As the well-known saying goes, health is wealth, but how much truth does it hold in our modern society?
Most of the middle and high-class jobs require sitting behind a desk and working for hours at ends, without moving an inch away from that desk because it might hinder your concentration or break that momentum you got going.
And when you do get off of work, you are too tired to even think about exercising. You just want to relax in front of the television or anything entertaining and satisfactory that requires the least amount of your physical input.
While this may not hold true for all individuals but when we look at the statistics showing 40 percent of the ‘young adults’ and 44.8 percent of the ‘middle-aged Americans’ to be obese and 72 percent of ‘men’ and 63 percent of ‘women’ being overweight or obese considering the entire world’s population, it can tell us a lot about the direction in which we’re heading when it comes to health.
Most people of this generation have shorter attention spans. They are easily distracted and suffer from depression, back pain, and low productivity even after hours of work, and this is just to name a few of the disorders modern people face.
The main culprit behind these daily sufferings is the lack of physical activity and nutrition. Most people shy away from the idea of exercising because it forces them to come out of their comfort zone; others want to do it but lose motivation after a few sessions.
The reason being that even though they understand its importance, they lack the discipline and motivation to do so.
However, this can change once you understand the short and long-term benefits of exercising and how it helps boost your work performance. It provides the physical and mental tools needed to finish those lengthy and audacious tasks in relatively less time, opening up your schedule for other stuff.
Want to know what these benefits might be?
Then let's get into it.
Do you often lose focus and zone out while working? Not only does this impact our work efficiency, but having to work on something that refuses to be finished and being unable to bring all your attention to it can be quite stressful, not to mention that pain in your back and neck.
However, this problem does have a workable solution.
Studies have shown that taking 15 to 20-minute breaks at an interval of 1 to 2 hours can help increase your concentration level since the brain can optimally focus for up to 2 hours before decreasing in productivity.
Combine this with the research showing how doing exercises that raise your heartbeat for up to 15 minutes can boost your brain’s cognitive powers for at least the next two hours, and you get an ultra-focused mode that will really boost your work efficiency.
You don’t need to hit the gym every two hours for this either; just do any physical activity that gets your heart racing, like walking around the block, going up and down the stairs, or just follow along to a beginner’s warm-up routine video.
However, this isn’t the only short-term benefit you reap right after exercising. It also increases the blood flow to your brain, which immediately raises your brain’s work capacity.
It increases the influx of dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin chemicals, resulting in a satisfied, euphoric state and a contended sensation known as the ‘runner’s high.’
It also helps relieve stress by reducing stress hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline, elevating your overall mood and sleep quality. Additionally, it reduces your calories and sugar level by converting them into the energy you expend during your exercise.
In the long term, regular exercise not only makes you physically fit and thus more active, intuitive, and confident, but it also has a massive impact on the brain that will make you more productive in the long run.
How exactly?
A study conducted at the University of British Columbia showed that doing regular aerobic exercise (ones that get your heart pumping and induce sweating) boosts the size of the hippocampus, the area of the brain involved with memory and learning.
It also raises the size of the prefrontal and medial temporal cortex, which controls thinking and memory.
The result is an increase in your short and long-term information retention capabilities, which helps you make better and more effective decisions.
It is also essential to keep your diet and nutrition in check to reap the most benefits out of your exercise regime, enhance work performance and overall health.
A study conducted by Business Wire in 2013 showed that 20% percent of the workers who ate healthy food the entire day and 25% of those who ate fruits and vegetables regularly were more likely to have higher job performance.
The study additionally showed that 15% of the workers who exercised for 30 or more minutes three or more times a week were likely to have more work performance.
In essence, it is vital to incorporate a healthy diet and fitness routine into your lifestyle to live a more fulfilled, depression-free life and boost your work performance with a healthy body and mind.
In this manner, they will be well equipped to effectively deal with stress and gain a high work efficiency resulting in you being more productive in less time and having the cognitive skills needed to take your work to the next level.
Especially during this period of the global pandemic, when most physical activities aren’t available, it is even more essential to take care of your health and wellbeing.
If you put in the effort to empower your mind and body, not only will they be grateful to you but also help you achieve what you never have before and make it look easy.
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