Physically active employees are more satisfied with their work and have better mental health according to a recent study from Tel Aviv University. ECF's resident health expert, Dr. Randy Rzewnicki explains why. 

Recent research from Dr Sharon Toker and her team at Tel Aviv University conducted  over a  nine year period involving more than 1,600 working adults has produced impressive results.

Reporting in the Journal of Applied Psychology, researchers outlined a “dose-response” relationship, meaning the more everyday physical activity employees did, the less likely they were to feel job burn-out or symptoms of depression. For those who did four hours of physical activity or more, the impact of burnout and depression was negligible.

“This is really very good news, and it builds on previous research about mental health benefits” says Dr Randy Rzewnicki, ECF Health Policy Officer.

“Now employers have a recipe on how they can reduce absenteeism, cut health costs and increase productivity. And of course cycling is part of the solution.”

He notes that the research did not report on the number of days employees were away sick.

“The more physical activity they did, the less risk of burn out and depression. So they were less likely to be absent from work.”

It should be noted however that the kind of physical activity reported in this research is more than slow casual cycling.

“To have these mental health and job productivity benefits, you need to cycle hard enough to raise your heart rate, breathe a bit harder than usual, and probably break a sweat. The more you do the better it is.”

Toker's research can be found here. 

Photo: cycling to work... the best way to beat depression Credit: PSWE

 About the Author.  

Randy Rzenwicki has a wealth of experience in the world of Cycling having
previously worked with Fietsersbond Brussels (Brussel’s cyclist Union) and a
range of other EU funded Projects such as Life-Cycle. He is ECF’s Health Officer and Project manager for Cycle Logistics.