Countless recent studies show that increased exercise is a great way for employees to unwind from the pressure and stresses of everyday work. As a result, productivity and motivation can also increase, making businesses more profitable and less stressful.

Training and exercise has also been found to be a highly effective team building tool. Companies and businesses are now increasingly looking to implement their own initiatives in setting up memberships to training facilities.

This is quickly becoming one of the best benefits afforded to staff in terms of health, longevity and productivity. Studies indicate that our mental firepower is directly linked to our physical regimen. And nowhere are the implications more relevant than to our performance at work.

Consider the following cognitive benefits, all of which you can expect as a result of incorporating regular exercise into your routine:

• Improved concentration
• Sharper memory
• Faster learning
• Prolonged mental stamina
• Enhanced creativity

Exercise has also been show to elevate mood, which has serious implications for workplace performance. I’m willing to bet that your job requires you to build interpersonal connections and foster collaborations. Within this context, feeling irritable is no longer simply an inconvenience. It can directly influence the degree to which you are successful.

There is evidence suggesting that exercise during regular work hours may boost performance. Take, for example, the results of a Leeds Metropolitan University study, which examined the influence of daytime exercise among office workers with access to a company gym. Many of us would love the convenience of free weights or a yoga studio at the office.

But does using these amenities actually make a difference? Within the study, researchers had over 200 employees at a variety of companies self-report their performance on a daily basis. They then examined fluctuations within individual employees, comparing their output on days when they exercised to days when they didn’t. Here’s what they found: On days when employees visited the gym, their experience at work changed.

They reported managing their time more effectively, being more productive, and having smoother interactions with their colleagues. Just as important: They went home feeling more satisfied at the end of the day.

Become part of a group, not a collective. One recommendation aspiring gym-goers often receive is to find an exercise regimen that involves other people. It’s good advice. Socializing makes exercise more fun, which improves the chances that you’ll keep doing it. It’s also a lot harder to back out on a friend or a trainer than to persuade yourself that just one night off couldn’t hurt.

But there’s another layer to this research—one that is well worth considering before signing up for an exercise class. Studies indicate that not all “group” activities are equally effective at sustaining our interest. We are far more likely to stick with an exercise regimen when others are dependent on our participation. As an illustration, consider the standard yoga or pilates class.

Each involves individual-based tasks that require you to work alone, albeit in the presence of others. Both activities technically take place within the context of a group, however in these cases the “group” is more accurately described as a collective. Research suggests that if you’re looking to establish a routine that sticks, exercising as part of a collective is preferable to working out alone, but it’s not nearly as effective as exercising as part of a group or team.