Adults spend the majority of their day sedentary, primarily sitting. University students sit even more, averaging up to 11 hours a day (KOTT 2021). Our daily lives are built in a way that makes it hard to avoid sitting. We sit at work, at school, in transit, and at home during leisure time. Although sitting is often unavoidable, its negative effects can be easily reduced by taking breaks! Even a short break is enough to increase blood circulation, refreshing the mind and body.
Taking breaks from work is a skill that requires practice. Initially, it might be easiest to interrupt your work by setting a timer every 30-45 minutes. When the alarm sounds, you can stand up and, for example, get a glass of water before continuing your work. During some breaks, you can stretch a bit or do a short workout following a video.
Changing your working position also counts as a break. When the timer goes off, you can stand up or lie down and continue working. You can create your own standing desk for the remote lecture by placing a sturdy cardboard box on the kitchen table. While lying down might not be the most ergonomic working position, it can work well as a brief wake-up during a long remote meeting.
The image below shows various ways how to include breaks to your workday.
Taking breaks is on every individuals own responsibility, but community-created practices can facilitate the adoption of this habit! The article “90 minuuttia nuokkumista vai oppimista?” (link is in Finnish) by the Student Sports Federation provides tips on how to guide students in taking breaks during lectures. The same tips can be applied to workplace meetings. It is allowed to stand up and stretch during a lecture or meeting, and suggesting a break to interrupt a long session is even desirable!
Finally I present a well-received idea to all members of the Tampere University community. How about we adopt a practice in our university where, after individual speeches, everyone stands up to give standing ovations? It would be great for the speaker to bask in the applause, but even better, the audience would have the opportunity to overcome “Achy”!
Useful links:
SportUni Break exercise videos
Info about loading the Break Pro -program
How to drive “Achy” away (Finnish Student Sports Federation)