Let's start with a bold claim: physical activity breaks can boost your productivity in mere minutes. At your home office. Or in your favorite chair. Using your stuff…no new gadgets needed, except for a healthy work timer! Simple exercises for any fitness level you do right at your desk. Get the picture? You’ll even pick up a few home office decor ideas along the way.
Hold everything! You’re a resilient, creative, gosh-darn-good-at-what-you-do individual. You give your all to most of what you do. But if you're like most of us, you've let our health and wellbeing take a backseat to that laundry list of must-be-dones. We're here to help you change that.
Chances are you’re finding it hard to believe that productivity can take off in a matter of minutes following an exercise break. Added to that, you’ll roar in disbelief hearing that you won’t even break into a sweat. Yup, no need to head to the gym, sweat gallons, shower, change clothes, or mope because you decided to keep working.
What follows is the secret sauce of how your entire being responds to invigorating, simple exercises. Added to that, you’ll read about the pitfalls of being sedentary. Like when you keep pounding away at the keyboard despite heavy lids and an aching back.
The five benefits include tips that work with your exercise breaks to boost productivity. Oh ya, all of this enhances your wellbeing too. Sweet!
Are you ready? On Your Mark, Get Set, Go!
5 ways regular physical activity boost productivty:
#1 A Bonanza of Brain Benefits
Moving your body sure does pump circulation. You can just feel your heart get excited as you start to move and groove. Your brain gets a bunch of benefits such as:
Increased plasticity
That’s a fancy term for more connectivity, as your brain literally responds by boosting the links between its various structures. This strengthening can happen at any age so it’s worth noting because it ramps up versatility in how you think.
Your brain thrives with mind–body exercise
That’s the interplay of mental focus, breathing awareness, and physical movement, much as happens with yoga. The purpose is to promote strength, flexibility, and other good stuff like physical and emotional resilience.
Watch the Wakeout videos to see this in action during exercise breaks. 👍
Cognitive benefits that are bountiful!
There’s improved nerve action and connections for functioning. Physical exercise promotes increased gray matter volume in the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus areas of your brain. This boosts memory power as those that are short-term become long-term when encoded by the latter.
The cerebellum thrives with exercise, promoting skills such as playing the piano, or managing sophisticated technology.
All of this boosts academic prowess and the ability to recall topnotch info just like that!
Brain Benefit Tip: Follow your exercise break with blueberries or pumpkin seeds for antioxidant protection.
#2 Saved From Sedentary Slugs
Sure, you love your job. You’re grateful to work from home. (Most of the time.) Yet, there are days, weeks, or seasons when you feel oh-so-sluggish. Like you’re moving and thinking in slow-mo. Just like slugs in the garden. If this is you, do yourself a favor. Save yourself from today’s slugs by starting your exercise breaks. When you do, you’ll find:
- Joy in knowing you’re doing this for yourself,
- These are the antithesis of ho-hum. In fact, they make people like you happy!
- You’re more energized and sit straighter in your seat.
- After you try a couple, you want to try more.
- It’s a super way to focus on a part of your body that’s pleading for attention.
- That simple exercise programs deliver hopeful research findings. They work!
Saved From Sedentary Slugs Tip: Sleep 7 hours a night to let your brain rest and reduce stress hormones
#3 Joint Protection
An agile joint is a happy joint. Synovial fluid gets moved around. Ligaments and tendons are stretched, becoming supple and responsive. Sounds nice, eh? Within minutes of starting your exercise break, you’ll become aware that:
- Tight muscles have relaxed, placing less tension on joint structures.
- Your hands, feet, and lower back feel awake again as you move, boosting your breathing and circulation.
- Oh ya, good point about breathing! Your chest expands, coaxing your ribs and spinal column to feel like they too are breathing. Well, in a way they are, wouldn’t you say?
- Exercise breaks strengthen muscles. Strong muscles promote stable, flexible joints.
Joint Protection Tip: Hydrate, especially with water, to keep your joints well lubricated
#4 Stimulated Creativity
This is one boost you may not have expected. And, wow, does this one boost productivity! Your creativity is unleashed because it’s now limber. With this, you’ll find that:
- You’re thinking in new, refreshing ways. If you’re in doubt, just wait!
- Because your exercise breaks are fun and refreshing, you somehow feel lighter. That moves you to a place where you release doubts. You know them. The doldrums that cloud a creative mind.
- In going back to your brain a bit, this creativity stuff is linked with brain plasticity.
- You get really excited to share your ideas, knowing that your voice is good for your plants .
Stimulated Creativity Tip: Sing in the shower, get out in nature, play and have fun
#5 To Lighten Up With Laughter
Have you ever noticed that a good laugh is free? It’s also freeing. Your breath releases, making you inhale deeply. That is, if you can stop laughing long enough to breathe. Wakeout exercise breaks do just that, adding boost bonuses such as:
- Encouraging you to goof around while doing your remote exercise remedies
- Strengthening your immune system over time
- Relieving stress and excess-sitting back pain as your brain (there it is again!) releases feel-good endorphins
- Promoting a state of optimism that washes away gloominess
- Connecting with others as they share in your camaraderie and chuckles. Yup, even remotely!
Lighten Up With Laughter Tip: Smile on purpose, read funny jokes, and dare to be silly
Chances are you’re ready to give exercise breaks a try! After all, you now know 5 ways they boost your productivity…and more.
Wakeout
