A 20-minute workout a day could keep burnout at bay, according to a study published in JAMA Psychiatry on Aug. 9.
Researchers from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver asked 288 healthcare workers to use a suite of exercise applications — such as yoga and running apps — to complete four 20-minute workout sessions per week over a 12-week period.
Those that followed the program to the end saw significant, consistent improvements in burnout indicators, namely cynicism.
However, most healthcare workers did not stick with the program. Only 33 participants were still following the prescribed exercise regimen by the 12th week.
"Although exercise was able to reduce depressive symptoms among [healthcare workers], adherence was low toward the end of the trial," the researchers wrote. "Optimizing adherence to exercise programming represents an important challenge to help maintain improvements in mental health among [healthcare workers]."