People who exercise on work days are more productive, happier and
suffer less stress than on non-gym days, scientists revealed today.
University
of Bristol researchers found that employees who enjoyed a workout
before going to work - or exercised during lunchbreaks - were better
equipped to handle whatever the day threw at them.
It also found that people's general mood improved on days of exercise but they became less calm on non-exercise days.
The
research, published in the International Journal of Workplace Health
Management, is the first of it's kind to prove that exercise during work
hours has mental, as well as physical benefits.
Jo Coulson,
Research Associate in the University's Department of Exercise, Nutrition
and Health Sciences, said: 'Our statistical results were very
important.
'On exercise days, people's mood significantly improved
after exercising. Mood stayed about the same on days they didn't, with
the exception of people's sense of calm which deteriorated.
'Critically,
workers performed significantly better on exercise days and across all
three areas we measured, known as mental-interpersonal, output and time
demands.'
The study group was made up of 200 university staff and employees working for a pensions company and an IT firm.
Each employee completed a questionnaire about their mood, workload and performance on days when they exercised.
The data was compared to answers from days participants opted not to exercise.
The
workers, who were already in the habit of exercising, chose their own
mode, frequency and intensity of workout to better reflect a real-life
situation.
Most used a gym and did classes while some did weight training and team sports.
The key findings were:
Seventy two per cent reported improvements in time management on exercise days compared to non-exercise days.
Seventy nince per cent said mental and interpersonal performance was better on days they exercised.
Seventy four per cent said they managed their workload better.
The
questionnaire scores were 27 per cent higher on exercise days in
categories such as dealing calmly with stress and 41 per cent higher for
feeling motivated to work.
Those who exercised were also 21 per
cent higher for concentration on work, 25 per cent for working without
unscheduled breaks and 22 per cent higher for finishing work on time.
Feedback
from focus groups found that people who built exercise into their
workday were re-energised, calmer and more able to solve problems.
Ms
Coulson added: 'It's generally well-known now that there are many
physical and mental health benefits that can be gained from regular
exercise.
'If people try to fit an active break into their working
day, they might also experience the added bonus of their whole day
feeling much more productive.
'And that always feels good in our busy lives.
'The study also begs the question whether employers can afford not to be encouraging active breaks.
Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1095783/People-exercise-work-days-happier-suffer-stress-productive.html#ixzz2M2YFlC73
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