Work Breaks and movement in an office environment.

I recently got asked by one of my participants if i had some desk/office exercises to keep people moving in the office - of course there are lots of things you can do and here are some of the reasons why.

FIRST, WHY DO WE BREAK?

Human bodies aren’t designed to be in fixed positions doing repetitive tasks. Even if we have a great ergonomic set up it does not compensate for the lack of variety and diversity in our movements.

WHEN SHOULD WE BREAK?

Break every 20-30 minutes. After that time our body experiences physiological changes which put us a greater risk of Type 2 Diabetes and Cardiovascular disease. The break doesn’t need to be long but breaking does matter.

WHAT SHOULD WE DO WHEN WE BREAK?

Move! Anything will help - walk to the water tap and refill your water (which you need to be drinking plenty of). Stand up and stretch you legs. Take a call standing up. Aim to get out at lunch time and not eat at your desk. There are many ways to incorporate it in to your day.