The lockdown has presented many challenges, and research by Reebok has shown a surge in searches for the term "work from home burnout". Not surprising, of course, now that a lot is coming at us and there are few outlets to de-stress. Exercise is often the answer when it comes to stress. By exercising you make dopamine and serotonin, which makes you a bit happier.
In a new study, Reebok analyzes the most popular physical and mental exercises you can do while working from home to combat burnout and improve health and productivity. In collaboration with health experts and psychologists, we reveal the most popular exercises for dealing with burnout that you can do right from your desk.
How To Recognize Physical Burnout When Working From Home
Burnout is our body's response to a prolonged state of stress that often surfaces with feelings of fatigue, detachment, lack of motivation, and a negative or cynical view of work. According to Ruth Cooper Dickson, Positive Psychology Practitioner, burnout manifests itself in three ways.
Exercise is one of the best methods of dealing with burnout while working from home. Joe Mitton, founder of Mittfit reveals it's essential "to release dopamine and serotonin, which aid in both mood and sleep" and to reduce stress.
Most of these benefits come with short periods of exercise each day. Lee Chambers MSc MBPsS, environmental psychologist and wellness consultant says that “Finding an exercise you enjoy is vital as it will help you stay consistent by making sure you take the breaks and stay active daily.
Whether that's a block, dancing in your living room, yoga in the kitchen, or a bodyweight circuit in the bedroom, the significant benefits of exercise on your mental health, especially during the darker, colder months, should be harnessed to ensure that you feel empowered for the challenging times we face. ”
Top 20 Sports For Dealing With Homework Burn-Outs
Rank Sports Global search volume Number of Instagram Hashtags Total number of articles shared 1Yoga1,440,00089,619,52727,033,4192Walking119,00023,168,79756,781,6453Dancing157,00020,573,57539,124,4634Boxes483,00025,309,52122,544,7625Pilates844,00017,703,4062, 442,0126Cycling176,00029,872,34810,307,0047Squat436,00020,226,1141,622,6258Gardening130,00019,423,02911,306,3789Planking490,0001,489,4103,838,39410HIIT428,0001,983,0262, 197,93711Spinning345,0004,152,9253,275,45912Tai Chi355,000885,5922,788,72213Martial Arts164,0009,891,1454,059,98514Pushups122,0002,140,8375,324,49315Kickboxes79,00011,357,2701 ,143,64516Strength training61,0007,802,176446,83217Aerobics115,00021,694287,24718Circuit training68,0001,447,588215,08719Rope jumping24,00096,992373,70320Stair climbing9019,3013,920Yoga
Study finds yoga is the most popular sport worldwide for reducing work-from-home burnout, with an average of 1.4 million searches per month, 89.6 million hashtags on Instagram and 27 million articles shared this year. Yoga is an excellent sport to reduce stress. The exercises include a series of moving meditations, stationary poses or postures, which are further combined with deep breathing techniques.
Yoga helps to be more focused and improved awareness in our breath, which has both physical and psychological benefits. When we are stressed, we often shorten our breathing. Learning how to regulate your breathing correctly and calmly is a great transferable skill that you can apply in your everyday life. Practicing yoga every day can enhance your body's natural relaxation response and "make you feel energized, positively charged, and happy," says Harvey Lawton, founder of The Movement Blueprint.
Yoga is an important form of exercise for stretching and strengthening the shoulders, back and abs after a day in front of a computer screen. This is necessary because “not fighting the daily hunch has adverse effects on our attitude” and also increases the “risk of injury and inability to perform”. according to Harvey Lawton.
Walking
Walking is a simple sport that helps to improve our mood and reduce stress. With an average of 119,000 searches per month and 56.8 million articles shared on the topic worldwide, walking is the second most popular sport for managing burnout. Walking helps to release tension in the body, both in the neck and legs. At the same time, walking can often reduce the incidence of stress-related conditions such as cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure and high cholesterol.
Walking helps stretch and strengthen muscles and is also “beneficial for the hippocampus—the part of the brain that inhibits the stress response,” says positive psychologist Ruth Cooper-Dickson.
Dancing
Dancing is a great sport that can be done in any spacious room you have at home as an instant mood booster and stress reliever. With both physical and mental benefits, dancing is a great exercise that improves grace and agility as it increases your heart rate while actively using your legs, helps strengthen your body and core muscles, while burning calories and reducing the risk of injury.
Dancing is a good exercise “to activate GABBA (Gamma-aminobutyric acid) – this is an amino acid whose purpose is to calm the brain and act as a fire extinguisher to enable brain cells to suppress their activities.” says Ruth Cooper-Dickson. “GABBA activation also provides fast and effective stress relief” to clear your head after a stressful day at work.
Boxing
Boxing requires complete concentration, encouraging you to completely let go of the outside world for a moment. Boxing reduces stress by teaching you proper breathing techniques, building confidence and giving you an instant energy boost.
Punching and footwork “light up areas of the brain involved in learning complex skills and peripheral vision,” says Danny Greaves, confidence coach and physical therapist. Your brain increases the production of endorphins, the neurotransmitters that create the feel-good thoughts and feelings we get from exercise. Punching also helps to reduce muscle tension and even boost your confidence, making you better able to handle stressful or challenging situations.
Pilates
Like yoga, Pilates consists of a series of controlled movements and mat exercises that increase your strength, flexibility and endurance. It can also significantly improve your posture and muscle tone, as well as your balance and long-term joint mobility. Pilates has the double effect of boosting our mood while enhancing our resilience to stressors.
Pilates has an average of 844,000 searches per month, 17,703,406 Instagram hashtags, and 2,442,012 shared articles, making it a top practice to add to a more rigorous workout program. Lee Chambers MSc MBPsS, environmental psychologist and wellness consultant notes that it “also increases our blood flow and cognitive functioning, allowing us to work with greater focus and clarity, increasing our productivity.”
