A new study shows that a 15-minute exercise can help to prevent the damage caused by nine hours of desk-bound work. The study also says that workers can improve their mental health through simple movement breaks. The study was conducted by ASICS to commemorate World Mental Health Day. The researchers found that even two hours of desk-based jobs can impact an individual’s mental health and stress levels increase significantly after four hours of work.
However, incorporating 15 minutes of physical activity into the working day can help to mitigate these effects. When participants began moving during their workday, they experienced reduced stress levels and reported feeling more relaxed, tranquil and resilient, according to a report in express.co.uk.
Exercise can also help to improve your physical health along with mental health after prolonged hours of sitting at your desk. If you spend more than 3-4 hours per day seated while working, you’re increasing your risk of heart disease, cancer, arthritis, obesity, accelerated ageing, muscular stiffness and postural problems. However, with straightforward daily routines and mobility exercises, you can combat the side-effects of sitting. These exercises include:
- Lunges
- Squats
- Walking
- Spinal twists
- Shoulder rolls and shrugs
- Arm raises
- Wrist stretches
Stretching can help to reduce the rigidity caused due to extended periods of sitting and can help in correcting your posture. Concentrate on expanding your chest, mobilising your spine and rolling your neck and shoulders.
You might also consider standing, stretching and walking for at least a minute or two every half hour.
Speaking about the study, a spokesperson for ASICS 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.”
They continued, “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 study was supervised by Dr Brendon Stubbs from King’s College London who discovered that when office workers incorporated 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 study also showed that taking a daily Desk Break for just one week reduced stress levels by 14.7%, enhanced productivity by 33.2% and improved focus by 28.6%. Participants reported feeling 33.3% more relaxed and 28.6% more calm and resilient.
Dr Stubbs 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.”