Entertaining and Relaxing Activities to Boost Your Productivity and Mood
The tangible benefits of regular exercise are well-known to everyone. The United Kingdom’s National Health Service (NHS), recommends adults aged 19 to 64 to perform at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity a week. Besides keeping us healthy, fit as well as reducing the risks of various diseases, it also contributes to our overall wellbeing in many ways. Working out on a regular basis, or being committed to only a handful of basic physical activities supports our mood and reduces stress. The 2014 Harvard study found that the pluses of regular exercise do not stop here. It, additionally, has an impact on our productivity in different ways:
- Improved concentration
- Sharper memory
- Faster learning
- Prolonged mental stamina
- Enhanced creativity
- Lower stress
The listed benefits, along with mood support and health, make exercise a great way to increase your work capacity and stimulate innovative thinking. This has become so evident recently, that an increasing number of companies, including major ones provide their employees with GYM facilities or passes. Whether your work is one of such or not, there are plenty of opportunities to spend your time elsewhere.
On the other hand, getting relaxing and having fun times are equally important for our welfare and mental health. Stress has been named as the epidemic of the 21st century by the World Health Organization (WHO). It affects our productivity and approach to work. A good work-life balance is crucial for our success and emotional stability. There are many ways to relax in a bit of an active way, making them win-win situations. Below, we have gathered some of the best ways to keep yourself physically active or relaxed alone or with others.
A rather unusual activity: visit the escape room
Also known as an escape game, it is a great combination of physical and mental activities with a big social component in it. They first became popular in the early 2010s and now are present all around the world. A team of players is left trapped in a room or a building and has a mission to escape it. Some of them are quite big while others are smaller and only cover a single room. Check if there is such a facility in your area by simply searching them along with your location’s name, just like book escape rooms London. They are fun, help us relax while keeping players physically engaged. It also is a great way to have fun with friends or family.
Running/Jogging
Jogging is one of the most common, affordable and accessible ways to work out. It requires almost no resources and can have a whole set of benefits for health. Understanding gains for physical health is easier, however, an increasing number of specialists claim that jogging also has a positive impact on our mental health. It is said to be reducing stress and improving happiness. Some also say that taking a brief morning run changes the way we comprehend the information, think and feel.
Fairly, the pavements of your local borough might get quite boring and even discouraging after some time. But no worries, the era of technology made overcoming this minor issue a lot easier. There are plenty of applications for smartphones that make simple runs adventurous. Some even put us in the middle of the zombie apocalypse.
If you eventually get really into running, setting a goal is also quite useful. Choose the closest marathon event to you, practice to attempt competing.
Explore the wild: go on a hike
There are many national parks all around the world with their unique fauna and flora. Hiking is yet another great mix of relaxation and physical workout. Choose a trail according to your capacities and get surrounded by nature. It comes with uncountable benefits, such as helping build stronger muscles and bones, improving the sense of balance, supporting the hearth health and decreasing the risks of certain diseases. Along with them, it is an amazing way to reduce stress, keep yourself away from the rest of the world and relax.
Rock climbing
This sport is known as a universal workout possibility for the entire body. Although enjoying it in the natural environment might take quite some practice, it certainly is worth it. Climbing helps us maintain a good state of our core muscles, as well as shoulders, neck, upper back, hands and fingers. In comparison, other more popular types of sports usually benefit specific body parts more rather than almost the whole body.
Moreover, it is said that being engaged in rock climbing can have a major positive impact on the way we function. It helps us better concentrate, improve problem-solving and motor skills, boost confidence, determination as well as reduce stress.
Take simple, but thoughtful measures
After all, some might simply not have enough time to fit even 30 minutes of workout into their schedules. This is completely okay! There are easy ways that help us remain active and mentally relaxed without allocating any extra time or resources to them. Whenever you take a car someplace, think if it is possible to walk at least some bits of the distance. Take stairs, instead of the elevator! Climbing them benefits you a lot more than walking the same or a longer distance. Being physically active for short periods, especially before work or an important event increases our readiness and brings all the benefits listed throughout the article to us.