Want to be more focused at work? Get some exercise!

A sedentary lifestyle is a source of many health hazards, including in the workplace. The need to get people moving in the office is becoming more and more important for company managers, especially since it could contribute to workers' concentration and productivity.

So suggest the findings of a study recently published in the Journal of Applied Psychology. Researchers from the US and Canada studied the benefits of physical activity before or after the workday.

To do this, they recruited nearly 70 employees working in several companies located on the west coast of North America. They all worked a minimum of 32 hours per week and incorporated at least two 30-minute workouts into their weekly routine, according to the PsyPost website.

The scientists asked the study participants to wear a Fitbit smart device to track their physical activity, as well as fill out questionnaires about their motivation for exercise. In addition, one of their co-workers was asked to rate their concentration at the end of each day at the office.

The results speak for themselves: employees who were active before or during their workday were more focused than those who were more sedentary. And this was true even if they were doing "light" physical exercise such as walking or going up and down stairs.

Nevertheless, the researchers found that this low intensity physical exercise only improved the concentration of employees who were otherwise not very active. Those who are used to exercising in their daily lives need to be more active before or during their workday to feel the benefits in the office.

"The results are actually very simple," resumes study author, Lieke L. ten Brummelhuis, speaking to PsyPost.

"In three sentences: Going for a walk or similarly light physical activity before or during the day helps employees focus at work tasks better that day.

For employees who love exercise, intense exercise (like a run) has a similarly beneficial effect. For those who do not like exercise, however, it is better to stick with light or moderate physical activity."

Working from home and sedentary lifestyles

The conclusions of this study should be taken with caution, however, because of the small number of participants and the fact that they are used to doing exercise in their daily lives. Still, the findings nevertheless attest to the importance of physical activity, in any form, to counteract sedentary lifestyles at work.

This phenomenon is nothing new. For decades, many workers have been spending their working day sitting in front of a computer screen. But it has become more pronounced since the COVID-19 pandemic. The rise in working from home especially favors a more sedentary lifestyle.

There's no need to leave your home to attend a meeting or meet a client. Now, many people can just use video conferencing software to participate in office life without having to get up from their couch.

Most working days are now spent sitting down most of the time, which is not without consequence for workers' health. Indeed, this lack of movement can contribute to the development of musculoskeletal disorders and lower back pain, while increasing cardiovascular risk factors such as excess weight, high blood pressure or diabetes.

This is why specialists advise workers to break up periods of sitting as much as possible to move around for a few minutes, whether to go to the bathroom or even to hang out a load of washing between two video calls.