Stress at work? Movement helps when you know why

The number of days people spend off work with stress-related complaints has risen by almost half in five years. Dutch broadcaster NOS reported this week, based on figures from occupational health services ArboNed and HumanCapitalCare¹. Poor sleep, trouble concentrating, headaches that linger. Complaints everyone recognises, which is exactly why they get brushed aside for so long.

Stress researcher Christiaan Vinkers of Amsterdam UMC puts his finger on the sore spot in the same article. Organisations often only act once someone has already dropped out. And they invest in interventions that feel good but change little. That is an uncomfortable message for anyone working in vitality, including us.

Stress won't wait for sick leave

Stress builds up in your week long before it shows up in absence figures. You sleep a little less, you push your training back one more time, lunch becomes a sandwich at your desk. Each moment on its own is harmless. Added up, it is a pattern.

Catching it in time means acting while you are still functioning. That is exactly the moment most people think they are fine. If you have recognised the signs for a while, have a look at our page on burnout and stress.

What movement really does

The research here is clear. A large overview study in the British Journal of Sports Medicine combined dozens of meta-analyses and found that physical activity has medium-sized effects on symptoms of depression, anxiety and psychological distress². That holds across different types of activity and a broad range of adults.

Moving against stress is one of the best-supported things you can do yourself. We explained earlier how this works in recovery in why movement helps with burnout.

The research also says something that is told less often. The effect appears in studies where people keep moving for weeks or months. If you stop after three sessions, you get very little of it.

Why good intentions fail

Most people who start exercising against stress begin full of conviction. A new membership, an ambitious plan, four times a week. A few weeks later, work gets busier. The very reason you started becomes the reason you stop.

The cause usually sits in the starting point. If you begin without knowing where you stand and what you want to achieve, you have nothing to hold on to when things get tough. Training becomes one more task on a list that is already too long. We wrote more about fluctuating motivation in no motivation to train.

Reflection: know where you start

At De Werf, every programme starts with reflection. What is going on at work and at home? How do you sleep, how do you recover, where does the tension sit? And above all: why do you want this, and what should it give you?

It sounds like a detour and turns out to be the shortest route. A starting point shows what is realistic. A goal gives direction when your motivation dips. Together they decide which training suits you, and which you are better off leaving.

Rhythm: small, steady, realistic

The second part is rhythm. A fixed pattern that fits your real week, meetings, family and bad nights included. Two sessions you keep up deliver more than four you give up after a month.

Rhythm also means your trainer moves with you. If your week is heavy, we adjust the load instead of cancelling. That way the habit stays in place, even when life does not cooperate. In our physical training we build that rhythm step by step.

Results come from rhythm and will

Results come last in our method, and that is deliberate. It is the product of two things: a rhythm you keep up and a genuine will to keep moving. You cannot force that will with a training plan. It grows when you notice you sleep better, react more calmly and have more energy left at the end of your working day.

A real example from our practice

I had often had a period where I pulled myself together and lost some weight. But I kept falling back. Looking back, I understand why: I was winging it, without a plan. (...) Just hearing what I need to do isn't enough; I want to understand why. Only then can I embrace it. (...) Once you understand that, keeping going is no longer a fight.

Steven, creative director at a digital agency, trains at De Werf every Tuesday morning. Read his full story in from work stress to vitality.

Awareness makes the difference

What makes people give up, and what keeps them going? The difference almost always lies in being aware of what you are doing and why you are doing it. If that is clear, you fall back on training when things get hard. If it is missing, training is the first thing to go.

That is why we look further than sets and reps. Patterns such as always pushing on or wanting everything perfect are often the real brake. We work on those in behavioural change, alongside the training itself.

What employers can do earlier

The NOS article is aimed at employers, and rightly so. According to Vinkers, prevention is also far more cost-effective than firefighting after someone drops out¹. Taking stress seriously means starting before anyone calls in sick.

That is why De Werf also works with organisations. For employees who are overstretched or at risk of dropping out, there is a targeted prevention and reintegration programme, ideally in consultation with the occupational physician and in line with the absence policy. Here too, the 3R method is the foundation: first map the load, then build up step by step, with a goal and an end point.

Want to experience it first as an employer? HR and the board can do three free trial sessions together, with no quote and no commitment.

What personal training is not

To be honest: personal training is not a treatment for burnout and does not replace your GP, occupational physician or psychologist. If you have had serious complaints for a while, take that step first. We are happy to join in as a safe physical next step, in consultation with your practitioner.

What it is: one of the few things you can do yourself before stress takes over your work. With a clear starting point, a goal and a rhythm that holds.

Catching it early starts with you

Curious where you stand? In an intake, we map out your starting point and your goal together. Schedule an intake

Read also:
Our coaching in burnout and stress and nutrition and lifestyle.

Sources:
¹ NOS: Employers struggle with rising stress-related sick leave (Dutch)
² Singh et al. (2023), British Journal of Sports Medicine: physical activity for depression, anxiety and distress