“We are sitting ourselves to death,” says Dr. James Levine, a professor of medicine at the Mayo Clinic in Phoenix, Arizona. While this sounds like a dramatic statement, at this point many medical professionals agree that it contains a high degree of truth. If you’re not quite ready to switch over to a standing desk, you can begin by breaking up your desk time with short movement breaks. This will enhance your health and wellbeing, and on top of that, it’ll also support your focus and productivity. We’ll show you how.
“Sitting is the new smoking,” says Levine. Indeed, numerous studies indicate that long periods of sitting lead to chronic illness, a slowed metabolism and even depression. And those are only a few of the risks. But this blog post isn’t about overwhelming you with all of the consequences that may arise from too much sitting. Instead, let’s focus on how you can incorporate this awareness into your every day.
Movement breaks have so many benefits. Movement and exercise activate your brain and through the release of the “happiness hormone” serotonin, also have a positive effect on your mood.
And you can put that to good use! During our Career- and Educational Coaching sessions, many of our clients share how they struggle with focusing on a task in an efficient way for extended periods of time. Studying and school work feels like a big challenge. Creating some space for movement breaks might help.
How can you integrate movement breaks into your every day?
If you own a smartwatch with Idle Alert, it’s easy to set movement reminders. Another option is to program your smartphone so that it vibrates every 20 minutes. After a while, taking those 20 minute breaks will become a habit. Another option is to invest in a standing desk, so that you can at least spend some of your work time standing.
So what exactly counts as a “movement break”?
A movement break is essentially any activity that doesn’t include sitting or lying down. The most important part is that you get up and move around. Whether you jump around on a trampoline, do a few knee bends, dance wildly around the room, run around the house or even just go to the bathroom is up to you.
Our team here at stedtnitz. design your life loves movement breaks – our personal favorite is jumping on the trampoline! This really helps us show up fully for our clients.
So on that note, give yourself a (movement) break!