How Running Boosted My Productivity
Energy and (physical) fitness are closely linked. If you are fit, you usually have more energy as well.
I think everyone knows that.
I knew that.
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| Photo by Clique Images on Unsplash |
However, I didn’t do a lot of physical exercise in the last few years. Yes, there have been occasional hikes, a bike ride here and there and sometimes I even went for a run. But I didn’t work out regularly.
This year, everything changed for me, and in this article, I’ll show you why and how working out regularly can boost your productivity.
Let’s dive in.
Why I started running
Somehow this year in May, three things came together: motivation, a goal, and the time to make running a habit.
(1) Initial motivation
I had just finished reading Can’t Hurt Me by David Goggins, a powerful book about building inner strength and resilience. It sparked the idea to start exercising more regularly.
I always thought running was a great exercise because it’s easy to start and doesn’t require much preparation: just put on your running shoes and go!
(2) Goal
The spark developed into a fire when I was talking to a good friend about organized running events. He had taken part in a relay race last year and enjoyed it. It was a race in Austria’s beautiful Wachau region between vineyards and the Danube.
We ended up signing up for the Wachau half marathon in September 2024.
At first, the goal was just to finish the 21.1 kilometers (or 13.1 miles). But then I read that you should have 3 goals: an A-goal which is very difficult to reach, a B-goal that is realistic, and a C-goal which you will reach almost certainly.
So I set 3 goals:
- A-goal: finishing in under 2 hours
- B-goal: finishing in under 2:15 hours
- C-goal: finishing
(3) Time to start
Over the past years, I often started running and stopped it again after just a few weeks.
The reason? I stopped before it became a habit.
As James Clear writes in Atomic Habits, you have to do something about 30 times before it becomes a habit.
The thing is, however, you have to motivate yourself to surpass this 30 times initially. This is even harder if the days are already very busy.
Fortunately, things were different this year in May: I had more time than usual and was able to go running every other day. It didn’t even take 30 sessions - by the end of May, running was already a habit for me.
And something new happened: I started looking forward to my running sessions. After a stressful day at work, running became a great way to unwind and get my energy back!
The first steps
The first steps were the hardest.
Last year, I barely went running, which hurt my fitness. When I (re-)started running in May, I was out of shape. I could run 5 kilometers, but I was slow, and a bit frustrated - I mean some years ago I had been in better shape already.
The first 10 runs or so weren’t enjoyable at all.
I really had to push myself to get out and run.
Thankfully, things got better quickly, and my pace improved to just under 6 km/min. I was happy with that for now. I started enjoying running more and didn’t have to push me anymore to get up.
Immediate benefits
At first, I thought it would take weeks or even months to see the first results.
But it happened much faster than that. In just a few weeks, my resting heart rate began to drop. It went down by 10 bpm quickly, and now, five months later, it’s decreased by more than 20 bpm.
Another immediate benefit of running for me was using it as a way to release stress (but more on that in the next section).
These immediate benefits were a booster to my motivation.
Why?
Watching your progress releases dopamine which in turn leads to increased motivation. I love having a running watch for this reason: I can watch my metrics (like VO2 max, resting heart rate, pace, …) improve in real-time.
Impact on productivity
Running has proven to be great for my health, but I also realized that it increases my productivity on different levels.
1. Increased energy
I want to highlight this one first as it seems counterintuitive: exercise needs energy, right?
Yes and no.
Physical exercise needs energy in the form of calories and its consumption is higher than if you don’t move.
But physical exercise can also energize you.
A mentally (but not physically) demanding job drains your energy at a different level. It can lead to decision fatigue and increased stress levels: your cortisol level rises.
Cortisol is responsible for putting us on alert (when we hear a noise or suspect danger like e.g. being attacked by a bear). If an exceptional situation arises, adrenaline follows, which enables us to either flee or face the danger. It definitely has its merits, however, in modern office situations we cannot just run away or fight the foe.
Hence, cortisol stays in our system. This reduces our performance in the short term and results in health problems in the long term.
Here physical exercise comes into play.
Working out helps us break down cortisol (”run away”). Furthermore, it produces endorphins (the feel-good hormones) and dopamine (the hormone of progress) that increase our mood. This effect on the hormones leads to an increased mood and motivation level after a run.
2. Motivation
In my experience running has a two-way effect on motivation:
- If we go for a run, we’ll be more energized afterward. Our mood is better and we are more motivated after a run.
- We can use “going for a run” as a reward as well. I do that sometimes: If I am productive, I reward myself with a run in the evening.
3. Creativity
It is a fact that we think better when we walk, as e.g. the New York Times addresses.
This is also true for running.
Especially if we’re going for a long and easy run. They can be a great tool for brainstorming.
When you run at an easy pace, your mind and body are slightly occupied with controlling and exercising the movement. However, there is still mental capacity left for letting your thoughts wander.
I’ve personally had some epiphanies while running at an easy pace. It is hard to describe, but I just think differently while I am running. It’s good that I have something to take notes with me on my longer runs!
4. Mental clarity and focus
Running regularly has long-term benefits on mental clarity and focus.
As I described in this article, fitness is the cornerstone of your energy balance. Furthermore, it can help you to clear up your mind or regain your focus.
When you are stuck with a decision, running can be a great tool to reset and achieve mental clarity. If you go for a more intense workout (zone 3+, > 70 % of your maximum heart rate), your mind and body have to focus solely on running. There is no capacity left for thinking in mental loops. Hence, once you’ve finished your run, you can start again with a fresh mind.
This is not only true if you are struggling with a decision, but also if you need to concentrate for a long period of time. Resetting your mind with a run after some hours of intense thinking, can regain or even increase your focus.
Tips for incorporating running into your routine
1. Time management
Finding time to run regularly can be hard.
At least for me, it has been hard.
I work in a demanding job with hundreds of micro-tasks to coordinate, meetings to prepare for and attend, and projects to manage. I like my job, but at times it can be very stressful. On such stressful days, I used to have little energy left in the evening. I used that as an excuse to not do physical exercise.
I told myself: I’ve so little time left in the evening and my energy level is so low, that it is just enough to sit on the couch and watch a show on Netflix.
As explained, running isn’t energy-negative, it actually is energy-positive. However, you still need to find time for it, so good time management is crucial.
If you have to juggle work & productivity, family, and writing online and still want to go for at least 3 runs per week, you need to have proper time management.
I applied the ideal week method and blocked time in my calendar for when I was planning to go for a run. Usually, I do my long run (≥ 1.5 hours) on the weekend as there is just no time for that during the week. Additionally, I do two shorter trainings during the week (about 1 hour each). In my ideal week, this would be Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday.
However, it’s rare to stick to an ideal week because life can be unpredictable. When that happens, I move my workouts to other days but make sure to fit in all three training sessions with at least one rest day in between.
2. Start small and gradually increase intensity
After you’ve overcome the initial hurdle of getting started, often big motivation hits.
That was the case for me and, one month in, I overdid it. I over-trained which resulted in my shins starting to hurt (shin splints at their beginning). So, I had to stop running for 2 weeks and switch to biking to keep working on my aerobic fitness.
I could have avoided that if I had listened to my body better and not increased the intensity and length of my runs so quickly.
Furthermore, I learned the importance of stretching.
I did some stretching (about 1-2 minutes before each run), but I should’ve done more. I was thinking: I have so little time and I want to invest it in running instead of stretching. I do this differently now: I dedicate 5 minutes to stretching before each run and try to incorporate some additional stretching into the things I do anyway at home.
So my recommendation is: don’t overdo it. Start small, gradually increase the intensity, and incorporate some stretching as well.
3. Find a training plan
Get yourself a training plan.
This made a big difference to me. Back in the day, I was training without any plan. I just put on my running shoes and ran my 5-7 kilometers as fast as I could. That’s it.
My fitness improved anyway, but it wasn’t very efficient.
I changed my approach this year as I thought: If I want to complete a half marathon, I need a proper training plan.
I did some research online and found a ton of training plans (many of them free), but I ended up using the coach feature in my Garmin Connect app, and so far, I’m really happy with it.
However, I don’t think the specific plan you use is the most important thing.
What matters is having a plan that includes both interval training and long runs. Plus, having a structured plan helps with time management.
4. Track your progress and celebrate
This is a given if you are using a running watch and/or app. They track dozens of metrics and help you keep an eye on your progress.
You don’t have to use the most expensive sports watch for that. As long as it has a step counter and a heart-rate monitor it is fine.
But there is one more thing: celebrate your milestones. Did you run your 5k below 30 minutes for the first time? Did you just have your longest run ever? Celebrate it - you’ve deserved it!
Conclusion
Running has been an incredible journey for me so far.
It was tough to get started, but the positive effects came much quicker than I anticipated. After 5 months, running has become something I truly enjoy (I wouldn’t have thought that in the beginning). On stressful workdays, I very much look forward to my evening run.
If you’ve also been thinking about starting to run, give it a try!
Sign up for a local running event, find a training plan, and push through those initial runs. You’ll start seeing results faster than you expect, and eventually, running will become second nature. Plus, it can positively impact other areas of your life, too!
Cheers for reading, Matthias