Exercise doesn’t just improve your physical fitness, aerobic capacity, and muscle mass, it can benefit your mental health too. From reducing stress to decreasing the risk of depression, encouraging sports activities in the workplace has numerous benefits.
Here’s our top 5 reasons why:
1. Exercise Reduces Stress
If you’re feeling stressed you’ll likely not only suffer mentally but incur physical symptoms too. These include tension in your body, an increased heart rate, and the inability to get a good night’s sleep.
As physical symptoms develop, stresses develop, and the cycle continues. Relieving these symptoms can be supported by exercise as it helps reduce stress hormones. The rhythm of your movement whilst running, for example, helps you block out worries and encourages you to focus solely on your body.
2. ‘Healthy Body, Healthy Mind’
Many people notice a significant positive impact on their mood after taking part in physical activity. We’ve all heard about ‘runners high’ – it describes the ‘good feeling’ you have when you exercise, which is caused by chemicals being released in your brain during exercise. These chemicals help improve your mood and make you feel more alert.
3. Productivity Increases with Exercise
When you experience stress, a common reaction is to not go to work at all. By introducing exercise at work, like a short lunchtime run or an exercise class you may see a reduction in high levels of absenteeism. Exercise is a stress reliever and a positive method of reducing the time taken off work.
4. Job Performance Improves
Employee job performance has a direct impact on business, so increasing the quality of work can make a huge difference in profitability. Even small amounts of exercise including a 15 minute walk around the block or a short jog at lunchtime can improve job performance and productivity.
5. It Encourages Team Building
You’re more likely to spend time with colleagues in your team compared to colleagues in the office who you don’t often interact with for work purposes. Creating sports teams, clubs or groups can be the chance you need to speak to new people and meet new people outside of your ‘work bubble’. Interacting with new people, and spending quality time with work colleagues improves internal relationships.
As a result, you can see spikes in team morale, motivation, and energy levels.
