People Who Exercise on Work Days are Happier

 People Who Exercise on Work Days are Happier

People's mood significantly improves afterexercising

People who exercise on work days are more productive, happier and suffer less stress than on non-gymdays, scientists revealed today.

University of Bristol researchers found that employees who enjoyed a workout before going to work - orexercised during lunchbreaks - were better equipped to handle whatever the day threw at them.

It also found that people's general mood improved on days of exercise but they became less calm on non-exercise days.

The research, published in the International Journal of Workplace Health Management, is the first of it's kindto prove that exercise during work hours has mental, as well as physical benefits.

Jo Coulson, Research Associate in the University's Department of Exercise, Nutrition and Health Sciences,said: 'Our statistical¹ results were very important.

'On exercise days, people's mood significantly improved after exercising. Mood stayed about the same ondays they didn't, with the exception of people's sense of calm which deteriorated².

'Critically, workers performed significantly better on exercise days and across all three areas we measured,known as mental-interpersonal, output and time demands.'

The study group was made up of 200 university staff and employees working for a pensions company andan IT firm.

Each employee completed a questionnaire about their mood, workload³ and performance on days when theyexercised.

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The data was compared to answers from days participants opted⁴ not to exercise.

The workers, who were already in the habit of exercising, chose their own mode, frequency and intensity⁵ ofworkout to better reflect a real-life situation.

Most used a gym and did classes while some did weight training and team sports.

The key findings were:

Seventy two per cent reported improvements in time management on exercise days compared to non-exercise days.

Seventy nince per cent said mental and interpersonal performance was better on days they exercised.

Seventy four per cent said they managed their workload better.

The questionnaire scores were 27 per cent higher on exercise days in categories such as dealing⁶ calmlywith stress and 41 per cent higher for feeling motivated to work.

Those who exercised were also 21 per cent higher for concentration on work, 25 per cent for workingwithout unscheduled breaks and 22 per cent higher for finishing work on time.

Feedback from focus groups found that people who built exercise into their workday were re-energised,calmer and more able to solve problems.

Ms Coulson added: 'It's generally well-known now that there are many physical and mental health benefitsthat can be gained from regular exercise.

'If people try to fit an active break into their working day, they might also experience the added bonus oftheir whole day feeling much more productive.

'And that always feels good in our busy lives.

'The study also begs the question whether employers can afford not to be encouraging active breaks.

'The suggestion is that employers who are ahead of the game in offering proper on-site facilities actually getless from their employees on days that they don't exercise.'

1 statistical   

adj.统计的，统计学的

参考例句：

• He showed the price fluctuations in a statistical table.他用统计表显示价格的波动。
• They're making detailed statistical analysis.他们正在做具体的统计分析。

2 deteriorated   

恶化，变坏( deteriorate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Her health deteriorated rapidly, and she died shortly afterwards. 她的健康状况急剧恶化，不久便去世了。
• His condition steadily deteriorated. 他的病情恶化，日甚一日。

3 workload   

n.作业量，工作量

参考例句：

• An assistant one day a week would ease my workload.每周有一天配一个助手就会减轻我的工作负担。
• He's always grousing about the workload.他总是抱怨工作量大。

4 opted   

v.选择，挑选( opt的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She was co-opted onto the board. 她获增选为董事会成员。
• After graduating she opted for a career in music. 毕业后她选择了从事音乐工作。

5 intensity   

n.强烈，剧烈；强度；烈度

参考例句：

• I didn't realize the intensity of people's feelings on this issue.我没有意识到这一问题能引起群情激奋。
• The strike is growing in intensity.罢工日益加剧。

6 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。