Students and busy working professionals find it hard to fit exercise into their hectic schedules, but taking time for exercise actually increases mental acuity. Exercise truly feeds the brain, essential if you are going to be more effective and efficient. When your brain is performing at full capacity, you focus better, concentrate more and, thus, make smarter decisions.
More and more universities are allowing students and staff members to exercise at work. The University of Namibia (Unam) has exercising facilities on campus. This is one of the key factors contributing to their excellent academic performance because they provide a platform for exercise between lecture sessions.
Just visualise how much a business will thrive if employees had in-office gyms or in-office yoga classes for their employees.
Studies have shown that sitting long hours at work places was linked to a lower work productivity and decreased mental well-being. Employers have taken to implement ‘sit less; move more’ interventions such as standing desks and offering employees time for exercise during working hours to improve work productivity.
Intelligent Physical Exercise Training (IPET) at work places was conducted in Denmark with a range of occupations, including dentists, office and computer workers, as well as healthcare workers. The results showed that in all jobs, participants improved cardiorespiratory health and muscle strength. These health improvements in turn saw increased productivity and fewer lost work days through illness.
Exercise is recommended for a healthy lifestyle and the benefits of exercise improve attention span, accuracy, memory and how fast our brains process information. All these benefits of exercise enable you to make decisions quickly and, thus, increases your productivity.
Just doing a short exercise workout gives results and you don’t have to break a sweat to get your brain on top form. Increased productivity is noticeable within weeks of implementing an exercise regime. On the whole, exercise raises your energy levels, combats stress, battles fatigue and improves general well-being.
When you feel happier and energised, you’re more efficient and effective at all tasks in life. The bottom line is that exercise is better than medicine.