Getty Images/SolStockWhether it’s responding to emails or taking video calls, so much of office life revolves around being planted on a chair.
But the habit is damaging our health. Prolonged sitting can increase the risk of being overweight and developing heart disease and type 2 diabetes, say experts.
While we know screen breaks are good for us, what’s less clear is how often we should get up and move about while remaining productive at work.
A new study published by the British Journal of Sports Medicine has found that taking five-minute breaks – or “movement snacks” – every hour is the best and most feasible way to boost wellbeing without losing efficiency.
Lead researcher Keith Diaz told BBC News that most adults now spend three-quarters of their waking day sedentary.
While general advice to “sit less and move more” is correct, people need to know what dose, he added.
“The good news is that a walk break every hour for five minutes is enough to improve mood and lower fatigue. And people found this realistic and attainable,” Diaz said.
The study by Columbia University surveyed more than 11,000 US employees – most of them in office jobs and working eight- to nine-hour shifts.
For the first week, they went about their usual routine and completed daily surveys about tiredness, their mood, and work performance.
For the following two weeks they were asked to take walking breaks at work of five minutes every half hour, every hour or every two hours and fill out similar surveys.
A walk every half hour was beneficial for mood and reducing tiredness, but was disruptive to the day job. One every two hours was better than no walking, but researchers found a five-minute stroll each hour led to the biggest and most feasible improvement in productivity, mood and alertness.
Sitting for hours can be a hard habit to kick, said Diaz, with many employees in the study worrying about what their boss or co-workers would think of their breaks.
“Even though it may seem counter-intuitive, movement breaks actually can boost work performance,” said Diaz. “They can improve executive function, attention and memory. And it helps people feel more relaxed and fresh.”
Walking is low-cost and doesn’t have to mean stopping work, he said, pointing to walking meetings or pacing during phone calls – whether outdoors or around the office.
Emily McGrath, senior cardiac nurse at the British Heart Foundation, welcomed the research findings, saying that “simple additions of movement can improve overall health”.
However, she cautioned, “the study relied on self-reported data and was short-term, so longer research is needed to confirm its impact on heart health”.
