On Tuesday 6th September lunchtime, myself and Lewis our Junior Software Developer took to the gym! We took part in a free corporate day offered by The Gym Group on Hall Road. I must say we were dreading it, but I was surprised by the results.

According to numerous studies, exercising is not only beneficial for losing weight and keeping physically fit, but an effective way of boosting productivity within the workplace.

Exercise is a great way to keep you alert. As blood flow to the brain increases so does your awareness, which helps us to be more prepared for those big projects.

As well as alertness, another benefit is having more energy. The more energy goes into a project, the better the outcome. It’s also important to keep up high energy to make you feel more awake at work and to simply perform to the best of your ability.

Exercise is also known as the stress buster. I know that all of us can relate to being stressed at work. Whether you’ve been overloaded with work and you’re struggling to reach the deadline date or if you can’t work out why the printer isn’t printing, we’ve all been there. Try to fit in some exercise as part of your stress management plan.

At the gym we were shown around by one of the Personal Trainers Reuben, taking it in turns to trial each machine. After being shown what to do we were then free to roam around the gym. We then took part in a 30 minute ab session which myself and Lewis are still aching from!

Being a new apprentice in my first job, I do at times feel a little stressed. Leaving the office for just those couple of hours and taking part in these exercises which I don’t get a lot of time to do, I can honestly say I felt refreshed and full of energy ready to work.

I also felt that it’s a great method to build working relationships. As I said I’m still new to Naked Element and taking a couple of hours to humiliate myself around the gym with my colleague Lewis is just what you need to form a team.

I definitely felt the benefits of the corporate day Gym session at The Gym Group and it’s something I’d like you all to consider. Especially during those stressful times.

Thank you to the staff at The Gym Group for this great opportunity and for being so helpful.

Words by Rain