Picture source : Sutton-in-ashfield-harriers.co.uk
Regular physical activity is one of the most important things you can do for your health. Exercise can reduce the risk of serious diseases, such as heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and cancer by up to 50%, and reduce the risk of premature death by up to 30%. For many people, their daily dose of exercise comes from the number of steps they take to get to work, the number of stairs they climb from office to office, and the time they spend in the corporate gym. However, government-imposed restrictions due to Covid-19 have forced many people to work remotely in recent years. If working remotely has some benefits, it's not necessarily good for our bodies. It causes us to move less, which can lead to weight gain, fatigue, trouble sleeping, loneliness, social anxiety, and other long-term health problems. So, an exercise routine is necessary when working from home.
If you’ve found yourself moving less while working remotely, here are three research-backed ways to reap the many benefits of increasing your physical activity:
Focus on building a habit of daily physical activity.
What is worth doing should be done slowly. Don't be discouraged if you don't see immediate work-related benefits from physical activity. Our study specifically examined the lagging benefits of next-day physical activity, demonstrating significant resource benefits that contribute to performance and health. Focus on creating new healthy habits every day and the results will show over time.
Remember that some are better than none.
We often give up physical activity because we are tired, hungry, stressed, or busy (including ourselves!). To reap the health benefits of a sedentary lifestyle and minimize the adverse health effects of a sedentary lifestyle, WHO recommends that adults aged 18-64 years spend at least 2.5 hours moderate-intensity physical activity or at least 1.25 hours of intense physical activity. every week. Since low-intensity physical activity may require a longer commitment to reap resource benefits, and high-intensity physical activity may be more prone to injury, moderate-intensity exercise should be the goal. more feasible for many people. Furthermore, we've found that even brief bursts of physical activity, even 20 minutes a day, are enough to generate resources that contribute to employee performance and well-being the next day. .
Motivated or not, just get moving!
Our research shows that even employees who don't like exercise can benefit from daily physical activity. We also found that self-motivated individuals were more likely to engage in physical activity, implying that the 'fun factor' is a key factor when it comes to physical activity - so look for an activity that makes exercise less painful and more pleasant. If you don't feel like participating in a training program, try going for a hike or taking a boxing class. The next time you want to trade your workout for a comfortable couch, aim to spend just 20 minutes.
Source : Harvard Business Review, Medium
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