EXERCISE IS VITALLY IMPORTANT TO OUR LONGEVITY, PRODUCTIVITY AND OVERALL HAPPINESS.

A vast number of scientific studies have indicated the positive benefits of exercise to employers, employees and society as a whole. While you may not believe any one study, the sheer volume of studies from reputable sources should be compelling in its own right. Below we identify some of the key benefits identified, as well as the studies that they come from. If you have other studies you would like listed here, or other thoughts on the benefits of exercise, please contact us at [email protected]

INCREASED Productivity and Work Performance

• Exercise increases productivity by 15%. (Leeds Metropolitan University, 2008)
• Employees who exercised worked at full efficiency all day, a 12.5% increase in productivity. Normally, employees’ efficiency decreases by 50% during the final two hours of the work day. (The Association for Fitness in Business,1985)
• Fit workers committed 27% fewer errors on tasks involving concentration and short-term memory as compared to unfit workers. (Ergonomics, 1980)
• Physically fit women are up to 68% better at information processing and decision-making. (Purdue University Study, 1986)

REDUCED Absenteeism

• Fitness programs reduce absenteeism by 0.5 to 2 days per year resulting in dollar savings of 0.35% to 1.4% of payroll costs.” (Journal of Exercise Physiology, 2003)
• Employees who were members of a fitness center had 1.2 fewer absences per year.

INCREASED Job Satisfaction

• General Motors found that participants in its fitness program had a 50% reduction in work grievances.

DECREASED Employee Turnover

• A fitness program reduced turnover among company participants by 32.4% over a seven year period. (Canadian Journal of Public Health, 1988)
• Toronto Life Assurance found that participants in a corporate fitness program were 10 times less likely to leave than the average employee.

SAVINGS IN Healthcare Costs

• Every dollar invested in exercise training resulted in $6 in health savings. (Harvard Business Review, 2010)
• Employees with metabolic syndrome (which affects an ~34% of the US population) saved $1,085 in medical expenses by exercising regularly. (University of Michigan Health Management Research Center, 2014)

REDUCED Depression

• The CDC advocates physical activity in workplace health programs as a key way to prevent and reduce depression, an illness which impacts 18.8 million American adults, causing 200 million lost workdays and costing employers $17 – $44 billion.
• Exercise can help prevent episodes of depression. (American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 2013)

PROMOTING Anti-Aging Benefits

• Adults gain two hours of life expectancy for every hour of exercise. (Harvard Alumni Study, 2000)
• People who are physically active reduce their risk cognitive decline by 38%. (Journal of Aging Research, 2013)
• Physical activity can prevent 33% of Alzheimer’s cases. (Cambridge University, 2014)
• Exercise can reverse all muscle loss associated with rheumatoid arthritis. (Journal of Aging Research, 2011)
• Exercise reduces the risk of developing cancers: colon (30-40%), breast (20-80%), endometrial (20-40%), lung (20%). (National Cancer Institute, 2009)

INCREASED Desirability of Fitness Programs to Employees

• 70% of Fortune 200 Companies offer physical fitness programs. (LA Times, 2011)
• Polling data from American workers reveals that onsite fitness facility and fitness center discounts are the first and second most desirable wellness benefits. (Principal Financial Well-Being Index, 2012)
• 50% of US employers offered some kind of wellness program (Chicago Tribune, 2014)

As you can see, there are numerous benefits of exercise, not just for physical health reasons, but for mental health and behavioral impacts as well.