around
the garden, it’s enough! Don’t limit yourself by telling yourself you can’t do
it, or it’s not for you – get out there and give it a go!
Schedule
it in
Last, but
certainly not least, try and schedule your exercise in. Working zaps so much of
our time and energy, that if we don’t literally pencil in times that we’re
going to do exercise, chances are we will never get around to doing it. If you
make a fitness schedule and stick to it, you’ll see the benefits a lot quicker
and be less likely to procrastinate. All the while, don’t forget the health and
productivity benefits that exercise induces – it’s all for the greater good!
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