Sitting at a desk or working from home

A day at the office or working from home can be spent almost entirely sitting, without you ever deciding it. Meetings follow one another, the screen absorbs you, and the commute has sometimes vanished with remote work. The idea here is not to redo your schedule, but to slip very small active breaks into it.

This page is for information only. It does not replace the advice of a health professional.

Why breaks rather than “the big session” #

The WHO notes that limiting time spent sitting, and breaking it up with movement, is part of its health reference points. Many people say “I will exercise this evening”, then do not manage it after a busy day. Short breaks spread through the working day have the advantage of needing no kit, no journey and no spare energy.

Micro-breaks that are easy to place #

Pick one or two, not all of them:

• Stand up for every call. A phone call, or a video call without screen sharing, can be taken standing or while walking around the room.
• The glass of water. Filling your glass or bottle makes you get up. A slightly longer trip, to another room or upstairs, adds movement without effort.
• One minute of mobility. Stretch tall, gently roll your shoulders, stretch your back and wrists, look into the distance to rest your eyes.
• The walking meeting. When the context allows, a one-to-one can happen on foot rather than seated.
• The printer, the toilet, the stairs. Take the longer route, not the shorter, when it costs you nothing.

A trigger rather than a good resolution #

“I will move more” does not hold. Tying the break to something that already happens holds much better: “when I finish an important email, I stand up”, “with every coffee, I walk for two minutes”. A discreet timer on your phone, say roughly every hour, can act as a reminder; adjust it to what suits you.

Setting up without spending a fortune #

An adjustable desk is not essential. A simple stand to raise the laptop, a shelf or a pile of books is enough to work standing now and then. Alternating is more useful than settling permanently on your feet: the aim is to vary your positions, not to find a perfect one.

Working from home #

With no colleagues and no commute, the chances to move disappear. A few pointers:

1. Create a “fake commute”: a few minutes of walking outside before you start and at the end of the day.
2. Have lunch somewhere other than your workstation, and walk a little afterwards.
3. Keep things you use often (water, documents) in another room.

To go deeper on the underlying subject, read sitting too much, then find time to move and incidental activity in daily life.

If it does not work straight away #

You will forget; that is normal. Rather than feeling guilty, try making the cue more visible (sticky note, alarm) or the action smaller (one minute instead of five). A movement that is too ambitious is rarely repeated.

To see where you are starting from #

The sedentary lifestyle quiz helps you see where you stand, with no score and no judgement. The full approach is on the start exercising page.

If persistent pain (back, neck, wrists) develops with screen work, talk to your doctor or occupational health service.

This content is an informative draft. It makes no diagnosis and does not replace the advice of a doctor or health professional.