Do Manual Workers Need Exercise During Leisure Time?

In modern society, exercise is emphasized as crucial for maintaining health and living a better life. However, recent research findings suggest an intriguing fact that excessive physical activity may actually worsen health and reduce work capacity and labor productivity for some workers.

 

This study was conducted with 5,501 Korean workers, revealing that excessive physical activity at the workplace negatively affects health and has adverse impacts on work capacity and labor productivity. Notably, this research is the first to explore the effects of occupational physical activity on health, unlike leisure-time physical activity.

 

If daily activities involve significant physical strain, the key conclusion is that maintaining a balance of physical and mental well-being through appropriate exercise during rest and leisure time is essential.

 

Physical activity is known to have positive effects on cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, cancer, and even mental health. However, this study suggests a paradoxical idea that occupational physical activity might increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases or diabetes and could be detrimental to health.

 

Especially for workers aged 60 and above, if they already experience significant physical strain at work, there may be no need for additional physical activity during leisure time. The study suggests that excessive physical activity for these workers could impair work capacity and lead to a loss of labor productivity related to health.

 

According to the World Health Organization (WHO) standards, high physical activity is defined as either 150 minutes of moderate-intensity or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity exercise per week. However, caution is needed when applying these standards to workers aged 60 and above. If physical activity at the workplace is excessive, there may be no necessity for additional exercise during leisure time; instead, rest and balanced activities are crucial.

 

Through these research findings, we come to recognize the importance of maintaining a balance of physical activity between work and leisure. If daily activities involve significant physical strain, the key conclusion is that maintaining a balance of physical and mental well-being through appropriate exercise during rest and leisure time is essential.