Exercise as a remedy for work-related fatigue Lichaamsbeweging als remedie tegen werkgerelateerde vermoeidheid

In this article, the dissertation of De Vries (2017) is discussed. The main purpose of this dissertation was to advance knowledge about the extent to which exercise is effective in reducing work-related fatigue. Work-related fatigue is considered the key component of burnout. To this purpose, three related empirical studies with strong methodological designs were carried out. Two randomized controlled trials were conducted among fatigued university students and employees. In these two studies, a six-week running intervention was compared to wait list in order to investigate whether exercise is effective to reduce fatigue compared to the natural course of these symptoms. Furthermore, a longitudinal two-wave panel study with a one-year time lag was conducted in order to study bi-directional relationships between exercise and work-related fatigue. Together, the studies in this dissertation show that exercise is effective in reducing work-related fatigue, and that the relationship between exercise and work-related fatigue is reciprocal.