Iván always goes to work happy.
He strolls along the way, appreciating every little detail.
But lately he feels that the hours are getting very long, he doesn't finish feeling well.
His body feels cramped and rigid, he has difficulty concentrating and, at times, an urgent need to stretch and shout... Iván could be any person from our country, between the ages of 25 and 64, who spends an average of between 5 and 8 hours sitting, according to the National Statistics Institute.
The evidence that sitting for long hours causes an infinite number of problems is beyond dispute: it is associated with a greater possibility of heart risk, stroke and related diseases.
An interesting longitudinal study of more than ten years, more than 100,000 participants and 21 countries, published in
JAMA Cardiology
, concludes that those people who spend more than 8 hours sitting have a risk of mortality from myocardial infarctions, cerebrovascular accidents, heart failure or cardiovascular deaths between 17% and 50% more than those who spend less than 4 hours sitting.
Also, the range increases if physical activity is not performed daily.
For this reason, including short breaks in the work environment can be a solution to alleviate many of these problems.
This idea is associated with active breaks, understood as brief periods of physical activity that are integrated into work hours.
Today there is no specific position on what the structure, frequency, duration and type of physical exercise should be within these active breaks, since it depends on the orientation of the work performed and the factors associated with health analyzed.
However, there is some noteworthy evidence.
On the one hand, it has been shown that taking a light walk of 5 minutes, every 30 minutes of sitting, produces a decrease in blood pressure and blood glucose.
Just as performing a small strength training routine every 60 minutes (2 series of 15 repetitions of 3-4 exercises that mobilize the large muscle groups) has a positive effect on the mental fatigue of the worker, associating benefits related to discomfort or drowsiness.
Although this effect is also present when taking breaks combining stretching, mobilization and relaxation.
And perhaps one of the biggest concerns associated with sedentary behavior at work is the number of musculoskeletal problems produced by maintaining a posture for long hours.
This has been of interest not only by workers, but also by companies and employers who are beginning to observe how including active rest initiatives in working hours leads to fewer sick leave due to problems associated with the musculoskeletal system.
In this sense, there is no magic recipe regarding the design of the active pause, since the simple fact of moving already has benefits at the musculoskeletal level.
In general terms, breaks of between 10 to 15 minutes are recommended every 40 to 60 minutes of continuous work;
It can be replaced by breaks of between 3 to 5 min every 30 minutes.
The type of physical exercise to perform can be very varied: stretching program, strength training,
core
or even ergonomic interventions.
Strength training on different muscle groups seems to be more effective, both for professions that spend many hours sitting or even standing.
After six weeks, a decrease in neck or shoulder pain begins to be observed, and mostly at the lumbar level.
But the benefits extend to increasing general strength, which not only has a positive impact on the work task, but also on the daily routine.
Stretching or mobility training is usually more feasible in professions that spend many hours sitting down, where, with breaks of just 5 minutes standing up while stretching, improvements can be achieved not only on the perception of pain, but also reduce pain. muscle fatigue levels, and a non-fatigue state can be maintained for the next 30-45 minutes.
It should not be forgotten that, in addition to these initiatives, there are other small actions that can be included in the day-to-day work, always depending on your job position:
Try to get to work by walking.
If you are going by public transport, try to get off a few minutes before arriving at the office.
Use the stairs whenever you can.
When you go to the toilet, go to the one on the top floor or downstairs if possible.
Try to stand up if you are talking on the phone.
Keep conversations with your teammates standing up whenever possible.
Get up and down from the chair several times in a row, whenever you can.
Work or study standing or walking for a short period of time.
Stand up and stretch your body, even for a few seconds.
Go up and down the stairs of the building.
Asian culture can help us better understand how small habits can help us to have better health, motivation and job quality.
This is what the culture of Rajio taiso (a brief exercise routine that is broadcast daily on Japan's national radio) and
chorei
meetings
(held first thing in the morning, with the entire work team to energize all employees)
show us.
before starting the day).
In any case, it is indisputable that it is necessary to move and reduce sedentary time if we want to have a better quality of life.
Gema Torres Luque
is a professor at the University of Jaén in the Faculty of Humanities and Educational Sciences.
CEDA Research Group (Science, Education, Sport and Physical Activity).
@letrasdegematorres.
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