
Reducing workplace burnout: the benefits of  exercise - mmariani
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4393815/
======
david_shaw
The most interesting part of the study (to me) was this:

 _> Cardiovascular exercise was found to increase well-being and decrease
psychological distress, perceived stress, and emotional exhaustion. Resistance
training was noticeably effective in increasing well-being and personal
accomplishment and to reduce perceived stress._

and

 _> Different types of exercise may assist employees in different ways._

I've always been told that exercise improves feelings of well-being, reduces
stress, etc. I've _never_ heard about the different effects that different
types of exercise can have on the psyche -- although it makes sense, for
example, that improving at resistance training would lead to a sense of
accomplishment. If taken to its logical conclusion, this study implies that we
should be working out in different ways based on the psychological ailments we
may be experiencing. That's fascinating to me.

~~~
NhanH
> [...] _although it makes sense, for example, that improving at resistance
> training would lead to a sense of accomplishment._

It's not just a sense of accomplishment, it's an actual accomplishment: to be
a stronger human being than you once was. And unlike most other accomplishment
in life, you're not under anyone's whim or circumstantial luck. There were a
big thread on HN just a few months ago on that:
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9782083](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9782083)

~~~
unicornporn
I don't get why cardiovascular training, like running, wouldn't lead to the
same feeling of accomplishment. You might not get stronger (in the same
obvious way), but you will most certainly be faster.

~~~
totalrobe
If you don't lift much, it is kind of hard to describe, but there is this
feeling after lifting heavy shit that is just a total peace with the world.

Could have something to do with the hormones and neurotransmitters that the
body gets flooded with after lifting, could just be light-headed, could be
something to do with all the tiny muscle tears...not entirely sure.

On the flip side, I'm a bigger guy(6'5"), and I just feel beat down and ache
for days if I do any substantial distance running.

Sprinting though, seems to have similar physiological symptoms as lifting, and
I believe several studies have shown that intensity rather than duration of
exercise produces these effects.

~~~
rorykoehler
Try riding a bike if you're too heavy to run. I am naturally built for
sprinting but I get huge satisfaction out of middle distance running. Over 5k
and I start to feel as you described. I also enjoy lifting but it requires a
partner, costs money to do and is inside, usually in a brightly lit artificial
environment, so I only do it in the winter if at all. The bike on the other
hand I can do for 6-8 hours no problem as long as I have enough food on board.
I usually only do about 1-2 hours but I could really go for ever and always
feel great afterwards. It just takes a little while to get used to sitting in
the saddle. The first few rides might result in saddle soreness but after you
get used it and buy a good set of shorts you'll never look back.

~~~
allengeorge
Why does lifting require a partner? I've been lifting for ages now, and aside
from requesting spots for bench (which most people are happy to do) I've
always lifted alone.

Of course, it's different if you're constantly doing 1RMs, but I doubt your
workout consists solely of that.

~~~
rorykoehler
The most benefit comes from pushing the last almost impossible rep regardless
of how many reps you are doing. I just don't feel safe without a spotter.

~~~
khalilravanna
Just switch to bench press using dumbbells. It's safer, doesn't require a
spotter, and encompasses a wider range of motion making it, arguably, a better
all around exercise than bar bench press.

Off the top of my head I can't think of any other major exercises that
_require_ a spotter. Squats maybe? But for those you can just use a smith
machine.

I used to only go to the gym when I had a friend to go with (this was back in
college so it wasn't a _huge_ pain). Starting to go by myself was the best
change I ever made. Not being beholden to another's schedule for your own
wellbeing is a glorious thing indeed.

~~~
douche
Don't use a smith machine. Find a gym with (or buy) a proper squat rack with
safety bars that you can adjust to the proper height if you do have to bail
out of a squat.

With a smith machine, you don't get the full range of motion you have with
real barbell squats - it's straight-line up and down. I also am not a fan of
the twisting motion you need to perform to get the bar locked in.

------
myth_buster
Could this be the case of missing the forest for the trees? Perhaps the
burnout is happening due to stagnant wages and inflation which forces people
to work longer or take up additional unfulfilling jobs. Exercises perhaps may
only be helping in workers handle additional stress but doesn't improve their
being on the whole.

Productivity vs Hourly Wage [0]

GDP vs Median household income [1]

[0] [http://www.decisionsonevidence.com/wp-
content/uploads/2011/0...](http://www.decisionsonevidence.com/wp-
content/uploads/2011/09/Great-Prosperity-vs-Great-Recession.jpg)

[1]
[https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/e2/US_GDP_per_ca...](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/e2/US_GDP_per_capita_vs_median_household_income.png)

~~~
melling
I've been doing a lot of exercise recently. Your body simply feels much better
and more relaxed after some sort of physical activity. I've been walking
almost 70 miles a week and I recently added indoor cycling.

[https://h4labs.wordpress.com/2015/08/31/apple-watch-last-
wee...](https://h4labs.wordpress.com/2015/08/31/apple-watch-last-week-i-
walked-68-miles/)

Being a sedentary software developer can take its toll.

~~~
hughes
How do you find time to walk 10 miles a day? You must spend almost 3 and a
half hours a day to achieve that.

~~~
melling
I'm between "real" jobs. I do 5 miles in the morning (90 minutes), 45 minutes
after lunch and the rest in the evening. It takes 3hrs of my day. That's why
I'm adding indoor cycling. It takes about half the time to burn the same
amount of calories. I discussed that in another blog:
[https://h4labs.wordpress.com/2015/08/27/apple-
watch-8-weeks-...](https://h4labs.wordpress.com/2015/08/27/apple-
watch-8-weeks-and-9-pounds/)

Yesterday, my Apple Watch had me at 1600 active calories. I cycled for an hour
and walked just under 10 miles.

~~~
NullCharacter
So the key to reducing job burnout is... not having a job?

~~~
melling
I'm an indie iOS developer :-). Yeah, not having a real job is nice but I
actually put on 20lbs. When I worked I kept a regular schedule.

It's hard to believe there still aren't enough hours in the day. I don't think
I've ever had job burnout. However,I did get a little tired of working on my
little app.

------
6stringmerc
After a few years in the health industry, whenever I see a statement like this
one:

 _Organisations wishing to proactively reduce burnout can do so by encouraging
their employees to access regular exercise programs._

My brain translates the suggestion into real-world application, which in the
US seems to go like this:

 _Organisations wishing to proactively increase wellness metrics and reduce
their expenditures can do so by instituting highly invasive biometric
screening programs and jacking up premiums, while offering no actual time or
fiscal incentive to join a gym or exercise independently._

Quick apology if that sounds terribly cynical, but it seems like the go-to
path by businesses. I say this as a person who feels grateful to have a job
where I can go home and work out for 20 minutes 3 times during the work week.
Also, I know that eating "better" takes time and effort both in the sourcing
and production of materials, which may or may not be less expensive to the
individual in the short/long term.

~~~
droopyEyelids
The only thing you missed was some element of competition that ends up making
the overweight feel shame.

~~~
6stringmerc
Ah, a valid point, which I could've worked in but frankly I didn't see a lot
of that happening in the implementations that I've witnessed.

You did make me realize though that I feel a bit like a sucker for paying
higher premiums and spending my own money on supplements and workout stuff
simply because I won't let my employer hire somebody to review my biological
information on a sheet of paper devoid of individual context.

I mean, I'd love to be on equal footing with an employer. "Sure, you can look
at my health records and tell me areas to improve, no problem. You're going to
have to let me review internal financial metrics for places where you can cut
back on some things and pay me more though." Fair is fair haha.

------
samstokes
My own anecdata definitely supports this study's conclusion. I _wish_ I'd been
in the habit of regular exercise when I first got into the startup scene.

That said, I fear the outcome of their recommendation:

 _> Organisations wishing to proactively reduce burnout can do so by
encouraging their employees to access regular exercise programs._

If burnout is prevalent enough among an organisation's workforce for
"proactively reducing" it to be strategically worthwhile, that suggests it
would be much more important to introspect on why they are burning out so many
of their employees in the first place. e.g. does your culture explicitly value
"hard work", which can turn into encouraging unpaid overtime? When you
celebrate hitting deadlines, do you look back on whether it was thanks to good
planning or "crunch mode"? Do people understand the reasons for decisions that
affect them?

Not that these are easy problems to fix, but I'd hate to see companies start
thinking burnout is something that can be "fixed" with a gym discount and
workout incentive schemes.

~~~
lighthawk
> I'd hate to see companies start thinking burnout is something that can be
> "fixed" with a gym discount and workout incentive schemes.

I agree, but dedicated time for exercise in the existing workday could go a
long way.

And it doesn't have to just be exercise: I used to work for a company where
the one of the directors of development (60-80 people under him) would go for
walks and people could come along to discuss work topics. Another manager I
worked for at a different employer would have walking meetings where the whole
team would get up and discuss current problems from tasks they were working
on, etc.

~~~
Someone1234
You do have to be careful however, otherwise you could get accused of bias
against the less-able (e.g. disabled, pregnant, older). So you can provide
time to exercise, but if exercise-related activities become a core part of the
work day, people who cannot take part might complain that they're being
sidelined (see IT Crowd and Jen with the dance-meetings).

I know we have someone with cerebral palsy who definitely would struggle to
take part.

~~~
btbuildem
Just because some cannot participate, you should not deprive others of the
opportunity!

~~~
Someone1234
Just because people cannot participate, you shouldn't exclude them from part
of a job.

------
nutmeg
In a documentary about Studio Ghibli, they show every couple hours where
everyone gets up from their desk and does calisthenics, even Miyazaki.

I don't know if this is common in Japan or just a Studio Ghibli practice, but
I was impressed with the idea of it.

~~~
g0v
That is common in Japan among jobs from office workers to mechanics.

I was stationed there for some years and when we were in port the Japanese
workers on the base would all line up outside their offices, sometimes turn on
a little workout music, and one or two would lead in stretching and movement
exercises.

I'm sure they saw all the sailors looking and some laughing, but I think the
joke was on us, ha!

------
shostack
I'm very fortunate to work for a company that values health and wellness to
the point where they provide workout facilities for employees and trainers
twice a week.

I used to never go to a gym, and I'd be lucky if I could convince myself to do
some bicep curls and situps/pushups at home in-between rounds of various games
I play. I have weak discipline in that area. I've always had a high metabolism
to the point where I was "scrawny", so I would never get fat from not working
out, but I definitely felt the drain on my energy, and overall physical
fitness and strength.

Since starting at this company, while I've lost 15 pounds (not something
skinny people typically aim for), I've gained a ton of muscle, and am
physically in the best shape I've been in my entire life.

The confidence that comes from that is one thing, but the increased energy and
how it has helped me focus on work while reducing stress from juggling many
balls are side benefits that were completely unexpected, and perhaps the
greatest benefits. The fact that it was so noticeable to me was what really
blew me away--it was literally night and day.

TBH, I likely wouldn't do this though if we just had the gym and no trainers--
I'm one of those folks who needs someone giving them instructions in the gym
and yelling at them when they are slacking or doing it wrong. I'd wager that
this has driven a significant productivity boost for myself (and likely others
here) because of the overall increase in energy. I also end up focusing on
tough work problems I'm trying to solve during my workouts because of the
amazing increase in focus I have, and it is amazing to be able to focus with
that level of clarity.

It also probably helps cut down indirectly on insurance claims which is a nice
plus.

In this day and age of always being connected, and having 50 million things to
juggle at once, it is easy to be overwhelmed. There's something about a solid
workout that just forces all of these extraneous thoughts from your head and
lets you focus on 1-2 things that I personally attribute to helping reduce the
risk of burnout.

The flip-side of course is ensuring proper work/life balance, and I'd say that
is pretty healthy here as well (and was one of the deciding factors in me
choosing to work here vs. elsewhere). Companies really need to embrace it and
promote it as part of their culture, otherwise it becomes one of those things
that they need to try to fit in along with everything else in an unsustainable
way.

------
larkinrichards
As a long distance runner I have no doubt there's value to exercise. It pays
to be healthy. It's also hard to stick to an exercise plan year round.

This is a small sample size study that only lasted 4 weeks. Anecdotally,
longer duration exercise regimes can themselves result in burnout-- it's hard
to make it a habit.

Perhaps the takeaway here is that a short-term exercise regimes can serve to
distract you from the work that is burning you out?

------
stephendicato
Eat healthy food. Exercise. Get enough sleep.

You will feel better; both physically and mentally. Positive habit leads to
more positive habit. Pay attention to how _you_ feel. You don't need
scientific studies to prove these things are "good" for you.

------
beachstartup
the best thing i've done in the past year is fork over a bunch of money to a
personal barbell coach to get my ass up and into the gym on a regular
schedule. he also supervises my general cardio routine.

i'm simply unable to do it myself without the external personal and financial
accountability. but once the money changes hands, i look at it like a business
transaction / work and it taps into a different set of motivations in my head.

if you've had false starts and other trouble getting on a resistance and
cardio program, try hiring a good trainer. if you're intrinsically motivated
to be fit, count your blessings.

~~~
totalrobe
probably why crossfit is so successful while also being much cheaper in most
cases than a personal trainer

------
gorena
How are you supposed to find time to exercise when you're working 10-12 hours
a day? I can barely find time to clean my apartment.

And if you're not (can I have your job?), you're probably less likely to be
burning out.

~~~
kelvin0
It's called Work-Life balance, discipline and knowing what your priorities
are.

~~~
gorena
Unfortunately, my priority is surviving until a year at this place is up, so
that I can quit without potentially being labeled a job hopper. I don't want
to damage my career permanently.

~~~
tormeh
Try push-ups and hang-ups at home once per day. You have a floor, so push-ups
are always available. Anything strong enough above-head will do for hang-ups:
A staircase, with overhead steps you can grab hold off or a horizontal beam.
If your landlord is fine with it, you can install a hang-up bar in a doorway.

~~~
kaybe
Someone put those up in our office, including a personal highscore sheet to
mark your progress.

------
mangeletti
I workout at the Golds here in Jupiter, FL every day after work. It started,
like many times before, as a, "That's it! I'm getting into shape!", back in
February. I wanted to put on some muscle weight (went from 180lbs in Feb to
now 208lbs; my goal is somewhere around here). Then, like very few times
before, it became an addiction. The exhilaration of high speed running (I'll
set the treadmill to 12mph and see how long I can run at that speed - usually
no more than 1/4 mile), the feeling of accomplishment after weights (I do
weights every day, treadmill is just my warmup).

My stress and anxiety (had serious anxiety since 2012 - drugs did nothing to
help) have been reduced drastically. It's very strange because generalized
anxiety disorder is more of an epinephrine issue, but when you have it it
feels very much mental. It's not until you start finding relief from working
out that you start to accept that it is truly a physiological issue. All the
fears (worrying about loved ones, worrying about having some disease, worrying
about job security, etc.) just fade away with each new workout. It just takes
a couple months to get to this point.

------
amelius
One tip: if you feel you are close to a burnout, sleep. Sleep a lot.

~~~
Apocryphon
In an ideal working world, we would not only receive an hour for lunch, but
also an hour for exercise and half an hour for a nap.

------
kazinator
The sense of well-being from endurance exercise such as running is phony,
however. You're not solving any problems when you go for a run. (And I don't
mean technical problems whereby you figure out some software bug while you're
out covering the miles, which is great!)

Well, sure, you're temporarily solving the dependent problem of discomfort
from the stress caused by problems, which is a problem itself.

You have to use the sense of well-being as a motivator to actually confront
problems when you come back from the roads or trails, rather than as a "drug"
to escape from them.

~~~
faitswulff
This comment strikes me as far too cerebral. Exercise has demonstrably
positive effects on not just mood (the sense of well-being, as you said), but
cognitive function, physical performance, and longevity. If you go for a run
in nature, you get a boost in creativity
([http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal....](http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0051474)).
Exercise is often social and can be used to network.

Exercise isn't just a calorie-intensive vacation for your brain, it's an
overall enhancement for life.

~~~
kazinator
Excercise also causes stress. If I go two days without running, I feel in a
low, agitated mood while at the same time physically lethargic. All throughout
the day I have urge to lie down and take a nap. It's exactly like withdrawal
from a drug. It starts on the first day off intensifies on the second day.
Even a short run helps; for instance a single hard 800 m repeat. After that I
feel normal, like on running days.

The problem goes away after a week or two if I quit completely; it's caused by
the exercise.

Basically all the strictly positive stuff you hear, though not wrong in and of
itself, is a rather unbalanced view spread by people who don't actually
exercise, or not a whole lot.

------
tomjen3
At this point it would be news if exercise isn't beneficial for $CONCERN.

So the question is how, do we make it so that people want to get of their ass
and exercise? Considering the general state of health in most first world
countries (especially given the recent news that half of US adults are either
diabetic or pre-diabetic), this may very well be the question in public
health.

And yet we almost never see any research about this.

~~~
arielweisberg
Give people private offices with treadmill desks?

Made a huge difference for me. Being able to get in exercise without having to
think about made it fundamentally more effective than any other lifestyle
change. It's also upped my energy level to the point that I seek other forms
of exercise and activity.

The barrier besides cost and space is getting people to ramp up slowly enough
that they are successful and don't hurt themselves. A treadmill that automates
the amount of walking you do and and takes into account how you report feeling
and how much experience you have would make that possible.

If your desk provided you feedback and metrics and you gamified it a bit I'll
bet you could solve the motivation issue for a good chunk of the population.
I've encountered many people who haven't used a treadmill desk full time who
think it wouldn't work for them, but never someone who has tried it and
failed. I don't know how strongly survivor biased that is.

I think it's a public health issue and it's in the best interest of the
government and insurers to reduce costs down the road by driving change today.
I really think what we are doing today is borrowing from our future selves and
society (by way of medicare).

~~~
maccard
I run 5k three times a week, and do a moderately heavy weights session each of
those days. I don't want my employer to force me to be standing when I've
already done 2 hours of exercise that day.

------
the-dude
So let me get this straight: at a place where they already burn you out, they
will eventually force you to work even more by 'working out' ?

Uhhh, no thanks.

~~~
panzagl
Don't know why you're getting downvotes, this is some "Brave New World" level
BS- it's not enough to own your ass for 10-12 hours a day, now you have to
spend another hour on a treadmill so they can get more out of you. Hope you're
also spending a couple of hours on 'passion' projects to keep your skills
sharp, and getting a full 8 hours of sleep as well. Unless you're getting paid
like a pro athlete screw that.

~~~
csmattryder
It's ultimately your call as an employee if you want to work
longer/harder/faster, but I don't think there's anything wrong with exercising
and 'passion projects'.

I exercise twice weekly, and spend around 2 hours on my own projects - purely
so I am stonger, both physically and mentally - which'll lead me to higher
paying work in the future (not to mention I love my pet projects!).

My employers know that at 5:30, I down tools and under no circumstances, will
respond to any calls/emails until 9am the following morning.

Do what you do for you, not for anyone else.

------
nazgulnarsil
If you're a person for whom efficiency is highly motivating:
[http://lesswrong.com/lw/juc/optimal_exercise/](http://lesswrong.com/lw/juc/optimal_exercise/)

------
languagehacker
Rad, now let's repeat it a few dozen times with a larger sample size, or it's
an anecdote

------
nikolaj
It is nice to have NIH give us a good justification for having a surfboard
rack in the office :)

------
zitterbewegung
I love working out. It is so much fun now I have so much more energy!

------
spacemanmatt
Wow, not one mention of yoga. It worked for me.

~~~
randomsearch
Or swimming --- excellent for RSI, cardio, working out all your muscle groups,
learning a useful skill, low impact, easy to keep going into old age, weather
independent, no crossfit mentality. And you can easily pop into the sauna and
steam room.

~~~
Hockenbrizzle
Totally agree. Nothing quite tones up everything like swimming does.

------
anti-shill
anything possible to get more work out of us can only be a Good Thing

------
cowardlydragon
.... no focus on recommended prescription drugs? Study is obviously flawed.

~~~
cpncrunch
I'm not aware of any prescription drugs for burnout (except for treating
certain symptoms of burnout, such as anxiety or depression).

