LD Staff Writer
One day, someone brought a set of juggling balls in to work – and they have remained here as an important piece of office equipment ever since. You might be thinking “Seriously, juggling at work? Are you guys running a virtual assistant company or a circus?”
It might sound ridiculous at first, but there are some major benefits to a little clowning around on the job…
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- Stress relief – Stress can have damaging effects the mind and body. You can easily combat stress by doing things that leave you brain active while your body is relaxed, calm, and focused. There are many simple relaxation techniques to do this: deep breathing, visualization, meditation, yoga, or by performing rhythmic exercises such as… You guessed it! Juggling!
- Standing up to juggle can improve heart health – Even if it’s only for a minute. According to findings published in the European Heart Journal, long periods of sitting were associated with higher levels of blood fats and markers of insulin resistance, even in people who also spend a little time in the gym. People who took short, frequent breaks, had smaller waistlines and lower levels of C-reactive protein.
- Juggling makes your brain grow bigger – Seriously! Researchers at the University of Regensberg (in Germany) found that learning to juggle increased the gray matter in areas of the brain associated with visual motion functions. The brains of the participants returned to their original sizes after they stopped juggling. “The brain is like a muscle, we need to exercise it,” said Dr. Arne May, who led the research team. Check our more here!
- Improved hand eye coordination – I couldn’t really find much association between working in an office and improved hand eye coordination… However, increased hand eye coordination can increase typing speed, resulting in greater productivity! In addition, this kind of coordination can increase balance and reaction times, decreasing the likelihood of workplace accidents. Hand eye coordination is also important for sports. Show the corporate softball league that your company team is a force to be reckoned with!
- Exercise is good for you – Repeatedly tossing a ball into the air is a great form of aerobic exercise that can burn close to 300 calories an hour! Aerobic exercise improves brain function in a variety of ways, according to a review of more than 100 recent studies by University of Illinois exercise scientists. Several of the studies found that exercise spurs your body’s production of a protein called insulin-like growth factor-1. IGF-1 has been shown to stimulate the growth of neurons and enhance cognitive performance!
- Bonus reason – It’s fun!
Want to learn more?
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