All of us are well aware of the fact that exercise has health benefits. But many ignore this truth and rather spend time doing something else than sport. It is easier to decide on an activity that costs almost no effort rather than go and do something to make a change. We want to be successful, but how can we achieve that when avoiding activities that make us mentally and physically stable, stronger, and well-organized?
Sport is not only about physical benefits. It is not even about looking good and being in good shape. Exercise relaxes the body and helps us to get rid of stress. Thanks to sport, our health, both physical and mental, is good. Plus, exercising shows us our limits.
Sport helps us to get to know ourselves. What we are like when things don’t go our way. How we behave when we get into a situation we have never been before. How we feel when we win or lose. And how we behave toward our competitors when winning or losing.
In the game, we often do not know our opponent. We share with them a few tens of minutes during the game itself. Then, they go their way and we go ours.
In business, however, a competitor is a much stronger figure. His or her success or failure can make you very emotional. For example, if their campaign is better than yours. Or if their product is more popular with the target audience than yours is.
This can really stir up your emotions. What matters most is how you behave in the end. What your reaction is to the game result. The future of your company depends on your reactions to loss.
As you can see, your work is similar to the playing area in many situations. And it is only up to you if you’ll be the winner in the next round.
To have an opponent, you don’t have to play a duel or a collective game. Sometimes a person competes with themselves. We break records and push our limits.
Everyone likes different types of sports in a different time frame. Our schedules differ as well as our ideas about what exercising looks like.
But one thing is clear, if you want to be more productive, you need to move.
All successful and rich people exercise. For example, Mark Zuckerberg goes jogging at least three times a week. Kim Kardashian exercises up to six times a week. Victoria Beckham works out two hours a day, and Tim Cook starts every day in the gym.
If you’re interested in how exactly exercise contributes to your productivity as well as how positively it affects your business, read the points below.
Table of contents:
1. The Benefits of Exercise and Its Effect on Our Productivity
2. Combination Is the Key
3. A More Productive Self Is a Happier Self
1. The Benefits of Exercise and Its Effect on Our Productivity
- Physical endurance
Exercise has a very positive effect on our physical health.
It strengthens the immune system by increasing the circulation of immune cells. The body is therefore more resistant and can quickly detect infections attacking it. Also, a trained body deals with illness much better, than a body that is not trained at all. Thanks to sports, the risk of cardiovascular diseases and diabetes is reduced, too. Among other things, exercise routine improves sleep. In the morning you will wake up full of energy which will last throughout the whole day.
A person’s physical condition has a direct impact on their productivity. If you are healthy, you can fully concentrate on your work. Therefore, you are productive.
- Mental stability
Physically fit people are more mentally stable and overall satisfied with their lives.
They also cope better with stress because they are getting rid of it gradually. A person who has an exercise routine is more resistant to mental illnesses such as depression and anxiety. Physical activity increases the levels of central nervous system neurotransmitters, which include so-called hormones of happiness. Those are serotonin, oxytocin, dopamine, and endorphins.
When the hormones are released regularly at the right levels, the individual is happier. At the same time, they cope better with emotionally demanding situations.
With a clear mind, you will think rationally and you will not have problems with focus. Everything you’ll do will be done faster and more efficiently.
If your competitor wins at something, you’ll be able to assess the situation well and come up with the right solution to shine next time.
- Better time management
To be successful, you need to have order in your life.
You have to be able to decide what is a priority and what can wait. Which things you must do yourself and which you can delegate to someone else.
Exercise will teach you how to approach things logically. How to create a plan to achieve your goals. Overall, it will teach you self-discipline.
Here is a simple example. If you go to the gym, you need to make a schedule. Consider when to go, and what exact exercise you should do to achieve your goal. Also, what time you should leave the gym to catch up with everything else on your calendar.
And this is just a piece of the puzzle of how exercise will teach you to plan everything. After some time, it will become completely natural for you to plan any event with a calendar in your hand. Planning helps you to be more productive. When you manage to finish more tasks, you will be proud of yourself.
- Pushing limits and keeping promises
Making excuses and rescheduling deadlines leads to a lazy mind. Thus, every time you plan to do something, your mind will offer you to “do it then” or to “do just this” as the first option.
If you get carried away by this and you’ll always choose to do the less demanding activity, you will never exceed your limits.
By breaking the promises you made to yourself, your self-esteem will decrease. And in business, breaking promises will lead to your company’s bad reputation.
Both, exceeding limits and keeping promises to yourself and others, are essential for the growth and development of your personality and your company.
If you promised yourself to go jogging this evening, do it. Even if you don’t want to. If you keep your promises, you show your mind that you are the boss. You are the one who decides what to do and when to do it. Your mind will then stop offering you simple options and you will have more freedom in the decision-making process.
The difficulty bar of mastered tasks will keep moving higher and you will be more skilled with each completed assignment.
Your will will be stronger as well as your self-confidence. Also, after some time, you will be more confident about your decisions in risky situations. Overall, you will get the best out of yourself which equals being more productive and successful.
- Social interaction
As mentioned at the beginning of this article, thanks to sports, your ability to communicate with people will improve. Not only with your competitors but also with your teammates.
It will be much easier for you to cooperate with your colleagues which will affect the relationships inside of the company as well as its profitability.
You will learn to work with a loss. Instead of negative emotions, you will be able to come up with ideas for improvement.
Do not be afraid to make mistakes. Perceive it as a space for improvement and self-education.
Then, you will be able to get the most out of rather negative situations. You will become a fair leader whom your colleagues will admire and respect. Respect is essential for the team’s productivity and profitability of your company.
- Inspiration and flow of thoughts
Exercise improves the flow of thoughts. Blood circulation and good oxygenation of the brain help to speed up your thinking. In addition, thanks to the change of environment you’re in, you will be able to come up with more solutions to a certain problem.
That is why so-called walking meetings are so popular among successful entrepreneurs.
Steve Jobs was well aware of the fact that walking helps us with thinking. He often walked around the company premises with his business partners during their business meetings. Everything that needed to be discussed and improved was agreed upon more quickly.
Whether you take inspiration from Jobs and go for a walk with your business partner or just by yourself, your brain activity will be higher than while sitting in a meeting room. Higher brain activity = higher productivity.
2. Combination Is the Key
We all have time to exercise. Everything else is an excuse.
To be truly productive, you need to be healthy, happy, and well-organized.
Do not forget that in order to be healthy, you need to have a balanced diet and perform the exercises correctly.
If you are not sure how to perform the exercises correctly, hire a trainer to prevent injuries.
3. A More Productive Self Is a Happier Self
If you’ll be productive, you’ll be happier. There will be achievements you can be proud of. Those achievements will help you to be a confident person.
It is the end of the year. Perfect time to create new healthy habits and routines. Then, you will be able to enter 2024 fresh and determined.
Trust the routine. Trust the road. Move your muscles. Plan everything well. And don’t forget to regenerate after a training session.
