Does Fitness Help Your Business Success?
A short answer – it depends.
If you are a business owner, you are constantly pushing to make your business successful and profitable, spending time and stressing out over it. This is normal and even healthy. However, it takes a toll on your actual health, mental health, and sometimes even relationships in the family. So we propose to always look for a balance in your life-work-health triangle.
It is supported by the scientific evidence that physical exercise is linked to a better functioning of the brain, specifically parts that involve memory, self-control, and problem-solving. It is not still clear how the mechanism work, but the evidence is showing an increase in one’s cognitive performance with an increase in exercise, especially cardiovascular training.
All of us have days when we just don’t feel like going to work out, but after pushing ourselves to do some cardio on a treadmill or stationary bike, or take a class, we feel like whatever problems or challenges we might have, the resolve is clear.
As The IDEA Health and Fitness Association suggests, new research by Japanese scientists identifies brain dopaminergic function as the probable means by which aerobic activity stimulates growth factors in the brain and increases neuronal efficiency. Can fitness professionals design exercise programs to boost this system? Based on these findings, study authors suggest that, yes, this is a possibility.
Dopaminergic function refers to the role of dopamine, a neurotransmitter that signals cascades in different brain regions. These cascades affect executive function, motor control, arousal, reinforcement, and reward. Neural efficiency is characteristic of a well-functioning dopaminergic system.
“When we examined these relationships [between aerobic fitness, cognitive function, and spontaneous eye blink rate] further, we found that the connection between higher aerobic fitness and enhanced cognitive function was mediated in part by dopaminergic regulation,” said Hideaki Soya, Ph.D., senior study author, Institute of Health and Sport Science, University of Tsukuba, Japan. demonstrating that moderate exercise improves both metabolic and brain function and that brain growth can be stimulated after only 2 weeks of mild exercise.
The study is in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise (2021; 53 [7], 1425–33).
So let’s all agree that fitness, and cardio-vascular exercises specifically, should become an important part of your life-work-health routine not only to keep you healthy but also to help your business succeed. If you need extra support and motivation to start or continue your fitness journey, visit Health and Wellness Services under Online Marketplace to find a motivational coach who will be happy to help you to achieve your fitness goals and business goals.