Employers who treat time for exercise as a negotiable will pay later, when employees begin to feel stress, anxiety and lack of focus.
The theme of World Mental Health Day this year is mental health at work—and considering work is a clear source of stress and anxiety, I wish employers would remember that there is a strong connection between exercise and mental health, and give people time to work out.
Regular exercise insures you'l;l have a greater sense of confidence, sleep better at night, be more energetic, even have sharper memories, according to Jeanne Segal, Ph.D. From my own research and lived experience with depression, anxiety and learning differences, you need three things to maximize a workout's effect on work:
Focus on your exercise. Don't zone out watching the TV on the treadmill. If you do yoga, focus on the sequences. Know where your feet are. If you play a team sport, do drills, like footwork or calisthenics and count out the reps. This takes your mind away from your anxiety. Regular exercise for people who are ADHD improves attention and memory.
Touch grass. Ditch technology and get outside in nature. It is one of the best ways to forget about a stressful day. Running for 15 minutes a day or walking for an hour reduces the risk of major depression by 26%, according to a Harvard study.
Don't be a head in a jar. It's easy to think that making time for therapy or counseling is more important than a workout. Honestly, I'd say they are about equal and you need time for both. How's that going to happen when you boss doesn't give you the flexibility to do all that?
If they're smart, they will. Research shows healthy employees—mind and body—create healthy companies. Burnout, stress and anxiety are a symptom of an entire company culture that doesn't take mental and physical health seriously.
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