Long day at the office can kill will to exercise, diet: study

If you find yourself lacking the motivation swim laps at the pool after an especially stressful day at the office, you're not alone, say researchers at McMaster University in Hamilton. Steven Bray, an associate professor of kinesiology, has co-written a study that's found humans only have a certain amount of willpower stored at any one time. That willpower, he says, can be burned up either mentally or physically. "Sometimes, you're trying to meet a deadline. And when you finally finish, you feel physically exhausted, even if you just sat at your desk," Bray told Canwest News Service. His report was published recently in the journal Psychology & Health. It has implications for those trying to maintain a strict exercise regimen, especially if they try to combine it with stressful office jobs.