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Yes, running and gym workouts can significantly help your mind stay sharper during intense work. Based on the most helpful WSO content:
Exercise as a Mental Reset: Engaging in physical activity like running or gym sessions can act as a mental reset, especially during long work hours. It helps clear your mind and reduces stress.
Improved Focus and Mood: Regular exercise, even for 20-30 minutes, boosts dopamine levels, which can enhance focus and improve mood. This is particularly beneficial when you're dealing with high-pressure environments.
Energy and Productivity: Starting your day with a workout, such as compound lifts or cardio, can energize you and provide a sense of accomplishment, setting a positive tone for the day.
Short Breaks During Work: During the workweek, reclaiming 30-minute blocks for movement—whether it's a quick gym session, treadmill run, or even walking laps around the block—can refresh your mind and improve productivity.
Long-Term Benefits: Consistent exercise helps combat the physical and mental toll of extended work hours, preventing burnout and maintaining overall sharpness.
Incorporating fitness into your routine, even in small doses, is a proven strategy to stay mentally sharp and resilient during intense work periods.
Sources: Improving Focus in Investment Banking, What is everyone's daily morning/evening routine like?, How the hell do you stay healthy in sweat shop groups?, Gym - Bulking while in IB - possible?
Bump, also interested
…yes? Is this a trick question? Being fit enhances nearly every aspect of life.
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I'd be interested in what is most productive. I hate running, and lifting has been a failure for me. (no comments on that- it's genetics, I spent two years doing it and eating alongside a roommate who was an all-state nose tackle) I can, and enjoy walking for hours at a time at around 4mph (welcome to NYC- I've had 30mile days per my phone's GPS) but that's time consuming.
also hate running, enjoy sports generally, swimming. but if you're in a walkable city, try to do it as much as possible in city + office. and then the other 50-75%+ is diet
4mph is fast
I know you aren't local, but 4 or so is normal. I'm not out to see anything. I've got places to go. Please don't try to walk three abreast at anything less than that.
Swim or 12/3/30 or spin bike or take some classes.
imo approaching exercise purely from this ROI point of view is never going to bring about the mental benefits you are seeking. if you're only doing a form of cardio because someone said it's optimal while viewing it as a time-sucking activity that you want to minimise, you will never feel good from it.
"the benefit of exercise is not a problem to be solved but a reality to experience" to paraphrase Dune
Yes. This is a no brainer.
Once you restrict it to normal bmi, non depressed the effect size is small but still positive. The main benefit of exercise is in ppl who are already out of shape but it can still help a bit in the quarter or half standard deviation range. So if you’re 25th percentile in mood it can maybe take you to 40-45th (roughly half a sigma but don’t have a z table in front of me). Idk what “sharp” means but this is related to anxiety and reported symptoms of generalized distress
yes
Yes,I would say overall it helps. However, I wouldn't recommend working out or running intensely if you're in a really bad sleep schedule, like 4 or 5 hours a night. Your body needs to time relax and rest. maybe like a nice 20 minute stretch or yoga would be better in that scenario, but any exercise is much better than no exercise.
cheeky zone 2 to get the brainwaves stimulated. Don't want to be doing gut busting sprints and spike your cortisol especially if you are running low sleep. Metabolic health is very important
I really think the main thing the gym has taught me is discipline and pushing through uncomfortable thigs. I don't always love waking up early or going to the gym late at night after a long day of work or eating clean, but bland food. Doing this for months though has made it easier to suck it up and do other stuff in life I hate because I know it's necessary or good for me.
I will say though diet is infinitely more important than exercise. I have been lifting casually since college, but I only saw real results the last couple of years because I cleaned up my diet and by and large have quit drinking/staying up late. I think cleaning up your diet will make you feel on-point moreso than just exercising will personally.
Said it better than I could have. The real non-physical value of training is in learning discipline to establish, and stick with, good habits. That is a powerful mindset that can be applied to just about anything. To be able to actually see hard work pay off teaches a very important lesson.
Except if it fits your macros you can eat more or less whatever you want as long as you’re not being retarded. You can party 3 times a week and still look hot you don’t need to stop being young
I actually agree with you to some extent. If you religiously track your macros, weigh what you eat, etc., there's actually a good amount of wiggle room. Even for me, I treat myself with some regularity (i.e. more than just weekends), but control my portion sizes.
There's a couple of things I'd say though:
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