Exercise has not just physical but mental benefits as well. It will boost your mood, your morale, as well as your ability to concentrate and remain alert.
For many if not most of us, getting exercise is something that is almost always on our to-do list. Unfortunately, it is also the one thing we keep putting off the most. Yes. The intentions are there, but the motivation is where we usually lack the most. By the time we are over and done with an exhausting workday and in-between attending office meetings, making deadlines, and dropping and picking the kids from school, we are too exhausted to do much else. Collapsing into bed seems the obvious choice.
Most people are well aware of the innate physical benefits of a good workout. From lowering LDL (bad) cholesterol to eliminating diabetes and high blood pressure, exercise does it all. It can also increase your longevity, and ultimately help you fit your clothes better. There is just so much that healthy exercise can do for you. However, we often overlook the mental benefits of exercise. Let us take a quick look and see how exercise can help us become more focused and productive in our day-to-day work:
It Improves Your Mood
Physical exercise has the ability to stimulate the brain enough to release a whole lot of feel-good hormones and neurotransmitters. While it is not quite clear how it happens, the effects are undeniable, the more you exercise the more uplifted you will feel till you are able to get that fabled ‘runner’s high.’ This is what many professional athletes feel once they are over and done with their daily invigorating workouts. Of course, the better your mood, the more productive you will feel.
It Helps Boost Energy
This might sound a tad counterintuitive at first since a workout is supposed to make you feel tired, but that isn’t really the case, as such. The thing is, physical exercise stimulates the production of mitochondria in the cells in our body. Mitochondria produce the vital chemicals that our body uses in the form of energy (ATP). In the long run, it leads to not just more energy for the body, but also the brain as well. It doesn’t have to be a grueling 3-hour workout either. Just 10 minutes of walking or briskly going up and down stairs can energize you as much as drinking 50 milligrams or so of caffeine.
It Eases Stress Dramatically
One doesn’t need daily reminders of how stressful work (or even lack of it thereof) can be. It has the capability of wearing you down both physically as well as mentally. Add to that, the perennial woes of many office staffers. Issues such as neck strain and poor posture are all due to excessive sitting. Exercise can help you to get rid of these problems. Apart from that, it will also help to increase your memory, cognitive abilities, and mental acuity. It also allows your body to respond to stress in a much more positive manner.
It Protects You Against Many Illnesses
One can hardly be considered productive if one is basically stuck in bed all day long. If you are knocked out of commission courtesy of every disease going around then you won’t be able to have a productive year at all. However, a daily exercise regimen can help ensure that this is not the case, not by a long shot. In fact, many studies have conclusively shown that people who exercise regularly come down with seasonal illnesses a lot less than people who don’t do the needful.
The Need for a Home Gym
It is possible to increase your focus as well as productivity by building a home gym. This way, you would be able to exercise whenever you are home or have free time. In fact, you can create your very own workout routine. However, a gym is only as good as its equipment. This is why your home gym should contain specific workout equipment such as a treadmill, a cycling machine and the like, to ensure optimum utilization of your free time.
Conclusion
Exercise has not just physical but mental benefits as well. It will boost your mood, your morale, as well as your ability to concentrate and remain alert. So make sure that you exercise for at least a few minutes every day.
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