Objective
Reducing the adverse effects of excessive sitting. Maintenance of functional capacity, health and vigilance in sedentary work.
You should move in between sedentary work
At the workplace as well as in remote work, it is a good idea to enable taking breaks from sitting, strengthening and relaxing the musculoskeletal system, maintaining vigilance and recovering. In the context of sedentary work, exercising according to the general exercise guidelines is sufficient.
Special attention should be paid to enabling physical activity throughout the working day. Occasionally standing between periods of sitting is good, but continuous standing has its own health risks, such as increasing stress to the soles of the feet when standing for long on hard surfaces and the lower back getting tired. Actively moving and changing positions activates the body.
Even active exercise after the work shift may not be sufficient to cancel the adverse health effects of long periods of continuous sitting. That is why taking breaks from sitting is important.
The nature of work and workload
Often, it is not enough to encourage the employee to independently take breaks from sitting. Both when working alone and at the workplace, it is good to consider how the work and workload can be planned in a way that allows pausing the work and moving about. One example is the Pomodoro method in which you work for 25 minutes and recover for 5 minutes.
Opportunities (premises, equipment) the workplace offers for physical activity
The workplace can have break rooms intended for physical activity that promotes recovery, with exercise equipment and instructions available. Periods of break exercise or physical activity that promotes body maintenance and recovery can be organized at the workplace or using a remote connection. The employees know their own work very well and often have good ideas about types of physical activity that is appropriate for their work.
Workplace atmosphere
The workplace should have an atmosphere that encourages taking breaks from sitting and engaging in physical activity. Everyone knows that it is acceptable to pause work and engage in exercise/physical activity that promotes recovery, such as engaging in break exercise or standing up during a meeting. Meetings can be held walking or people can stand during meetings without others being surprised.