Heart Check: take small frequent breaks from your office seat

Being a workaholic has become a trait for many who have become too dedicated with their job. The fact is, you could be risking more than just a sore bum if you work straight from 9-5. It is highly suggested you take some frequent breaks as it can help in keeping your waistline in shape as well as your heart in a better condition.

A little bit of physical activity for 5 to 10 minutes like standing up, stretching, walking or using the stairs can help your health to be healthier and could give you more alertness for work. If you sit for long periods of time, you could be risking more than just a little back or shoulder pain. You could be risking a heart condition. Sitting for long periods of time “working” is no different from sitting in front of the TV doing nothing. These people develop bigger waist circumferences. Their HDL levels are also lower compared to other workers who tend to move around, walk, stretch, and make use of the 15 minute breaks and those simple things. The fact is that even a little bit of change in your position can be very helpful for your health.

Companies need to take some time analyzing the study since they might think that giving their workers these little times to move more can minimize productivity. In fact, studies even show that a little 5 to 10 minutes of nap at work can increase work productivity. Sometimes, we think that the corporate world or work in general is all that. Human physiology tells otherwise. The body never follows lifestyles and if you push your body to the limit where it cannot push anymore, you will end up in a ,more critical condition that when you did a little bit of a jogging in place when brainstorming for a new ad campaign.

There are some studies done in the past few years regarding this corporate phenomenon. Workers from 20 and up are included and they are monitored for their walking as well as standing up. Their fats, blood pressure and their waist circumference are checked. In fact, there are very simple things that people can do to enable more movement. Instead of sending emails to a co-worker who is just a seat away, just stand up and tell them directly the message or leave a post it or print a page and give it to them. That can increase physical activity. Sometimes, we are just too caught up with technology we forget that we have a physical self to take good care of.
The fact is that most of us forget the importance of a little movement, a little stretch and exercise. It is necessary to always put the health as a consideration and never sacrifice your health for anything else. If worse comes to worst, you could cause more damage by pushing yourself too much than just try to work with your body and balance your activities even in the office environment.