How exercise can boost your performance at work

How exercise can boost yur performance at workWere all familiar with the obvious benefits of exerciseregular physical activity can keep us looking and feeling fit and healthy, increase our energy levels and confidence, and help us maintain high levels of self-esteem. Staying active can also help us fight off a wealth of potentially life-threatening illnesses, including strokes, diabetes, and heart disease. Whats more, conquering the often overwhelming exercise obstacle and overcoming excuses, apathy, and laziness can remind us that were capable of bravely facing any challenge that life throws our way. googletag.cmd.push(function() googletag.display(div-gpt-ad-1467144145037-0) ) In contrast, avoiding exercise and all forms of physical activity like the plague can have the reverse effect. Embracing laziness and inactivity can leave us feeling unhealthy and unfit, send our confidence and energy levels plummeting to the basement, and eat away at our self-esteem. Letting the exercise obs tacle win the day will surely not inspire and motivate you to set and go after major life goals.It may seem clear by now that exercising on a regular basis is in your best interest. However, if youre leise not sold, perhaps this will help seal the dealnot only does exercise help fuel and maintain a healthy body, it can actually improve your ability to think and retain information. Its trueyour mind and body are interconnected in amazing ways, and nurturing one will benefit the other.According to a recent article in The New York Times, many scientists suspect that exercise alters the biology of the brain in ways that make it more malleable and receptive to new information, a process that scientists refer to as plasticity, and that many past studies have shown that exercise prompts the release of multiple neurochemicals in the brain that increase the number of new brain cells and the connections between neuronsansicht effects improve the brains plasticity and augment the ability to le arn.What exercise doesAlthough research regarding how exercise and brainpower work together is continual and ongoing, recent studies have shown the following exciting cognitive benefits.Boosts brainpower If youre looking to take your brains ability to the next level, you cant do much better than regular exercise. Studies have shown that exercise can actually increase the volume of key areas in your brainhows that for a real boost?Enhances thinking ability Regular workouts will help kick away the dreaded brain fog that keeps you from thinking clearly and keep your mind and thoughts razor sharp all day long.Helps you process and remember new information more effectively If youre trying to acquire a new skill or task, like learning a new language or tackling a new job responsibility, combining it with regular exercise can be an unbeatable combo. New research suggests that physical activity can increase the size of the medial temporal and prefrontal cortex of your brain, key areas that regulate and control thinking and memoryso youll be able to master that new skill faster than ever before.Improves ability on cognitive tasks Do you have an important test for work or school coming up? Or maybe you just want to perform better on puzzles and board games? Whatever your mental goals are, you better believe that exercise will help you succeed on all sorts of cognitive tasks that test your intelligence and brainpower.Keeps away the negatives Yes, its trueregular exercise will help keep your mood positive and upbeat, help you achieve more restful sleep at night, and help reduce anxiety and stressall things that can help your brain work at its absolute best.When, what, and how much?Sonow that you know it does work, lets explore how you can make it work for you.This includes the when, what, and how much regarding exercise and brainpower.Although theres some debate regarding the type of exercise that best serves to promote brain function, according to a recent article by Har vard Medical School, researchers found that regular aerobic exercise, the kind that gets your heart and your sweat glands pumping, appears to boost the size of the hippocampus, the brain area involved in verbal memory and learning. Resistance training, balance and muscle toning exercises did not have the same results.Research also suggests that although youll receive a brain benefit regardless of when you decide to exercise, the most promising results typically occur when you do your workout before or even during a cognitive task. This suggests that we all might learn best while were being active, and it may have interesting consequences on how our institutions of learning are set up. Perhaps classes on treadmills or exercise bikes arent too far off in the future?Another big question you might be wondering about is how much exercise you should do in order to receive a cognitive benefit. The same Harvard Medical School report suggests that standard recommendations advise half an hour of moderate physical activity most days of the week, or 150 minutes a week.So how can you incorporate exercise into your life? If youre worried that youre simply too busy to exercise or find the very idea of exercise daunting, a great way to take a step forward towards a regular active lifestyle is to start small. Try taking a brief yet brisk walk for 1015 minutes each day, and gradually increase your workout in both length and intensity as time passes.Listen to your body, it will tell you when youre ready to take on more and bigger physical challenges. Remember, every journeyno matter how long or arduousstarts with a single step, and the best way to go nowhere is to stand still and do nothing.Now that you know all about the many benefits, both physical and mental, that exercise will bring to your life, put the excuses aside and get up and get moving towards your successful future

Dont Snowplow Your Kids Job Search Set Them Up for Success Instead

Dont Snowplow Your Kids Job Search platzset Them Up for Success Instead Dont Snowplow Your Kids Job Search Set Them Up for Success InsteadSet up your kids for career success without overstepping boundaries.Searching for a new job can be riddled with anxiety and if you have children who are entering the job-search process or have just started their careers, its only natural to want to see them succeed. However, therbeibeie are certain lines that shouldnt be crossed in your efforts to help them. For instance, you should never contact your kids bosses ever.This might sound silly, but according to a recent study conducted by Morning Study for The New York Times, some parents are getting a tad over-involved in their adult childrens work lives. The study found that nearly a quarter (22 percent) of parents wrote all or part of their childs job application, while 11 percent have contacted their childs employer to discuss issues at work.This trend is being termed snowplow parenting, wher e parents clear away any possible obstacle in their childrens paths, from drafting their job applications to trying to participate in their interviews, and even calling their bosses to advocate for a raise. I know this seems hard to believe, but these Facebook comments dont lie.I watched a mom fill out her sons very simple application while he stood next to her and did nothing. When I delivered it to the manager, I said mom filled it out while son watched the manager took the papers from my hand and put them directly into the trash. Those kids were the hardest to work with and none of us had time to verstndigung im strafverfahren with the parents. Marsha G.I once got a letter from a father detailing how his son was let go from his previous employer, unfairly of course, and how he was looking for a new job for his son and if I could please pass his resume along Jeanne D.At my old job, I had a mother attend an interview with her son for his internship. I told her she could wait in t he lobby while we interviewed him and she informed me that she was there to attend and assist in the interview. I told her NO and she, nor he, were very happy about it. He bombed the interview and she called me and my boss to tell us that we should have allowed her to partake in the interview as it would have increased his chances. It was a bit of a weird situation but eventually she went away. I mean seriously.... she wanted to be part of the interview? Were we hiring her or her son? Was she going to come to work every day with him to make sure he did his work, or would she do it for him? Mary Ann G. I had a mother call me and ask if I could give her 52 y/o son some part-time work. Not going to happen if he cant inquire on his own Michael C.While the snowplowing parenting technique might produce some short-term wins for your children, this isnt a good strategy for their long-term career success. Eliminating obstacles from your childs path, especially during the job search, will n ot only hinder their growth, but it can also backfire, as many employers will dismiss applicants whose parents appear to be over-involved in the application or interview process. Instead, here are a few ways you can genuinely help your children throughout their job search.Help your child maximize their job-application ROIWhen we asked nearly 300 recruiters and employers about the most damaging job-search mistakes people make after college, Applying to unrealistic jobs came in at number five. Help your child determine if a job application is worth their time by arming them with this list of questions.Encourage them to clean up their online presenceA Jobvite social recruiting survey found that the majority of HR professionals and recruiters (85 percent) said that a positive online presence has influenced a hiring decision. On the flip side, 70 percent have turned down a candidate based on something they found about them online. If your children arent managing their online brands, they could unknowingly damage their chances of landing the job. Help them overhaul their online brands with this guide.Gift them with a professionally written resumeWhen deciding whether your child should use a DIY resume or invest in a professionally written resume, the data is clear. According to our recent, two-part study, job seekers who used a professionally written resume had a 32 percent higher rate of finding a job than those who used self-written resumes. If you want your child to land the right job sooner, resist the urge to write their resume for them and seek out a professional like one of our TopResume writers. Getting a professionally written resume will ensure that your child stands out for all the right reasons and lands a job they (and you) can be proud ofSet up your child for success without overstepping your boundaries. Learn more about our resume-writing packages that will take your childs resume from good to greatRecommended ReadingThe Biggest Mistakes Job Seekers Make After CollegeDont Waste Another Job Application Fix Your Resume10 Networking Mistakes That Make You Look UnprofessionalRelated Articles