Breaks
WORK CAPACITY PROMOTING EXERCISE 4/6
Breaks help reduce bodily strain and reduce the overall stress that can be harmful to your health. Sufficient work breaks help you to cope with your work and is justifiable for work performance as well. Sufficient work breaks are refreshing and help to avoid damages and accidents at work as well. Taking breaks is also important in order to prevent muscle and joint problems.
You can flex the muscles that get tired during the working day or awaken muscles that have been idle with break exercise. Everyone should adopt break exercise as a part of his/her working day routines already at a young age. As a parent, you thank yourself for that choice.
Break exercise is a healthy alternative to smoking breaks. Try something sporty instead if you feel like having a smoke during the break. Thus, the strongest desire for a smoke will pass by deceiving it with exercise.
For example, you can stretch or awaken your muscles with different movements. These make blood circulate in the muscles. Break exercise can be enhanced with various weights, elastic bands or, for example, a stretching stick. It would be a good idea to practice break exercise a couple of times during the working day. You should take a short work break every half hour from sitting and standing.
Tips for break exercise:
Physically heavy work
- Stretch, it services your muscles!
- Straighten your back.
- Stretch your limbs.
- Roll your shoulders.
- Regular short stretches of 5-15 seconds are done alongside work.
- Coffee or lunch breaks are ideal for 3-5 exercise movements for the shoulder area.
- Short breaks (approx. 10 sec.) should be placed between the movement cycles in continuous repetition work.
Stand-up work
- Hang and straighten your back using, for example, a pull-up bar.
- Lean on the desk and alternate weight from foot to foot.
- Put your feet up.
- Sit down for a moment and shake your legs and feet / roll your ankles.
- Lift your hands up and then reach downwards, it opens the back.
- Regular short stretches of 5-15 seconds are done alongside work.
- Coffee or lunch breaks are ideal for 3-5 exercise movements for the shoulder area.
Sedentary and display terminal work
- Roll your arms and shoulders.
- Stretch your neck muscles.
- Hang and straighten your back using, for example, a pull-up bar.
- Walk in the workstation (even just to the printer or to get some coffee).
- Run in the stairs.
- Regular short stretches of 5-15 seconds are done alongside work.
- Coffee or lunch breaks are ideal for 3-5 exercise movements for the shoulder area.
See also tips for neck and shoulder upkeep training
Sitting is harmful
Long-term sitting holds several harmful health effects, so remember to take a work break from sitting. It is also not good for the body after a hard working day to lie down for the rest of the day. Your metabolism works and recovery from work-related stress is accelerated when you move.