The 5 Productive Things to Do to Increase Your Activity

Let’s Increase Your Productivity

If you’re looking to increase your productivity then exercise is a great answer! From being more fit to being more productive, start killing two birds with one stone with these simple tips. It’s time to increase your productivity!

Can exercise increase your productivity?

For many of us, days quickly turn into months and all of a sudden the year is almost halfway over.

Without setting goals and being intentional in our actions, we find ourselves stagnant in the workplace, in our personal wellness, and in relationships as well.

Productivity is absolutely linked to health. Studies show that those who exercise at least half an hour three times a week are 15% more likely to achieve better job performance. Those who exercised regularly were also less likely to take sick days and suffer from chronic conditions.

5 Ways to Increase Your Productivity Through Exercise Ultimately, becoming more engaged and successful is directly linked to your health. Even though we’d all love to take a pill or drink a potion to avoid exercise, there simply is no way around it: our good health is a direct result of our level of physical activity.

So taking professional development classes, heading to networking events, and keeping on top of industry trends may help you learn more, but all of that knowledge means nothing if you can’t translate it into productivity and success at work.

Now where to start? Let’s take a look at five ways to enhance your productivity through exercise.

Meeting While You Walk

Many people dismiss exercise out of hand because they don’t have the money for an expensive gym membership and don’t have extra time in the morning or evening. The walking meeting is the perfect antidote for the busy employee who wants to multitask.

In her TED Talk, which now has over 2.2 million views, Nilofer Merchant promotes the walking meeting as a way to get out of our sedentary habits. She goes so far as to posit that sitting all day at work is as unhealthy for this generation of workers as smoking was for the previous.

So the next time you send an Outlook invite for a meeting, type “Around the Block” into the location field. No gym membership or equipment is needed. Just your feet!

Stretch Your Way to Less Stress

Exercise is a great way to get rid of stress, a known productivity-killer. Work-related stress results in a loss of $200 billion every year through missed days of work, decreased productivity, and employee turnover.

Yoga is a great stress combatant since breathing techniques can help you any time of day or night. YouTube has tons of short yoga routines that could be completed on a coffee or lunch break. By focusing on the muscles and breathing needed to hold a pose, your mind will become clear and stress will melt away.

7 Minutes to More Energy

Plenty of workers find time for a coffee break or two. Many of us can’t survive without our caffeine fix(es) throughout the day. But when it comes to exercising, we tell ourselves “I’m too tired for that!”

It turns out we are just creating a vicious cycle. The lack of exercise leads to lower energy levels, which convinces us we are too tired for healthy exercise. That afternoon energy slump or the hour it takes to get revved up in the morning are production killers. So increasing your heart rate and moving is exactly what your body needs to gain more energy.

The 7 Minute Workout is one of the top-rated fitness apps and allows you to get moving using exercises you know well as jumping jacks and wall sits.

Take a Stand at Work for Increased Focus

For those that just know they will never put in a good thirty minutes on a treadmill, a standing desk might be the physical activity they need. It allows you to passively burn calories while you work, as standing burns an average of 50 more calories an hour compared to sitting. You can build your own standing desk by stacking up books or buy an adjustable desk meant for the task.

If you don’t want to move your workstation, standing while you read and talk on the phone is a way to ease into this habit.

Have you ever gotten to the end of the day and wondered, “What did I get accomplished?” Standing during the day can help you stay focused and help you burn more calories without even noticing.

Complete Cardio for Brainpower

So far we haven’t talked about a good, old-fashioned workout. But there are obvious benefits to this type of exercise. Cardio doesn’t just get your blood pumping, it also increases serotonin and dopamine. The rush of blood and hormones increases the part of your brain that controls learning and memory, which increases our ability to concentrate and remember.

Cardio workouts, like running, biking, or the elliptical machine, give you a clear path to productivity and success.

Wrap-Up

For many people, exercising is a chore, rather than something to look forward to.

Really, though, it only takes a small amount of effort to positively impact all areas of our life – including your productivity at work.

These five methods to increase your productivity can help propel you to success in the workplace, at home, and beyond!

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Jennifer Landis

Jennifer Landis is a healthy living blogger and freelance writer who runs on English Breakfast Tea. She is a health nut and an avid yogi, runner, and mother. She can be a bit of a nerd, but she’s cool with it, and she can’t get enough Dr. Who. Follow her on twitter @JenniferELandis and read more of her writing at blog, Mindfulness Mama.

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