Exercise will clear your mind and make you more productive at the desk.
Exercise,
depending on what you have experienced in the past, can be loved or
hated. Addicting or despised. What your experience is to this point is
typically what has shaped your mind on what is exercise and why do I
need it?
Have you noticed a low energy level while sitting at your
desk? Better yet, how about all day? Are you falling asleep at the desk
or having a horrible time getting out of bed in the morning?
Often
times this is due to not taking the time to nourish your body
physically and nutritionally. We will cover the physical part now and
leave the nutrition part to another day.
Exercise is a proven way
to not only increase endurance and heart health, but also clarity of
mind. What this means is exercise is good for your health and will make
you more productive throughout the day.
I have found that often
times, people just cannot take that first step. They associate exercise
to pain and sweat. Yes, for many this is their exercise. But, it doesn't
have to be painful or being drenched in sweat.
For the "normal"
desk jockey or couch potato, exercise can start out extremely short and
easy. How can this be beneficial you, may ask?
The key to starting
from scratch is to "just take a step". This could be deciding to walk
on the treadmill for two minutes, walk to the front or back of the
building, or lift 10 lbs five times.
You often times, must first
train your mind to accept exercise and dispel any negative associations
you may have had with it. You must also train your mind that you can
actually exercise at the desk. Once you take a couple seconds or minutes
from your day and start a program, you will find it will snowball from
there.
After walking for a couple minutes you must stop while your
brain is telling you, "That was easy or that wasn't exercise"! You must
associate the exercise as easy, short, and wanting more. Heck, you
don't even need to change clothes!
You may be thinking right now,
"Wait a second, I already walk a couple minutes at a time or lift a few
boxes during the day". Great, but the trick is, you must now do this and
think of it as exercise. Believe it or not, you can fool the brain.
Make
a commitment to do this at least once per day, twice if you like. You
can slowly increase a minute or two every few days. If weightlifting,
increase your reps every week.
The added benefit of exercise is
clearing the mind. You will find it almost impossible to walk for a few
minutes without thinking of at least some positive thoughts unrelated to
work.
It is also possible to exercise at the desk, by simply
keeping a 5 lb dumbbell under your desk and curl it or raise it above
your shoulders a couple times throughout the day.
If you are
currently on a regular exercise program, great, if not, please start
today. You will find it way easier than you might think!
No comments:
Post a Comment