Keeping a good balance between work and life is no easy matter. A new study published in the journal Human Resource Management shows that regular exercise can help you find the balance.

The research examined the responses of 476 working adults who were questioned about their exercise behaviour and their ability to handle work-family conflicts.

Responses showed that those who exercised regularly seemed to achieve an increased feeling of competence, which they then carried over into work and home roles. Respondents who exercised also felt that they could accomplish tough tasks.

“If, for example, you go for a two-mile jog or walk 10 flights of steps at work and feel good about yourself for doing that, it will translate and carry over into other areas of life,” said study author Russell Clayton, an assistant professor at Saint Leo University, Florida, USA.

While the study, which also involved researchers from Saint Louis University, University of Houston-Victoria and Illinois State University, found a link between physical activity and greater empowerment at home and at work, it did not prove a cause-and-effect relationship.

“But the associations between exercise and work-life balance are there, and they’re very strong,” Clayton told Human Resource Management.