Getting Paid to Exercise: What’s the Catch?

By partnering with Strove, your employer has effectively committed to paying you to exercise! You aren’t Ronaldo just yet but you are now a professional athlete (that’s a stretch, but let’s roll with it).

The question is, why would they be crazy enough to do that?

It would seem that, just like we do, your employer strongly believes that happier and healthier employees make for a stronger and better company. They aren’t just making this up, the scientific evidence is overwhelming. Let’s explore some of the ways in which regular exercise makes you a better employee.

Socially connected

Sport and exercise provide the perfect opportunity for work colleagues to connect and converse outside of the office (or Zoom) environment. Healthy social connections between team members can make your team more effective and better equipped to handle a crisis. The bonus is that your new social connections can hold you accountable for your workout promises making you less likely to skip a session and more likely to maintain an exercise habit.

Less stress

It’s no secret that excessive workplace stress is a big and growing problem for businesses around the world. Stressed employees are less capable of focusing, thinking clearly, and making rational decisions. Workplace stress that is not effectively dealt with is driving the pandemic of burnout, costing businesses billions globally.

Exercise releases your body’s own happy pills — endorphins — to instantly boost mood while also lowering levels of stress hormones and encouraging restful sleep. Fitter employees are better equipped to deal with the inevitable stress that comes with performing in the office.

Peak productivity

Being physically fit makes you better at your job. Really, it’s like a superpower. Which employer wouldn’t want their employees to have the powers of enhanced creativity, faster learning, a razor-sharp memory, improved concentration, and even enhanced mental stamina? All of these have been shown to be boosted by regular exercise.

Boundless energy

One would think that by burning energy in a workout that you’d have less of it left over to get through the day. And yet, the opposite is true! Employees who exercise regularly have been shown to have more energy for the tasks of the day than their couch-dwelling counterparts.

Exercise ignites your metabolism and improves circulation leading to an energy boost that can’t be matched by drinking coffee all day.

Present

Absenteeism is another massive and expensive problem for businesses around the world. Physically fit employees are absent a lot less often for several reasons:

• Physical fitness boosts your immune system making you less likely to catch the latest bug that is floating about the office cubicles and more likely to recover quickly should you catch it.
• Regular exercise is a remedy and shield against musculoskeletal conditions like lower back pain that are a major cause of time off work.
• Exercise is one of the best treatments for mental health issues like depression and anxiety that are also major contributors to absenteeism.
• Being fit and active gives you the best chance of avoiding chronic diseases like diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease meaning a long and healthy career.

So, why is your company paying you to be physically active?

It’s simple: they’d be crazy not to.

Dr. Jarrad Van Zuydam | Sports Physician