Productivity at Work and Exercise

Today, I want to touch on the relationship between productivity at work and exercise.  Although news reports claim that we are coming out of recession and there are definite signs of ‘the end’… money is still tight, jobs are still on the line, and everyone is still pushing their bodies to work harder, longer hours.  I have heard the excuse a thousand times over- “I don’t have enough time to exercise during the work day and when I’m off work, I am too exhausted to make it to the gym”…  that is a self-destructive statement. Exercising during work (lunch-time, before work, or immediately after) has proven to be extremely beneficial on many levels.  

Exercise can help with overuse injuries that occur at work. Conditions such as chronic low back and neck pain, arthritis, carpal tunnel, sciatica, and general muscle pain can be caused from repetitive movement and stress on a certain area. If properly designed, a regular exercise routine can work to strengthen the areas that are under stress all day.  Sitting at a desk all day may seem to be ‘not stressful’ to the body, but in fact can be very dangerous to the low back, knees, hips, hands, and upper back… as well as contribute to tension headaches. Exercise can and will reduce the use of disability claims, reduce the risk of sedentary injury, increase metabolism- helping with weight loss,  and decrease sick time. Also, exercise increases hormone production in the body which in turn heightens your  mood. Ever been in a terrible mood at work and not felt like doing a thing??? Well, a good mood and a clear mind allows an employee to concentrate on the business tasks at hand. A recent study of 200 people at 3 major corporations revealed that an employees quality of life, mental performance, and time management was 15% better on days when they exercised.  Lastly, who wouldn’t want to temporarily escape from the stress of deadlines, hard to deal with co-workers and bosses, high-maintenence clients, and the constant ringing of the phone?  Exercise will decrease stress level and help keep ‘burn-out’ on the job at bay.  

 SO- point being: take time for exercise.  Even when you feel in over your head with responsibilities, emails, phone calls, meetings, etc… making time for a 30minute walk or hitting the gym before or after hours will help you out during your day and on the job!