A Swedish study found that exercising during the workday turns out to be a win-win situation: Employees are more productive and end up being a lot healthier overall in the long run.

In the newly published study, researchers had two workplaces spend 2.5 hours each week doing physical activity across two sessions. A third workplace had decreased hours but no obligated physical exercise, and a fourth workplace worked 40 hours each week with no change.

The researchers found that while, all three groups whose schedules changed were able to either maintain or increase productivity, those who exercised at work “reported improvements in self-assessed productivity — they perceived that they got more done at work, had a greater work capacity and were sick less often.”

According to the study’s authors, “This increased productivity comes, on the one hand, from people getting more done during the hours they are at work, perhaps because of increased stamina and, on the other hand, from less absenteeism owing to sickness.”

Heather Rudow is a staff writer for Counseling Today. Email her at hrudow@counseling.org.

Follow Counseling Today on Twitter.