Mar 24, 2023 4 min read

Can exercise and lifestyle habits help your job performance? Physical therapist Cliff Wonsettler certainly thinks so.

As an expert in the field of physical therapy and specialized health, Wonsettler knows firsthand just how important it is to stay alert, focused and productive on the job. And he says that exercise and healthy habits are the keys to achieving all three.

“Exercise decreases stress, improves sleep quality and helps your brain function. You may know this to be true, but if you’re a hustler in business, you may be prioritizing all of your energy and effort into work.” Wonsettler said. “When you exercise, you increase blood flow to your brain that will sharpen your awareness and make you more ready to tackle your next big project.”

This is because when you exercise, your body releases a protein called brain-derived neurotrophic factor which plays a crucial role in synaptic plasticity. Synaptic plasticity is the ability of the brain to change and adapt in response to new experiences, which is essential for learning and memory.

“Your energy throughout the day is going to be higher, which in turn will help you process information and decisions at a much higher rate,” said Wonsettler. “Getting a workout in the morning is directly going to correlate into better performance at your job.”

Regular exercise can also help curb feelings of anxiety and depression. When you exercise, your brain releases serotonin that enables you to feel better and improves your state of mind, making the stresses of work easier to handle. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter in the brain that sends messages to the body to stimulate mood and emotion, according to Harvard Health.

This will also reduce your risk of becoming injured on the job and allow you to meet the expectations required for your position. Wonsettler said people must set short-term and long-term realistic goals for exercising.

“The best way to kick this off is to start small. At WPT, we’re all about building habits slowly to make sure they stick, and you don’t lose steam. If you dive in headfirst, you’ll drown,” said Wonsettler. “The first step I always recommend is having an accountability partner. Find someone who is looking to form a good habit and hold them accountable, and they are going to do that for you. This will increase your chances of forming long-lasting, impactful habits. Accountability is one of the biggest elements of habit formation.

“If you know someone who’s had serious success in business, I’d wager that the odds they’ve taken their health and their productivity seriously simultaneously are really high. It really starts with getting really clear about what your long-term goals are. If you only have the short-term target of making more money this quarter, and that is the only thing you tell yourself that is important, then you might be able to put your head down and plow through this next quarter to achieve that result,” he said. “But when we look at our long-term vision for our future and understand that to get the most out of work and the most satisfaction and enjoyment out of life, we need to think about how our physical well-being and mental health are being managed and how effectively we are doing that.”

So why wait? Whether you’re a busy executive, a hard-working nurse, or anyone in between, now is the time to take control of your health and your career. With the expert guidance and support of Wonsettler Physical Therapy and Specialized Health, you can achieve your goals and unleash your true potential. If you’re serious about getting better at business, incorporating your optimized wellness and work performance together, Wonsettler has a health coach available to help take your game to the next level.

For more information about how to get started, visit wonsettlerpt.com