How Exercise Improves Productivity and Your Brain Function

It is commonly known that exercise is beneficial for health. Exercise is the main component of maintaining weight and healthy lungs, heart, and other body systems. But do you know that it can also make you more productive at work? Modern studies prove that regular exercise can make you more energetic, smarter, and happier.

With regular exercise, you can gain many benefits other than staying in shape and weight loss. Exercise and productivity in the workplace are interrelated. Being focused and productive at the workplace can assist you to complete your job much faster and make you entitled to a promotion. You may risk your health as well as your job if you don’t exercise regularly.

Exercise and Work Productivity

It is a well-known fact that a healthy and vigorous lifestyle can have a long-term positive impact on your life. But the question is; can exercise enhance work productivity? A study was performed by Briston University on 200 employees from 3 companies where employees evaluated their work performance on a day without exercise and a day without exercise. The results showed that on the exercise day, employees show 21% higher focus on work, 25% higher work without impulsive breaks, 22% higher work completion on time, and 41% more motivation for work.

Another study on 683 employees found that health and fitness considerably impact the work performance of employees. A survey on 6 dental offices proved that thirty minutes of exercise enhances self-rated productivity. Here are the ways exercise improves brain function and productivity.

Improves Mental Health

Improved mental health is one of the ways to be more productive in the workplace. Exercising regularly can help restrict the depression and anxiety feelings. When you perform the exercise, a neurotransmitter is produced in the brain that makes you feel much better and improve your mental health which consequently makes it easier to handle the stress.

Keeps you alert and focused

Staying focused and alert is extremely important and greatly affects your productivity in the workplace. When you exercise, the blood flow to the brain increases, and hence the oxygen levels that give rise to higher focus and alertness. For people who perform complex tasks and tricky analysis, staying focused and alert can make a big difference to their productivity and performance.

Improves your confidence

Exercise has also been found to have a positive effect on mood and body image due to the triggering of feel-good chemicals like endorphins. Exercise can boost confidence and self-esteem in many ways like Tai Chi can improve your feelings of self-worth while aerobics can boost mental positivism.

Reduce stress

We know that jobs sometimes are associated with most of the anxiety and stress and it is essential to find a way to reduce the stress to avoid the issue. Exercise is a great way to relieve stress and tension without creating any complications. Exercising can trigger the release of the serotonin hormone that improves your feelings of overall happiness and well-being. It will help you deal with the stress you face in the workplace and thus contribute to improved productivity. When you can practically deal with stress, it will result in better relations with your co-workers and with your employer.

More Energy

Most of the brain cells have mitochondria that are responsible for the production of energy that is required by your body. When you do the exercise, it will help develop more mitochondria, which results in more energy. When your brain has more energy to utilize, you will have more sharp skills to make a decision and think creatively.