Health experts say just 15 minutes of exercise can help reverse the damage of nine hours sat at a desk. It comes as a new global study has revealed how workers can improve their mental health through simple movement breaks.
The study, commissioned by ASICS to mark World Mental Health Day, found even two hours of desk-based working can impact our mental state. The research also found stress levels increase significantly after four hours.
However, 15 minutes of movement in the working day can help to reverse these effects. In fact, when participants started moving during their working day, stress levels were lowered, and participants reported feeling more relaxed, calmer and more resilient.
Besides reversing potential damage done to your mental health, exercise can also help you feel better physically after sitting at a desk for hours on end. If you sit, while working, for longer than 3-4 hours per day, you’re increasing your chances of heart disease, cancer, arthritis, obesity, accelerated aging, muscular tightness and postural issues.
Fortunately, there are simple daily habits and mobility workouts to help you counteract the consequences of sitting, including:
- Lunges
- Squats
- Walking
- Spinal twists
- Shoulder rolls and shrugs
- Arm raises
- Wrist stretches
Stretching can release stiffness causes by sitting down for too long and could help fix your posture. Focus on opening your chest, moving your spine, rolling your neck and shoulders. You can also try to stand, stretch, and walk for at least a minute, or two, every half hour.
Commenting on ASICS’ mental health study, a spokesperson said: “ASICS’ global State of Mind study, involving 26,000 participants, revealed a strong connection between sedentary behaviour and mental wellbeing with State of Mind scores declining the longer individuals remain inactive.
“Further research into desk-based working found that after just two hours of continuous desk work State of Mind scores begin to drop and stress levels rise. After four hours of uninterrupted desk time, workers’ stress levels increased significantly by 18%.
“However, a new Desk Break experiment shows that just 15 minutes of movement can help to reverse the effects. ” The Desk Break experiment, overseen by Dr Brendon Stubbs from King’s College London, found that when office workers added just 15 minutes of movement into their working day, their mental state improved by 22.5% with participants’ overall State of Mind scores increasing from 62/100 to 76/100.
The experiment showed that taking a daily Desk Break for just one week lowered stress levels by 14.7%, boosted productivity by 33.2% and improved focus by 28.6%. Participants reported feeling 33.3% more relaxed and 28.6% more calm and resilient. Up to 79.2% of participants said they would be more loyal to their employers if offered regular movement breaks.
Dr Brendon Stubbs, a leading researcher in exercise and mental health from King’s College London, said: “What surprised us with the Desk Break experiment was how powerful the 15 minute movement breaks were in improving wellbeing and reducing stress. It even changed people’s perceptions of their workplace for the better.”
Hayley Jarvis, Head of Physical Activity at Mind, the mental health charity, said: “At Mind, we have seen how regular physical activity, even small amounts, can help support better mental health. Bringing a daily movement break into the working day is a small change that can make a huge difference.”
To avoid any injury or harm, check your health with your doctor before exercising. Also speak to your doctor is you are experiencing periods of low moods consistently.