For many, the word “break” brings up images of workers casually sipping coffee or indulging in snacks by the vending machine while shooting the breeze, before getting back to their respective offices only to remain pretty much immobile there until the next break. But what if, instead, we could use that time off to counter the effects of that prolonged immobility on our health?
Ladies and gentlemen, we give you… drum roll… active breaks!
Doing nothing can be hard on one’s body
Believe it or not, spending the whole day sitting nearly immobile on a chair staring at a computer screen can be as hard on one’s body as handling boxes and stuff or carrying out physically demanding tasks.
Well, that might be a little exaggerated… but not that much.
Be honest. How many times a day do you lean back and rub the back of your neck after spending hours on a project, or emit a heart-felt groan when pulling yourself up from your chair? How often do you get the impression that everything looks blurry or that your eyes are about to fall out of their sockets at the end of the day?
We wouldn’t even be surprised if you told us that you feel tired and aching all over when you get home after work, even though you have been sitting nearly all day (no, we’re not questioning the fact that you are tired!).
What you’re experiencing are the manifestations of all the muscular tension and of the visual and mental fatigue that build up when you spend too much time doing more or less the same thing in the same position all day, and of your body’s lack of exercise.
The remedy: active breaks!
For office workers, active breaks are a simple and very low-cost way of giving some sorely needed respite to their joints, back and brains by doing a bit of light exercise.
And when we say simple, this time, we’re not exaggerating!
Active breaks do not require any special equipment or dedicated facilities, only a bit of imagination and motivation. Here are a few ideas that might inspire you:
- Go for a walk.
- Use your office furniture to do some stretching exercises (flex your arms while supporting yourself on your chair, half-upright push-ups leaning against your desk, etc.).
- If you work in a multi-story building, walk up and down the stairs (set up a walking club and do it while chatting with colleagues).
- Put on some music and shake off that stiffness with some dance moves (do it discreetly in your office if you’re embarrassed, but you’d have much more fun doing it with your office buddies!).
- Get a group of colleagues together for some tai-chi or even line dancing (all the rage right now!).
- If you have access to an outdoor space, organize “soft” games like pétanque or bean toss.
Whatever your preference is, the important thing is TO NOT REMAIN SEATED AT YOUR DESK during your break!
Of course, all of the above also applies when you’re working from home – except for the group stuff.
How often is often enough?
The fact of the matter is that there is currently no consensus regarding how many active breaks you should take and how long they should be. Almost everyone agrees, however, that it’s better to take frequent short breaks, a few minutes long each, than to take only one or two longer ones, or worse yet, to simply go through the day without exercising at all.
And you don’t have to limit yourself to scheduled breaks either. You can and should seize all occasions to get off your chair and give your body a few minutes of exercise. For instance, instead of calling a colleague or sending them an email to ask them something, why not just walk over to their office? And why not use a single glass that you can go fill up regularly throughout the day rather than a bottle that you only need to fill once or twice?
A practice worth encouraging
As an employer, there are significant advantages to encouraging your employees to take up active breaks and even supporting them to that end, as active breaks have noticeable, positive impacts on workers’ health and motivation, and on the strengthening of bonds between them – especially if you join them in doing it!
Time for a break? Time to move!