The saying “sitting is the new smoking” has already become established. According to the DKV Report 2021 by Dr. Ingo Frobose and Dr. Birgita Wallman-Sperlich, people in Germany sit for 8.5 hours a day – in 2018 it was 7.5 hours.
That is an increase of over 13 percent. In young adults it is even up to 10.5 hours. The corona pandemic has certainly played its part in this trend.
But what can you do to counteract the health consequences of sitting too much? The 5-in-30 rule is one way to work healthier in the office or at home.
A study by Columbia University Medical Center from January 2023 found that you should get up from your seat every 30 minutes and then walk around for 5 minutes. This proved to be ideal in the tests with the subjects.
The movement pattern had a positive effect on blood sugar levels and blood pressure. But even short breaks from sitting should help.
With a normal day of 8 hours, this rule would add up to 75 minutes before the end of the day – you have to have those first!
If you work in the home office, you can perhaps combine the movement with vacuuming, taking out garbage or other household chores. A 20-minute jog during the lunch break is also conceivable.
It’s not always easy to think about the breaks. The free tool Stretchly lets you set the intervals and duration of the breaks individually and stick to them.
Just adjust the sliders accordingly, and when the time is up, a gentle beep will remind you to get up. If that doesn’t fit because you’re on the phone or want to do an important task, you can skip the break.
