While we’ve all known that there are some sure benefits to exercise – from keeping your heart in check to improving the state of your brain – a recent study has additional evidence to support the benefits of exercise for everyday working professionals. Released by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the study looked at the impact of exercise on workplace burnout prevention. The results showed that there are indeed large effects of regular exercise on the reduction and prevention of burnout, meaning only one thing for all of us incessantly making excuses for not going to the gym: time to get off your ass.
Participants in the study were put through an exercise regiment lasting four weeks. Afterwards, the study participants “had greater positive well-being and personal accomplishment, and concomitantly less psychological distress, perceived stress, and emotional exhaustion.”
The types of exercise varied – from cardiovascular exercises to resistance training – and looked at whether different activities would also have an effect on each individual’s health. While exercise, in general, improved the overall sense of being for participants, the study also revealed that different exercises can have different effects on the mind and body. Per the study:
“Cardiovascular exercise was found to increase well-being and decrease psychological distress, perceived stress, and emotional exhaustion. Resistance training was noticeably effective in increasing well-being and personal accomplishment and to reduce perceived stress.“
The results are significant, especially for those in the startup community, where workplace burnout is all too common; indeed, in a culture where job roles aren’t strictly applied and goals are focused on constant growth, it’s easy to forget to take a break every now and then. The study supports the well-documented benefits of exercise on personal well-being, but also suggests the varying effects that different exercises can have on the human mind.
Need to fit some fitness time in your busy schedule and avoid workplace burnout? Try these quick and easy exercises.