Exercise at Work: A Mood Booster?

May is Mental Health Month and with that comes more evidence that exercise is good for your mental health at home and at work. Just ask Elizabeth Hashagen of News 12 Long Island who anchors live for about 2 consecutive hours, five days a week. With a call-time of 4am, exercise in the workplace is crucial to lifting her energy and her spirits.

“Exercise improves my mental clarity. That influx of oxygen gets my adrenalin flowing after hours of being in the studio,” says Elizabeth who can be found taking a power walk around the building or using her resistance bands in her office three days a week. It’s part of her work/life balance routine.

She makes exercise a priority and a number of studies suggest that exercise can give a jolt to your mood. The University College London recently looked into the habits of 20,000 men and women in a Scottish health survey. It examined their mental health and physical activities, finding that those who were the most active, were less likely to suffer with anxiety and stress which boosted their mental health.

For Elizabeth, taking that break at work to exercise improves her capacity to concentrate and in fact makes her more effective and engaged at work. It also creates a solid foundation for her workload during the rest of the week.Wellness programs in companies have been addressing the connection between anti-stress programs and effective workplace behavior, but there is more anecdotal rather than hard statistics. But Elizabeth says the benefits of that uptick in activity manifests on personal level. Along with the energy boost comes a boost in mood. The little things roll off her back a bit easier even in a breaking news environment.

“I think you have to set a goal that you know you can shoot for,” says Elizabeth who adds that as you meet that goal and start to see the benefits of exercise at work, you’ll see a marked difference in your sustained energy level. Elizabeth says a little discipline will go a long way, giving you something to shoot for and allowing you to measure your results in muscle tone, and in reduced stress at work.