Even 15 minutes is fine! What is a “desk break” and how to get away from your desk and move your body? It is effective in improving mental health in the workplace
Ahead of World Mental Health Day on the 10th, Japanese sports brand ASICS is promoting the importance of getting away from your desk and moving your body in the workplace.
According to a survey by ASICS, getting away from your desk and moving around for around 15 minutes has a positive impact on the mental health of office workers.
The company conducted a survey called “Desk Break Experiment” to investigate the relationship between daily desk work and mental health for people around the world . The survey targeted 80 office workers from around the world, including Japan, who do mostly desk work. In the first week, they carried out their usual work without taking desk breaks and also restricted their exercise habits. In the second week, they took desk breaks every day to move their body for about 15 minutes.
The results showed that when people took desk breaks, their mental health score improved by 22.5%, their perceived stress decreased by 14.7%, their productivity increased by 33.2%, and their concentration improved by 28.6%.
In addition, relaxation scores increased by 33.3%, and calmness and resilience scores increased by 28.6%.
Other global studies from the company have found that after just two hours of desk work, our mental health starts to decline, and after four hours, stress levels rise significantly, but the results of the Desk Break Experiment suggest that around 15 minutes of exercise can reverse that effect.
[Video] A scary boss says, “Just get away from your desk and move.” Here’s the ASICS campaign video.
On September 24, the company released a campaign video to the world on YouTube. In the video, famous British actor Brian Cox plays a “scary” boss at work, saying, “The scariest thing in the office is not me, it’s this desk,” and urging viewers to “scientifically prove that this can have a negative impact on mental health,” and “for the sake of your mind, get away from your desk and just move.”