LIFESTYLE NEWS - Should I take exercise breaks at work?

YES…if you want to be productive and healthy!

For 2019's National Physiotherapy Back Week (1-8 September), the South African Society of Physiotherapy is challenging employers and employees to schedule brief "brain breaks" to boost brain power.

Sitting down for seven and more hours every day is not ideal. 

Forty or 50 minutes a day can be split into ten-minute blocks if necessary, to stimulate and engage both the body and brain (something exercise is proven to do).

Tips for sneaky exercise:

Work out at lunchtime.

If your office has a gym, doing half an hour is easy; otherwise put on some comfortable walking shoes and head for the nearest shopping mall, office park or green space for a walk.

Take an active break every half hour. Go upstairs or down to make coffee; walk to a different office for a meeting; take a walking meeting with a colleague.

Go the long way. Park far from the mall entrance when shopping; take the stairs instead of the lift.

Do it the hard way. Make it a matter of pride that you never use the escalator, you always take the stairs; scrub your floors at home; mow your own lawn.

Keep a couple of hand weights at your desk and use them while taking calls.

Ask your physiotherapist about exercises you can do using chairs, walls and window ledges. You'll be amazed – simply doing squats sliding up and down your office wall can be quite demanding!

If you need to sell your boss (or yourself) on the idea of taking brain breaks every day, just remember: there's evidence regular physical activity leads to better on the job performance, physical resilience (less absenteeism), more enthusiasm and, less stress. What's not to like?

To find a physiotherapist near you, go to www.saphysio.co.za.

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