Current research highlights the need to critically examine the factors that can reduce the relationship between work stress and burnout to improve employee health and well-being, as well as to create healthier workplaces. The objective of this study was to enhance insight into the association between stress and job burnout by testing the moderated moderating effect of off-job physical activity (PA) and intrinsic motivation for off-job PA on this association. A total of 369 university staff (70% females) completed a web survey comprising measures of perceived stress, job burnout, PA, and intrinsic motivation for PA. A three-way conditional process model revealed that the “Stress × PA” interaction was significant for cognitive weariness, and that the three-way interaction between “Stress × PA × Intrinsic Motivation for PA” was significantly related to job burnout, and to cognitive weariness. The results highlight (a) that stress was associated with higher levels of job burnout; (b) that under a high stress condition, PA was negatively linked to cognitive weariness; and (c) that intrinsic motivation for PA reinforced the positive moderating effect of PA on the stress–burnout relationship, especially when stress is high.

WOPAP is a theoretically-grounded workplace physical activity intervention that aims to reduce work-related burnout and to improve vigor at work and other work-related outcomes. Using a randomized controlled trial, we investigate whether a 10-week program including two Nordic walking sessions per week is effective in improving employee well-being at work, in comparison with another attractive leisure activity (Theatre condition) or a waiting list control condition. The design of the study makes it possible to test the effect on burnout and vigor of the instructor’s style during physical activity (i.e., traditional vs. need-supportive style). Finally, this study is also interested in several possible psychological (i.e., detachment, relaxation, mastery, control, relatedness, and positive affects experiences) and physiological (i.e., cardiorespiratory fitness) mechanisms through which the practice of physical activity in the intervention could influence burnout and vigor. Employees of the authors’ University (N = 140) will be recruited via email, leaflets, and posters. Participants will be randomized to one of the four arms of the trial: (1) Physical Activity Traditional Style, (2) Physical Activity Need-Supportive Style, (3) Theatre condition, and (4) Waiting List Control. The experimental phase will last 10 weeks, followed by a six-month follow-up. During the ten weeks of the intervention, all groups – except the waiting list control – will carry out two activity sessions per week. Primary outcomes are burnout and vigor, secondary outcomes are work motivation, job satisfaction, work performance and work ability. These variables will be assessed before and after the intervention, and at three and six months after the end of the intervention. Moreover, burnout, vigor, needs satisfaction at work and psychological mediators will be assessed weekly throughout the intervention period. If effective, this study will provide evidence for the promotion of workplace physical activity interventions including a need-supportive climate to improve employee well-being. Results could be used to design new research protocols, but also to implement more efficient programs in the workplace. ISRCTN12725337 . Registered 21 March 2018. Registered retrospectively.

To examine the indirect relationships between physical activity, and well-being (i.e., need satisfaction, subjective vitality, and stress) of individuals, through recovery experiences (i.e., detachment from lockdown, relaxation, mastery, and control over leisure time) during the spring 2020 COVID-19 lockdown. Methods. 405 participants answered an online survey including questions on physical activity, recovery experiences, subjective vitality, perceived stress, and basic psychological needs satisfaction. Structural equation modeling tested a full-mediated model in which physical activity predicted recovery experience, which in turn predicted well-being. Results. Physical activity was positively related to a latent variable representing recovery experiences, which in turn was positively related to a latent variable representing well-being. Conclusions. Physical activity carried out regularly during the COVID-19 lockdown positively predicted well-being through recovery experiences. The study results highlight the importance of maintaining or increasing physical activity during periods when recovery experiences and well-being may be threatened.

Objective: Research on students' well‐being has shown that studies may have an impact on well‐being. However, this relationship is complex and involves many other parameters (e.g., food security and physical activity). Therefore, the objective of the present study was to investigate the relationships between food insecurity (FI), physical activity (PA), and detachment from studies on the one hand, and student well‐being, on the other.Method: A total of 4410 students (mean age = 21.55, 65 192% female) answered an online survey measuring FI, PA, detachment from studies, anxiety, burnout, depression, and satisfaction with life.Results: A structural equation model (χ [18] = 585.739, RMSEA = 0.095, 90% CI [0.089; 0.102], comparative fit index [CFI] = 0.92, NNFI = 0.921) indicated that FI negatively predicted, and that detachment from studies and PA positively predicted, the latent variable of well‐being.Discussion: The results of the present study highlight that students' well‐being is partly determined by FI, detachment from studies, and PA. Therefore, this study highlights the importance of looking at both the diets of students, as well as the activities and experiences they have outside their studies to gain a better understanding of the factors influencing student well‐being and the action leverages to promote it.