Exercise is Part of the Job Profile
I am a firm believer that fitness and a healthy lifestyle are key determinants for a happier and more productive work life.
Let me highlight some ways in which physical fitness enhances workplace productivity and overall happiness. I will be noting some benefits of exercise on productivity including the ways in which it has helped me.
Exercise is part of your Job Profile
When we think of exercise, we tend to only look at the physical benefits but science has proven time and again as to how exercise has powerful brain changing effects and impacts the way we think and feel.
Improved concentration
Sharper memory
Faster learning
Prolonged mental stamina
Enhanced creativity
Lower stress
Instead of viewing exercise as something we do for ourselves—it’s time we started considering physical activity as part of the work itself. You’re not abandoning work. On the contrary: You’re ensuring that the hours you put in have value.
Exercising helps the body release endorphins- “the happy hormones” thereby elevating our mood, which has positive effects on workplace performance. All of our jobs require us to build relationships and collaborate to foster growth. Within this context, feeling irritable is no longer simply an inconvenience. No one wants to get to work on a Monday morning and meet an irritable colleague.
Being fit makes for less sick days lost, more staff at peak performance, factors which eventually lead to a more productive workforce. These factors eventually translate to higher profitability for companies.
Examples of initiatives taken by companies
Below is a pdf of IBM’s HR manual for employees. Apart from insurance and healthcare benefits for employees, the company has segregated Nutrition Tuesdays and Workout Wednesdays to discuss about these topics with employees. Many corporations can take inspiration from this manual, especially in the time of the pandemic where most of us are working from home and facing a lot of stress and anxiety due to various factors which are subjective to each person
https://www.ibm.com/us-en/employment/benefits/assets/2021_IBM_Benefits_and_HR_Programs_Summary_v2.pdf
Facebook introduced work treadmills in select offices to keep employees on the move while working. Wellness company Casper has introduced bonus incentives for employees achieving stated fitness goals. Google is renowned for its dedication to the well being of its employees. Google not only offers on-site fitness centers, but also provides more than 200 exercise classes, including eclectic options like “How to dance at a party.”
Noting down a link where the CEO of insurance giant Aetna had stated how promoting exercise programs for employees lead to a reduction in employee wellness costs by almost 7% and helped to increase productivity of employees thereby leading to increased profitability for the company.
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/company-wellness-programs-aetna-ceo_n_3398670
Helps to lay emphasis on scheduling and time management:
Being a salaried employee in the financial markets my day generally begins at 9:00 AM officially so it is important for me to lay down a strong morning routine with my fitness routine.
CEOs of the largest Indian corporations have been flag bearers of sticking to healthy exercise routines. Harsh Mariwala, Chairman of Marico “Pandemic or no pandemic, I exercise every day”
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/whats-making-these-c-suite-bosses-sweat-it-out-every-day/articleshow/80817114.cms
Drawing inspiration from super fit CEOs, Bob Iger, the CEO of Disney has a disciplined minute to minute schedule which begins with exercising. The likes of Tim Cook and Richard Branson have also been flag bearers highlighting the importance of making time for exercise in their schedules.
Here is the link of Nitin Kamath, found of Zerodha- India’s largest broking company, stating how diet and exercise has significantly helped him be more productive at work. The picture of his chiseled physique went viral on Twitter.
There is no perfect time for anyone to schedule a workout. Some prefer 5:00 AM while some prefer 10:00 PM. The point is that we should allocate some time in our schedule for a work out.
For those who think that exercising is making us feel tired at work and use it as an excuse to skip it altogether, I want out to point out that maybe you are doing it wrong because the whole point of exercise is to make you feel more energetic throughout the day. If you are feeling fatigued from exercise then it is probably a better idea to slow down the pace of exercise and focus on the right way of doing the exercise or maybe get yourself checked up with a doctor to see if anything is wrong.
Charles Darwin stated that, “in the struggle for survival, the fittest win out at the expense of their rivals because they succeed in adapting themselves best to their environment.” Survival of the fittest is not about being the strongest or the fastest. As Darwin said, the ‘fittest’ actually means those who are flexible and can make adjustments to match their environment and circumstances. Those are the skills that make you a survivor.
Sitting is the new smoking
In this time of COVID-19 most of us are working from home and are glued to our chairs all day long working, not realizing the damaging effect this is having on our bodies.
Sitting down for long periods of time leads to lack of effective of blood flow to the lower body muscles, the shortening of our hip flexors and the stiffening of our glutes (butt) and hamstrings. You may have observed how you feel a little stiff when you get up after sitting for a long period of time. As time passes these muscles get weaker and weaker as the blood circulation has been restricted to these parts of the body. It is important to get up every 40-50 minutes and move around for a minute or two. If walking is not possible try to stand to avoid excess stiffness.
Here is the link to a really cool TED Talk on how “Sitting Down is Destroying Us”. There is an old Chinese proverb mentioned in the video “You are as old as your spine”
I came across an inspiring video on Youtube by a famous content creator Ankur Warikoo. He mentioned how lack of exercise was having a damaging effect on his body and mind and that lead to him eventually getting diagnosed with a disease called Avascular Necrosis. He managed to say enough is enough and created a fitness routine and habit that helped him change his life. We should all begin now to avoid such a moment in our lives.
Various Forms of Exercise:
There are various ways in which one can keep fit be it yoga, strength training, cardio or walking. Personally weight training has been my focus point as it has improved my overall levels of energy and strength but it is important to have a balance of these activities, I like to incorporate a session of yoga once a week to help me relax my body and mind or a day of long running when I want to work on my endurance. Walking for me is non-negotiable and I always try to do some amount of walking on a daily basis.
Jeff Bezos has been an advocate of strength training, link below of his exercise and nutrition schedule.
https://www.onlymyhealth.com/being-jeff-bezos-here-s-what-the-ceo-of-amazon-does-for-those-impressive-biceps-1579320238
Each form of exercise has its own benefit and the point is to stick a schedule where you feel most comfortable and stick to a routine that you feel is making you feel your best.
The Bottom Line
Exercise is recommended for a healthy lifestyle and the benefits of exercise improve attention span, accuracy, memory and how fast our brains process information. Just doing even a short workout gives results and you don’t have to break a sweat to get your brain in top form. Increased productivity is noticeable within weeks of implementing an exercise regime.
Over the last 2 years we have witnessed a pandemic that has forced us to realize the importance of our health. Unfortunately, the number of lives lost through COVID due to people with unhealthy lifestyles was a real wake up call. We owe it ourselves, our family, our friends and our work colleagues to try and be the healthiest versions of ourselves.
Stress and anxiety are at peak levels for everyone around the world, having a consistent exercise schedule and healthy eating habits will help reduce this stress and anxiety in our lives considerably.
Very nicely articulated. For those (like me) who took time to accept the importance of Exercise, my simple recommendation is start small and focus on getting into the groove. Your article definitely helps in this regard
Great writing Ankush. I will read the rest of your blogs too. Keep fit, keep smiling and keep connected. All the best. Arunkaka