3 ways Exercise Increases Your Productivity

Everyone knows that exercise can improve your health. If you exercise regularly, you know there are numerous greater benefits aside from simply weight loss or staying in shape. Being productive and alert at work (even if you are working from home) can help you get your task done quicker or even make you more eligible for a promotion. By not exercising regularly, you could be putting your health — and your job — at risk. I highly believe Exercise and job productivity go hand in hand.

Exercise is a key part of managing your weight and maintaining healthy hearts, lungs, and other bodily systems. In this week’s article I will show you that exercising is also beneficial to your work productivity, especially if you are now stuck at home due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Citizens around the world are faced with the reality of carrying on everyday routines within their home, including telecommuting and schooling. Staying home is essential for “flattening the curve” and preventing the spread and potential exposure of COVID-19, but the change in routine is leaving many in unfamiliar territory – especially when it comes to leading a healthy lifestyle.

Exercise might be something that you find hard to make time for in your everyday schedule and now even harder to do it from quarantine by being stuck at home. It is highly essential to make it a piece of your day by day schedule to increase work productivity. It can assist you with discharging pressure, being innovative, and time management skills. Thinking with a clear mind, combining exercise and meditation, helps workers stay on task and focus better.

Here are some things that I guarantee will be improved by adding a quick workout or exercise in your daily routine, especially if you are quarantined at home like me right now:

1. Overall Energy

When we exercise, we are helping with the increase in blood flow to the brain, which can help sharpen our awareness and make us more ready to tackle our next task or next big project. There is a protein called BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor) that boosts our cognitive abilities; and BDNF is triggered by exercise according to the American Council on Exercise.

Most of our cells contain components called mitochondria, often referred to as the cell's "power plant." The Mitochondria produces the chemical that our body uses as energy, known as ATP. Physical exercise stimulates the development of new mitochondria within our cells, meaning that our body will be able to produce more ATP over time. That gives us more energy to exert ourselves physically, but it also means more energy for our brain, boosting our mental output.

If you have an important business meeting, I suggest you make sure you exercise beforehand. Having more energy means we will feel more awake at work. Being on top of our game will assure that we perform our work correctly and to the best of our abilities.

2. Less Stress

Exercising is proven to reduce stress. For example, If you travel frequently for business reasons, have a busy daily lifestyle, or you are stuck at home for Covid-19 reasons, you can still exercise and stay fit. There are zero equipment workout routines designed for people in quarantine right now. Our friend and personal trainer Nick has put together a series of workouts that require no equipment and are very quick that you can checkout by clicking here. Walking around the neighborhood is also a good way to get some exercise, take in some local culture, and relax a bit before an important business meeting or online class. Having a clear mind before the meeting or class will help you display more confidence and speak clear thoughts.

When you exercise, your brain releases serotonin that helps you feel better and improves your state of mind, making the stresses of work easier to handle. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter in the brain that sends messages to the body to stimulate mood and emotion, according to Harvard Health.

3. Creativity boost

While exercising, our minds may wander to something that has been giving us trouble with a project at work. Personally, I like to go on a walk everyday, put on a podcast and learn about something new or get some more information about my area of interest while walking around the neighborhood. You might just come up with a creative solution to that problem that has stunted productivity on the project. Creativity comes at the strangest times – like in the shower or in the middle of an intense workout. It is important to take advantage of this boost of creativity, write down your ideas and put them to work.

--

Keeping your body hydrated is the bare minimum you can do to also help optimise mental and physical performance and health. As a professional swimmer, I always have to make sure my body is at its maximum level of hydration, so I can perform at my best during everyday workouts and swim meets as well as working from home and performing the task at hand. Water is still the best to sip or gulp while you're at work. If plain water doesn't do it for you, try chilling it in the fridge or with ice. Still too bland? Try flavoring your cup with a wedge of lemon, lime or orange, or chilling some in your fridge at home with citrus or strawberries.

Depending on my daily workout, I do switch or add a sports drink into the mix of my daily hydration. Walking around with a water bottle or sports drink bottle has become part of who I am. Staying hydrated not only helps me to stay on top of my physical performance, but also I make sure I am always at my best mentally.

Products like Hydra-Guard Sports Drink also help me to make sure I have my proper amount of Vitamins and essential electrolytes. One bottle has 20% the equivalent Daily Value of Calcium we need alongside with only 5g of REAL Sugar and no artificial anything.

START NOW!

We should always remember that vitamin and minerals — particularly A, C and E, as well as zinc — play an important role in keeping the immune system strong and staying healthy while working from home. Staying at home at this time is very important as well as keeping a good and balanced diet. Filling each plate with produce, lean meats, dairy and healthy fats, will help us to get what we need to help keep our immune system strong.

Our body also needs fluids and electrolytes to function at its best. That’s especially true when you are suffering symptoms like fever, coughing, diarrhea and vomiting, which can easily dehydrate you. Proper rehydration helps with recovery. Drinks with essential electrolytes such as Hydra-Guard Sports Drink have been recommended by the World Health Organization and the American Academy of Pediatrics for decades to relieve symptoms associated with virus-related mild to moderate dehydration in both adults and kids. You could use the code JOAO10 for a special discount on the website, and I also recommend you to subscribe to the newsletter because they are always releasing special codes for even higher discounts on their products.

The CDC says if you’re experiencing symptoms of coronavirus — including fever, cough, shortness of breath 2-14 days after exposure — seek medical attention immediately. Today is a great day to start taking the best care of yourself. Don’t skip on great nutrition, hydration, rest and exercise. Help others do the same. And, for the latest information from the CDC, please click here.