Workplace Wellness: Don’t Sit Still!
Looking around ModernWell, our female-centered coworking space in Minneapolis, it is not at all uncommon or weird to see people doing squats next to their desks, taking stretch or dance breaks, heading out to “take a lap” around the block, meeting a colleague for a walking meeting, or one of my favorites, walking (or bounding) up and down the stairs a few times to get the energy flowing. Many of us have figured out that while we are fully capable of plugging in and hyper focusing on our work, the way some of us were negatively judged in grade school because “you just can’t sit still” turns out to be more of a blessing than a curse.
According to a CNN Health’s 2023 article, “The scientific community has known for decades that sitting can increase risk of chronic diseases like diabetes, heart disease and certain types of cancers, says Keith Diaz, the study’s lead author and assistant professor of behavioral medicine at Columbia University Medical Center. But until now there haven’t been clear guidelines about how long you can sit and how often you should be moving.”
So, you may ask, what does the research point to as the magic sitting/movement formula? It is very simple: Move for five minutes every half hour to counteract the health hazards of prolonged sitting (increased blood pressure and blood sugar levels).
I get it. This sounds like a lot. Professor Diaz gets it too. The CNN article states, “Does five minutes every half hour still seem like a stretch? Even little “activity snacks” like one minute of walking every hour was shown to reduce blood pressure in study participants by a “sizable amount,” Diaz said.
It really does make sense. Personally, when I sit for an extended period of time without moving, here’s what I notice:
I feel tired, sometimes irritable, and sometimes restless.
My neck hurts.
My back hurts.
I start to lose focus and will look on social media for breaks from my work.
I lose motivation.
So, counteracting these issues (and other health concerns) by moving our bodies once every half hour seems to be a very good idea, right?! Increased health benefits and most likely increased productivity and motivation—sounds like something we would all want to sign up for!
But for those who cannot fathom popping upright every half hour, how about easing into developing this new habit?
How about setting your phone timer to go off once an hour or pay attention to your Apple Watch reminders to move? How about every 45 minutes? Half hour? If you can’t “take a lap”, maybe it’s a one minute stretch?
Another approach is